►
Description
The Boston Human Rights Commission hosted a hearing on the Digital Divide on April 28, 2021. The Commission heard Boston residents discuss direct experiences with the digital inequities in the City.
A
Exists,
you
know
I
just
carrying
to
order
at
502,
in
accordance
with
the
commonwealth
of
massachusetts
executive
order,
suspending
certain
provisions
of
the
open
meeting
lure.
We,
as
you
can
see,
are
conducting
this
meeting
online
to
ensure
public
access
to
the
discussions
of
the
boston
human
rights
commission.
The
public
may
access
this
call
through
telephone
video
conferencing.
A
A
D
Sure,
thank
you,
madam
chair
and,
first
of
all,
I
want
to
say
first
and
and
foremost
thank
you
to
all
of
the
commissioners
here.
I
also
want
to
say
thank
you
to
the
members
of
the
public
that
are
present
with
us
today
and
for
those
who
do
not
know,
I
am
exam,
evander
carvalho.
I
am
the
executive
director
of
the
commission.
D
Obviously
we
have
a
very
full
house
today
we
intend
on
having
hearings
hearing
on
digital
divide,
and
I
want
to
thank
all
of
the
folks
that
have
signed
up
to
come
and
testify
on
this
issue.
This
is
obviously
an
issue,
that's
very
important
to
the
city
of
boston,
particularly
after
covert
19
making
it.
You
know
many
of
us
being
able
to
work
from
home
go
to
school
from
home.
D
We
also
found
out
that
many
people
will
be
left
behind
because
of
internet
connections
because
of
lack
of
training
because
of
lack
of
computer
and
so
on.
So
when
I'm
excited
to
hear
what
members
of
the
public
have
to
say
on
this
issue,
so
I'll
be
brief,
though,
to
just
kind
of
flag
for
the
commissioners
about
some
work
that
we're
doing
that
the
commissions
may
not
be
aware
of.
D
As
you
know,
unfortunately,
over
the
past
year
during
covert
19
pandemic,
there's
been
an
uptick
of
violence
and
hate
issues
against
asian,
american
and
pacific
islanders
throughout
america
and
in
the
city
of
boston.
Obviously,
we
have
about
70
000
people
of
asian
background
with
which
is
about
10
of
our
population,
and
so
essentially,
the
human
rights
commission,
myself
and
susan,
particularly
the
team,
have
been
leading
within
city
hall
in
this
space
should
gather
other
departments,
including
immigrant
advancement,
language
access.
D
You
know
many
other
boston,
police
department
and
many
other
departments
to
figure
out
how
we
can
help
support
the
asian
american
community
in
the
city
of
boston,
particularly
as
it
relates
to
reporting
incidents
to
boston
police
department.
You
reported
an
incidence
of
eight
two
to
to
the
city
and
one
of
the
things
that
we've
come
up
with
and
I'll
after
this
again
I'll
be
briefed
after
this
I'll.
D
Be
sure
to
send
you,
the
full
report
or
presentation
that
I
actually
did
to
the
city
leadership
this
morning,
essentially
indicating
some
things
that
we're
putting
together
to
do,
including
perhaps
a
anonymous
report.
Excuse
me
anonymous
incident
report
or
application
a
way
that
people
can
come
to
our
website,
the
human
rights
commission
and,
let
us
know,
what's
going
on
in
the
community
in
terms
of
incidents
of
hate.
So
again,
this
is
honestly
it's
for
the
past
month.
D
We've
done
a
lot
of
work
in
this
space
worked
with
many
community
leaders
and
other
city
agencies.
I
wanted
to
give
it
it's
due
time,
but
I
wanted
to
fly
gear
for
you
and
hopefully,
tomorrow
next
day,
I'll
be
able
to
send
you
a
more
comprehensive
report
on
some
of
the
things
that
we've
done
and
we'll
continue
to
do
in
this
space,
hopefully
get
your
input
into
space
as
well,
but
without
further
ado.
D
There
was
one
more
thing.
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
the
one
of
the
things
that
obviously
we
sent
to
commissioners
many
many
documents
for
today,
one
of
which
was
and
is
a
a
statement
that
we
put
together
for
you
know
in
release
of
essentially
after
the
george
floyd
conviction
of
the
police
officer
that
killed
george
ford
last
tuesday.
The
human
rights
commission
obviously
felt
that
we
should
put
a
statement
out.
You
know
talking
about
this
issue.
So
again,
that's
another
thing,
that's
in
front
of
you.
A
Yeah
and
ivandro-
and
I
worked
on
that
statement
together,
so
we
both
signed
it.
So
I
just
wanted
to
pick
up
on
what
the
executive
director
said
about
the
incident
report.
That
incident
report
will
go
up
on
our
web
page,
which
is
almost
ready
to
go
yes,
and
it
will
be
ready.
It
is.
It
is
an
instant
report
that
anyone
can
access
so,
while
the
asian
american
incidents
have
you
know,
I
think,
hastened
and
and
and
is
what
is
relevant
today.
A
That
didn't
happen
to
them,
but
they
witnessed
so
that
we
can
get
a
sense
of
the
the
kind
of
climate
around
the
city
and
and
be
more
aware
of
it.
And
see
how
we
can
respond,
I
mean
one
of
the
things
I
can
tell
you
is
about
the
boston
public
schools,
while
70
of
white
parents
are
sending
their
children
to
school
in
person
less
than
it's
about.
30
percent
of
asian
american
children
are
coming
back
to
school
in
person.
A
One
of
those
reasons
I'm
not
saying
it's
the
only
reason,
but
certainly
it
is
one
of
the
reasons
that
is
being
stated
from
the
asian
american
community
and
sending
off
children
to
walk
to
school,
and
it's
one
of
the
things
that
that
is
being
attended
to
from
the
city
and
from
bps
as
well.
So
that's
another
example
of
you
know
climate
in
the
city
and
things
that,
as
evondro
talked
about,
people
are
attending
to
and
things
that
we're
seeing
are
being
impacted.
A
A
We
want
to
know
that
we
want
some
sense
of
the
climate
in
the
city,
and
so
this
will
be
a
place
that
people
can
can
bring
that
either
they
can
have
it
with
their
name
or
anonymously
as
well,
and
we
want
a
date
and
a
time
and
a
place.
So
we
have
some
sense,
not
just
an
a
remark
but
but
a
date
and
a
time
and
a
place.
So
we
can
follow
up.
Yeah
ben.
A
A
I
we
sent
you
a
letter
that
I
wrote
and
and
circulated
evandro
and
I
and
reyes
actually
as
well,
and
I
want
to
take
a
minute
to
recognize
my
commissioner
from
umass
boston,
commissioner
reyes,
who
has
served
as
a
mighty
as
well
call
her
a
code
chair
or
a
vice
chair.
She
has
served
as
a
colleague
above
and
beyond
in
terms
of
helping
on
a
number
of
these
issues
joined
with
me
on
on
on
a
number
of
issues.
A
Not
only
is
she
supervising
the
umass
boston
phd
students,
but
she's
been
a
check
for
me
while
I've
been
writing
some
of
these
things,
including
the
the
letter
to
the
mayor,
so
I
want
to
thank
her
publicly
for
what
she's
done.
It's
it's
a
spent
enormous
amount
of
time
with
me,
and
I
really
appreciate
her
counsel
and
support
so
been
enormously
helpful.
So.
A
A
This
case
has
been
around
since
2012,
and
it
basically
is
a
case
as
I
wrote,
of
10
black
police
officers,
some
of
whom
have
already
retired,
some
of
whom
have
already
been
promoted
and
is
basically
about
a
multiple
choice.
Promotion
exam
from
sergeant
to
lieutenant
that
the
department's,
not
using
anymore
and
a
multiple
choice,
exam
that
they
have
gotten
rid
of
that
they
have
replaced
with
a
different
kind
of
exam,
including
an
interview,
and
the
case
basically
says,
is
really
around
intention.
A
It
has
gone
through.
I
think,
as
I
said,
has
gone
to
the
district
court
federal
district
court
three
times
on
different
issues,
its
pieces
and
has
the
district
court
has
found
against
the
city
and
has
found
in
favor
of
the
plaintiffs.
As
I
said,
the
the
players
lawyers
asked
for
two
million
dollars
in
attorney
fees.
They
were
awarded
a
million
dollars,
the
city
appealed
the
and
the
city
is
being
represented
by
outside
council
as
well
by
a
law
firm
as
well.
A
A
A
The
concern
is
not
only
that
the
suit
should
be
dropped
for
fairness
reasons.
The
concern
is
if
the
city
goes
forward
in
the
court
of
appeals
and
loses
and
intends
to
appeal
to
the
supreme
court.
There
is
a
fear,
because
of
the
makeup
of
the
u.s
supreme
court,
that
this
could
jeopardize
some
precedence
in
in
civil
rights.
Now,
that's
a
long
way
off
right,
we're
only
in
the
court
of
appeals,
so,
but
even
in
the
court
of
appeals
they
would
just
assume
the
justice
department
would
is
urging
the
city
to
drop
the
suit.
A
It's
at
least
a
million
dollars
now,
and
that
does
not
include
the
the
monetary
cost
of
the
plaintiff's
appeal
after
the
after
ended
in
the
district
court.
So
anyway,
you
all
have
the
letter
and
what
what
I'm
suggesting
is
are
asking
for
is
I
don't
know
whether
we
need
a
motion
to
support
sending
this
letter
or
your
ascent,
whatever
you
think
is
appropriate.
B
So
from
from
my
perspective,
the
letter
was
sent
out
around
11
45
a.m.
Yesterday,
I've
not
had
much
of
an
opportunity
to
read
it
read
anything
about
this
case
beyond
skimming
the
justice
department's
brief,
which
I
think
for
me
at
least
raised
some
serious
questions
not
about
trying
to
reach
a
settlement
and,
and
actually
just
because
I
guess
from
is
this
just
about
money
at
this
point.
A
B
B
I
mean,
I
wonder
if
the
communication
to
the
city
shouldn't
be
more
along
the
lines
of
you.
Have
this
outside
firm
representing
you.
Do
you
know
what
they
are
saying
and
do
you
really
want
them
to
say
these
things,
because
some
of
these
things
are
really
dangerous
title
seven,
at
least
in
the
view
of
the
justice
department?
B
What
does
it
cost
to
pay
off
the
lawyers
and
are
they
going
to
get
even
more
attorneys
fees
later,
so
I
I
just
haven't
had
enough
time
to
digest
that
if
others,
if,
obviously
I'm
just
one
person,
so
if
other
people
are
comfortable
sending
the
letter,
as
is,
I
don't-
have
a
strong
objection
to
that.
But
I
can't
really
support
that
without
doing
some
more
reading
and
thinking.
A
D
E
F
I
would
say
I
mean
I'm
inclined
to
send
the
letter,
because
the
letter
doesn't
in
itself
get
into
the
the
the
the
very
detail
legalese
and
as
an
as
a
known
lawyer.
I
do
and
agree
fully
with
the
statement
that
this
is
the
right
thing
to
do.
The
city
should
not
discriminate,
it
should
not
be
in
support
of
discriminating
its
employees
and
the
human
rights
commission
should
not
stand
by
it
quietly.
G
G
H
C
Okay,
I
I
just
want
to
make
another
point
in
general,
I
think
that
at
times,
boston's
had
a
long
history
of
fighting
lawsuits,
sometimes
for
the
wrong
reasons,
and
I
think
it's
important
that
we
start
being
consistent
and
both
applying
law
and
applying
what
we
stand
for
as
a
city
and
in
this
case
as
a
human
rights
commission,
about
putting
putting
people
on
record
or
calling
out
injustice
and
if,
if
basically
we're
aligning
ourselves
with
an
already
a
court
decision.
That
is
on
appeal.
C
I
think
that
we're
in
we're
in
we're
in
the
right
and
I
think,
would
be
good
to
to
add
some
pressure
on
the
right
side.
Clearly,
there's
a
lot
of
nuances,
there's
a
lot
of
different
angles
to
this.
But
the
truth
is
the
truth,
and
the
facts
are
a
fact,
and
I
think
it's
good,
that
we
ask
the
city
to
be
consistent
and
just
follow
what
the
letter
of
the
law
is
across
the
board
regardless,
if
it's
five
years
ago,
20
years
ago
or
yesterday.
A
The
the
the
city
has
a
long
history
of
fighting
these
things
to
the
death
and
litigating,
and
I
think
some
question
ben
that
you
raise
is
and-
and
I
think
maybe
I
can
do
this
aside
from
the
letter-
is
how
much
does
the
city
know
about
what
their
law
firm
is
doing,
because
it
seems
to
me
that
they
should
check
and
see
and-
and
I
will
raise
that
as
well,
because
I
don't-
I
wonder-
sometimes
this
gets
away
from
people.
It.
B
A
Yeah,
I
will,
I
will
raise
it
because,
because
I'm
not
sure
they
do
know-
and
the
general
counsel
of
city
now
is
gone-
he's
left.
There's
a
new
general
council
is
a
whole
new
group.
So
I
will
take
that
on
to
make
sure
myself
that
I
will
get
to
them
to
ask
all
right.
So
what
I'm
hearing
is
affirmation
from
enough
of
us
to
send
it?
So,
let's,
let's
move
on
to?
Thank
you.
Let's
move
on
to
the
discussion
about
broadband
and
let
me
just
be
brief.
A
People
in
recovery
has
had
a
very
significant
effect,
which
kovid
has
just
emphasized.
It's
been
there
before.
We
just
didn't
see
it.
It's
like
seeing.
You
know
the
videos
we've
seen
of
black
men
being
killed
by
police,
shot
by
police.
We've
seen
it
now,
it's
not
that
it
didn't
exist.
It's
just
we
didn't
see
it
and
covet
has
done
that
for
access
to
the
internet,
particularly
in
terms
of
health,
but
also,
obviously
in
terms
of
education.
A
So
I
welcome
folks
who
have
shown
up
tonight
we're
very
grateful
that
you're
here
we're
sorry
we're
running
a
little
late
and
susan
is
going
to
serve
as
a
sort
of
moderator
here
she
has
a
list
of
folks
and
susan.
I
turn
this
to
you
to
call
on
people.
People
will
have
three
minutes,
and
people
also
welcome
to
we
invite
people
welcome
to
send
in
written
testimony
as
well.
So
thank
you
for
being
here
tonight.
I
Yeah,
hello,
everyone
hi
good
evening,
madam
chair
commissioners,
and
members
of
the
boston
human
rights
commission,
as
well
as
the
public.
My
name
is
catherine
cohen,
and
I
am
the
director
of
government
affairs
and
public
policy
at
the
massachusetts
league
of
community
health
centers.
The
the
league
is
massachusetts,
primary
care
association
representing
and
serving
52
health
center
organizations
serving
patients
at
more
than
300
access
sites
around
the
commonwealth
annually.
I
Health
centers
serve
as
the
largest
primary
care
provider
network
in
the
commonwealth,
with
virtually
all
health
centers,
also
providing
significant,
co-located
and
or
integrated
behavioral
health
services
by
mission
and
by
law.
In
the
case
of
federally
qualified
health,
centers
health
center
serves
all
sort
of
all
who
walk
through
their
doors,
regardless
of
the
ability
to
pay.
I
While
50
percent
of
middle
to
upper
middle
class
patients
use
video
telehealth
health
center
patients
receive
their
medical
care
predominantly
via
the
telephone
results.
From
an
ongoing
survey
conducted
by
16
massachusetts,
community
health
centers
demonstrate
that
the
majority
of
health
ser
center
patients
do
their
visits
on
the
phone.
85
percent
of
them
do
their
visits
on
the
phone
and
15
via
video,
so
the
league
firmly
supports
maintaining
access
to
telephone
as
a
health
modality.
I
If
it's
the
patient's
choice,
however,
for
many
health
center
patients,
the
lack
of
reliable
internet
means
choosing
a
video
visit
is
not
even
an
option.
Vulnerable
communities
in
boston
with
limited
or
unaffordable
broadband
services
can
often
find
themselves
cut
off
entirely
from
video
telehealth.
I
I
Others
do
not
have
strong
enough
internet
connection
to
support
video
technologies
and,
as
an
example
for
a
successful
video
telehealth
visit.
Many
of
our
health
center
patients
need
translation
services
that
require
more
intense
broadband
power.
We
really
appreciate
mayor
janae's
recent
announcement
that
the
digital
health
equity
fund
will
be
reopened
and
a
planned
investment
of
250
000
to
help
close
some
of
those
gaps
and
we
encourage
way
more
investment
in
this
space.
I
So
access
to
reliable
broadband
is
a
social
determinant
of
health
and
we
need
to
find
solutions
that
make
it
readily
available
and
accessible
to
many
communities.
Many
more
communities.
I
know
I
you
know:
expanding
broadband
access
and
technology
for
low-income
and
underserved
communities
across
across
boston
is
critical
to
avoid
avoid
exacerbating
health
disparities.
E
J
Jean
hi
and
good
evening,
good
evening,
madam
chair
members
of
the
commission,
thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
speak
this
evening.
My
name
is
lily
clementi
and
I
am
an
americorps
member
at
the
boston,
international
newcomers
academy.
It's
a
public
high
school
in
dorchester,
serving
immigrant
students
and
their
families,
and
my
primary
assignment
this
year
as
an
americorps
member,
has
been
to
serve
as
a
virtual
english
teacher.
So
coming
into
it.
I
you
know
I
set
up
my
virtual
classroom.
J
I
find
that
in
order
to
have
a
good
educational
experience,
a
student
really
does
need
a
physical
laptop
to
access
the
google
classroom
and
all
the
types
of
things
I'm
asking
them
to
do.
It
just
can't
be
done
on
a
small
platform
like
a
phone,
and
so
I
went
about
you
know
trying
to
find
ways
to
solve
this
issue.
J
K
That
thank
you,
hi
everybody,
members
of
the
commission.
Madam
chair
again,
thank
you
all
for
the
opportunity
to
speak
this
evening.
My
name
is
hannah.
Look
I'm
a
rising
2l
at
quinnipiac
law
school
in
new
haven
connecticut.
I
clearly
that
is
my
primary
job
at
the
moment,
but
through
through
watching
my
wonderful
partner
teach
these
adult
learners
throughout
the
year.
K
F
E
E
H
H
My
internet
connection
is
really
not
working
and
what's
wrong
with
this
I
can
be
on
zoom
and
with
the
colvin.
I
I'm
real
active
on
zoom
to
keep
in
touch
with
the
world,
and
I
get
this
thing
called
internet
connection
is
weak
and
I
call
comcast
at
least
two
or
three
times
a
week.
All
they
do
is
send
a
refresh,
but
that
don't
work.
They
have
changed
the
modems
twice
one
last
week,
but
it
still
doesn't
work.
H
So
I'm
at
a
point
now
I
don't
know
what
to
do,
because
when
that
comes,
the
internet
connection
is
weak.
The
screen
freezes
the
sound
drops,
so
you
lose
out
on
portion
of
the.
Even
if
it's
a
meeting
I
play
bingo
a
lot.
I
don't
get
the
number,
I
lose
the
game
and
I'm
real
upset
then,
but
I
don't
know,
I
call
them
and
it's
just
a
telephone
call.
H
E
E
E
L
All
right
hold
on
a
second
of
course,
okay,
so
my
name
is
carl
richardson.
I
am
the
state
house,
88
americans
with
disabilities
act
coordinator
for
the
state
house,
where
it's
my
role
to
make
sure
people
come
into
that
building,
have
access
to
many
program,
services
and
activities,
regardless
of
their
ability.
I
also
serve.
L
I
also
serve
on
the
boston
disability.
Commission
have
been
there
since
12
13
years
under
the
menino
administration
to
the
current
administration,
and
I
I
am
also
a
member
of
the
disability
advisory
committee
for
the
federal
communications
commission,
which
is
also
trying
to
work
on
this
very
issue.
So
perhaps
we
could
collaborate
and
share
some
documents
and
information
on
this
particular
issue.
L
L
The
disability
community
can't
always
afford
broadband
and
in
many
cases,
are
even
poorer
because
they
are
disabled
and
they
are
unable
to
work.
So
that's
one
thing
and
because
of
that,
with
the
way
broadband
and
access
to
information
is
structured.
Now
they
don't
necessarily
have
access
to
health
care
education.
L
L
L
L
Accessibility
also
for
someone
like
me,
even
if
I
access
the
internet
every
day,
I
come
across
an
aspect
of
the
internet.
I
can't
use
because
it's
not
accessible
to
blind
or
visually
impaired
people
or
people
who
don't
use
their
hands
or
deaf
people.
So-
and
I
know
this
isn't
part
of
it,
but
it's
just
something
for
this
commission
to
be
aware
of
that,
even
when
we
can
afford
broadband
and
access
it
a
large
majority
of
it
is
not
usable
by
us.
L
Therefore,
we
are
being
excluded
from
education,
health
care
and
even
normal
things
like
entertainment
and
going
doing
things
that
everybody
else
does,
and
the
last
thing
is
access
to
the
equipment
and
training
itself.
For
instance.
Yes,
I'm
talking
to
you
on
my
500
computer,
but
I
have
four
thousand
dollars
of
equipment
attached
to
this
computer.
L
Just
so
I
can
use
the
computer
and
that's
the
case
with
a
lot
of
people
with
disabilities.
If
you
can't
use
your
hands,
you're,
gonna
or
or
a
mouse,
you
might
need
a
switch.
If
you,
if
you
you
know
depth,
you
need
a
fancy
camera.
In
my
case,
I
need
a
screen
reader,
which
cost
a
thousand
dollars
and
a
braille
device
attached
to
it,
which
cost
three
thousand
dollars.
I
have
to
update
those
every
year
and
then
training
to
use
that
equipment.
L
It's
very
specialized
equipment
that
not
the
average
person
can
figure
out
how
to
use
without
training
they
need
to
get
trained
and
learn
how
to
use
it.
So
there
are
three
areas
again
that
the
digital
divide
affects
in
terms
of
the
disability.
Community.
One
is
the
economics
of
it.
Two
is
the
accessibility
of
it
and
when
I
say
accessibility,
I
don't
mean
access
to
it.
I
mean
the
accessibility
of
it
being
able
to
use
the
service
itself
and
third
is
the
ability
to
get
the
equipment
and
be
trained
on
the
equipment.
Thank
you.
E
M
Hello,
everyone.
Can
you
hear
me
okay,
great,
thank
you
good
evening,
madam
chair
commissioners
and
fellow
bostonians.
Along
on
this
call,
my
name
is
nikki
schultz,
I'm
the
executive
director
of
little
brothers,
friends
of
the
elderly,
we're
a
small
non-profit,
dedicated
to
relieving
isolation
and
loneliness
among
the
elderly.
We
primarily.
N
M
M
Just
to
give
you
a
little
bit
of
context
there
about
three
years
ago
we
were
seeking
funding
to
start
an
intergenerational
tech
program,
but
were
turned
down,
and
one
foundation
had
said
that
they
were
surprised
to
see
our
application,
because
the
assumption
the
grant
seekers
would
all
be
from
youth
serving
organizations
fast
forward
to
today
we
have
a
new
proposal
for
intergenerational
tech
program.
There
are
several
foundations,
currently
prioritizing
tech
programs
that
reach
older
adults.
So
what
is
what
a
difference?
M
M
Only
46
of
older
adults,
with
annual
incomes
lower
than
30
000
go
online
and
only
27
percent
have
high-speed
internet
at
home.
According
to
an
oats
research
agent
connected
from
this
year,
42
of
older
adults
who
lack
internet
at
home
represent
the
second
largest
demographic
group
of
americans
left
behind
in
the
digital
age.
M
M
Some
of
the
greatest
barriers
in
accessing
technology
so
simply
put
access
to
technology,
is
a
social
determinant
of
health
and
to
be
clear,
when
we
talk
about
access
to
technology,
we're
talking
to
three
about
three
things:
the
ability
to
own
or
access
a
physical
device,
affordable,
high
speed,
internet
connectivity
and
the
support
and
training
to
use
it
without
all
three.
We
cannot
say
that
someone
has
access
to
technology.
E
M
So
I
thank
you
all
for
your
time
and
consideration
today,
I'll
close
by
saying
it
again.
Technology
is
a
social
determinant
of
health
and
should
be
treated
as
such,
and
I
applaud
our
community
for
holding
this
conversation
and
listening
to
the
people
before
embarking
on
this
courageous
and
important
work.
M
We
need
bold
leadership
and
innovative
ideas
to
take
on
the
challenges
of
our
times
and
closing
the
digital
divide
needs
to
be
grounded
in
justice,
equity
inclusion
solutions
need
to
be
implemented
by
a
commissioned
representative
of
our
community
across
cultures,
race,
gender
ability,
economic
status
and
age.
Thank
you.
A
E
O
There
you
go
hi
everyone,
madam
chair,
for
the
commissioners,
it's
an
honor
to
be
here,
addressing
you
on
this
very
important
issue.
My
name
is
nonars
juno,
I'm
a
professor
of
innovation
operations,
management
at
the
absent
college,
and
I'm
the
faculty
director
of
the
future
lab
on
mobility
and
connectivity.
O
We
see
that
one
in
five
presidents
of
the
united
states
is
expected
to
be
age,
65
or
older
by
2030,
and
you
only
couple
the
statistics
with
this
strong
evidence
that
many
of
these
older
adults
are
socially
isolated
or
lonely
in
ways
that
put
their
health
at
risk
suggest
that
social
isolation
is
as
detrimental
to
the
health
of
aging
population
as
the
pandemic.
Actually
it
could
be
arguably
worse
right.
This
wasn't
a
problem
that
we
we
were
facing
just
started
with
the
pandemic.
O
O
Older
adults,
access
to
technology
has
been
an
important
tool
for
their
social
well-being
and
their
social
engagement,
but
with
the
virus
this
situation,
their
situation
has
been
exacerbated
and
it
brought
to
light
many
social
isolation
issues
already
faced
by
this
rapidly
growing
segment
of
the
older
popular
world
of
the
population,
and
it
demonstrates
a
serious
need
for
technology
to
improve
engagement
for
older
adults
and
at
our
work
to
mitigate
social
isolation
and
engagement.
We
have
spoken
with
many
experts.
O
O
E
P
N
Thank
you
for
have
for
the
opportunity
to
share
my
experience.
My
name
is
takari
and
I
attend
to
the
boston
public
school
and
my
experience
with
the
internet
is
kind
of
hard,
because
when
I
was
used
to
michael
went
to
school,
it
used
to
kick
me
out
of
like
some
of
the
work
and
then
when
we
started
doing
zoom,
it
was
kicked
me
out
all
the
time
and
then,
when
I'm
at
home,
I
try
to
watch
tv
with
my
family.
It
usually
just
freezes
and
then
kicks
us
out.
P
So
speaking
of
that
today
was
an
ordeal
right
now
I
we
are
using
the
hotspot
on
my
phone
in
order
to
access
our
internet.
I've
been
down
on
internet
all
day.
We
rely
upon
our
internet
for
various
things.
First
of
all,
we're
also
caretakers
for
an
alzheimer's
patient,
our
alzheimer's
family
member,
which
is
my
dad
this
device.
I
have,
in
my
hand,
tracks
him.
P
I
was
unable
to
sos
or
receive
calls
on
this
device
because
it
does
not
work,
and
so
in
saying
that
it
also,
we
monitor
him
with
another
device.
So
we
monitor
his
tracking
his
movement,
so
he
can
have
more
more
mobility
and
have
more
freedoms,
but
be
independent,
but
we
also
track
him
inside
the
home
with
using
cameras
and
everything
else
as
well.
P
I
actually
I
work
with
young
people
too,
so
not
being
able
to
connect
with
them
video
chat
with
them,
where
I
was
in
the
middle
of
a
after
school
program
where
we
were
teaching
about
job
readiness
today
and
I
actually
could
not
participate
in
that
section
of
teaching
them
about
job
readiness,
because
my
internet
was
down
and
I
was
doing
the
zoom
via
my
cell
phone,
my
work
cell
phone.
So
this
has
become
a
real
hard
issue.
P
But
if
I
can't
get
a
hold
of
him,
that
puts
me
in
a
frenzy.
That
means
I
have
to
go
and
figure.
It
out
call
call
my
my
team
and
get
my
team
out
there
looking
for
him,
if
he's
not
home
by
chance,
but
this
is
getting
to
be
a
bit
much
and
this
is
beyond
this
is
be.
This
is
prior
pandemic.
This
has
been
going
on
for
a
very
long
time,
a
very,
very,
very
long
time,
and
this
has
been
a
financial
burden.
P
I
spent
we
spent
over
a
lot
of
money
for
all
the
devices
that
we
carry,
like.
I
said,
I'm
literally
hot
spotting,
a
phone
to
my
internet
to
be
able
to
speak
to
you
guys
right
now
and
that's
embarrassing,
especially
when
you're
trying
to
to
teach
other
people
or
work,
and
you
can't
get
on
the
internet.
A
You
it's,
you
know
it's
the
first
time
I
at
least
have
heard
about
tracking
alzheimer's,
patient
or
family
member.
We
can
talk
about
that
yeah,
it's
a
it's
another
use
of
technology
and
a
very,
very
important
one,
because
it's
an
alzheimer's
patient,
but
it
could
be
a
family
member
with
illness,
but
alzheimer's
being
one
of
them
right.
A
F
A
D
E
N
Q
You're
giving
me
an
opportunity
to
speak
absolutely.
Thank
you.
Thank
you.
So
I
have
a
couple
of
issues.
One
I'm
involved
in
several
major
senior
organizations
in
the
city-
and
I
just
heard
about
this
hearing
this
morning
at
10
30
at
a
exercise
class
at
grove
hall.
So
I'm
just
curious
as
to
how
other
people
found
out
about
it.
So
that's
one
thing:
another
is
that
I've
noticed
that
many
of
my
peers-
so
I
retired
three
years
ago,
became
very
actively
involved
in
the
boston
community.
Q
At
this
time
that
they
have
certain
areas,
geographical
areas
that
they
have
already
worked
on,
but
they
haven't
gotten
to
my
area
yet-
and
I
notified
the
mayor
because
we
were
you,
know
mayor
always
meets
with
senior
citizens
and
they
said
they
were
working
on
it.
But
this
was
a
good
18
months
ago
that
I
brought
it
to
their
attention.
Q
So
it
just
seems
unfair
to
me
that
we
have
a
service
that
we
are
advertising
to
the
entire
city.
If
you
have
an
issue,
this
is
what
you
do,
especially
if
it's
not
a
9-1-1
emergency,
and
yet
there
are
people
that
don't
have
access
to
it,
and
so
I
thank
you
very
much
for
giving
me
an
opportunity
to
speak
on
this
issue.
Q
Q
D
A
Q
A
Yeah
well,
we'll
give
it
a
couple
of
minutes
and
sure,
of
course,
the
other
day
I
was
part
of
the
the
acting
mayor's
transition
team
and
I
think
you
were
too
weren't
you
yeah
and
there
was
a
a
readout
the
other
day.
I
don't
know
whether-
and
you
were
on
the
call
on
the
on
the
read
out
the
report
out
to
to
the
mayor
and
her
staff,
but
one
of
the
things
that
happened
is
her
chief
of
policy
who
was
listening
to
the
readout.
A
So
you
know
it
was
sort
of
poignant
that
it
was
it
was.
The
senior
policy
person
to
the
mayor
are
listening
to
the
report
out
so,
but
that
that's
really
it.
I
think
two
things
that
I
heard
tonight
that
I
didn't
know
about
it
all
was
the
issue
around
monitoring
people
with
illnesses
that
people
not
in
their
homes
or
even
in
their
homes,
are
using
devices
that
need
the
internet
to
do
that
and
the
other
issue
around
3-1-1.
That's
really.
H
Q
Q
A
And
I
think
there
are
people
too,
with
with
heart
conditions,
another
thing
who
are
now
connected
through
the
internet
to
their
doctors
for
monitoring
it
used
to
be
through
a
phone
line.
If
I
remember,
but
now
that's
something
we
might
check
on
too
in
the
medical
profession
that
they're
now
connected
through
the
internet
through
monitoring.
I
know
that's
true
with
with
the
cpap
machines,
but
that's
another
another
issue
I
hadn't
even
thought
about
in
terms
of
the
internet
access
so.
C
Just
a
point
on
an
interesting
point
on
the
medical
piece:
when
verizon
comes
in
and
puts
in
what
do
you
call
it
fios
they
want
to
cut
the
copper
line.
That's
attached
to
your
house,
your
phone
line
to
eliminate
that
a
lot
of
medical
devices
need
a
copper
line
because
the
phone
lines
stay
up
during
a
power
outage
since
it's
a
separate
system,
but
the
verizon
your
internet
only
has
a
battery
pack.
I
think
it's
good
for
12
or
24
hours
without
electricity.
C
So
it's
interesting
that
we've
we're
eliminating
a
much
safer,
dependable
system
of
the
copper
line,
telephone,
putting
a
new
system
on
that's
a
lot
more
vulnerable
to
power
and
such
and
whether
even
in
some
points
but
a
lot
of
people's
medical
devices
are
still
life,
crucial
infrastructure
requirements,
wow.
So
just
a
thought.
A
A
A
A
That's
pretty
startling
data,
if
that
that
that's
true,
because
that's
one
of
the
things
that
I
I'm
very
curious
about
is
something
I
I'd
love
to
find
out
about
is
if,
if
in
other
cities,
internet
providers
provide
free
internet
to
seniors
in
public
housing,
as
opposed.
She
also
said,
which
I
thought
was
interesting,
is
that
it
shouldn't
be
in
a
common
room.
A
L
B
Was
struck
that
a
couple
of
the
folks
who
came
in
do
work
in
the
the
field
of
elders,
and
I
think
it
would
be
interesting
to
take
that
that
document
that
that
was
prepared
for
this
meeting.
That
has
some
of
the
maps
and
to
have
something
like
part.
Two
of
the
document
that
has
income
racial
and
ethnic
composition
of
various
census
tracts
and
do
something
similar
for
for
seniors.
And
I'd
like
to
be
able
to
visualize
that
as
well.
A
A
A
You
know
from
everything
from
what
we
heard
tonight
about
people
monitoring
people
with
health
issues
to
the
kids
on
trying
to
do
homework
and
access
school
to
them
to
accessing
medical
care.
You
know
when
I
heard
the
woman
from
the
the
community
hospitals
what
she
said:
16
can
use
video,
I
mean
they
don't
have
access
to
video,
they
use
telephone,
telehealth
being
real
telehealth,
not
video,
because
they
don't
have
access
to
video.
A
Now,
though,
she
could
be
talking
about
people
outside
of
boston
too,
not
just
boston,
but
you
know
that
we
need
to
understand
some
of
this
and
we
need
to
help
with
understanding
it
from
them,
and
so
I
think
we're
trying
to
to
do
that
in
may.
Unless
you
suggest
someone
suggests
an
alternative,
I'm
open
to
hearing.
A
A
We
still
have
a
lot
of
information
which
we
haven't
shared
with
you
from
talia,
which
we
could
just
send
out
to
people
reyes.
There's
a
there's,
a
she
has
a
couple
of
page
sheet,
she's,
quite
detailed,
that
backs
up
the
map
that
we
originally
showed
you.
We
gave
it
to
talia
and
it's
in
the
map
we
originally
did,
and
it
has
a
lot
of
data
attached
to
it
that
we
can
send.
You
plus
comments
about
the
map
and
comments
about
the
city
and
quality
and
access.
F
Okay,
talia
and
I
will
get
together
and
put
together
a
package
to
to
send
around
you.
Also
commissioners
got
some
a
brief
that
we
we
circulated.
It
has
a
lot
of
links
and
I
I
recommend
that
you
check
the
background
of
some
of
the
practices
that
provocatives
use
sometimes
and
that
might
affect
might
be,
might
be
causing
some
of
the
issues
you
heard
about
today.
Yeah.
A
B
How
are
we
going
to
structure
the
meeting
in
may
in
terms
of
you
know,
if
we
have
three
industry
representatives
for
lack
of
a
better
word,
are
they
going
to
each
give
prepared
statements
all
in
a
row?
Are
we
gonna?
How
are
we
gonna
ask
them
questions?
I
I
just
like
to
discuss
a
bit
of
the
details
of
how's
that
going
to
function.
A
A
And
I
mean
this
is
not
a
got
you
kind
of
event.
This
is
a
help
us
understand
this
data
and
these
numbers
in
this
map
and
the
problems
that
we
have
and
like
if
there's
a
3-1-1
problem
boy.
That's
something
I'd
like
to
know
about
too,
but
help
us
understand
this,
and
what
are
your?
What
are
your
suggested
solutions
and
and
and
why
you
know
why
are
there
parts
of
the
city
that
don't
have
high
quality
internet?
They
don't
have
files?
Why
is
that?
A
And
and
what
can
be
done
about
it-
and
you
know
comcast
infinity
has
most
of
the
city,
but
verizon
has
a
piece
too.
What
do
we
need
to
do?
What
is
it
that
this
is
boston
in
2021
and
we
have
people
who
don't
have
internet
and
we
have
a
lot
of
people?
Don't
have
quality
internet?
Why,
and
I
think
we
can
ask
more
specific
questions
than
that,
but
I
think
I
think
that's
our
goal
is
to
figure
this
out
and
they
keep
they.
You
know
they
keep.
A
A
A
M
B
You
know
I
I
don't
know
what
makes
the
most
sense
if
it's
sort
of
like
divide
and
conquer,
and
you
know
certain
commissioners
have
certain
of
the
industry
reps
or
but
I
I
do
think
that
that
we
need
to
carefully
think
about
how
to
budget
time
appropriately,
to
make
it
run
smoothly
and
to
give
everyone
an
opportunity
to
ask
the
questions.
They
want
to
ask.
F
F
D
F
Talia
and
I
have
a
set
of
six
questions
that
we
will
circulate
among
you
for
you
to
consider
if
those
are
appropriate
questions
to
be
asked
or
if
you
would
prefer
giving
the
context
and
the
information
you
have
and
they're
going
to
get.
If
you
think
that
there
should
be
other
questions
should
be
asked
of
all
three
of
them.
D
What
I
think,
particularly
what
ben
said,
commissioner
goldberg
in
light
of
this
discussion
it
may
perhaps
it
may
make
sense
to
push
the
meeting
up
a
little
bit
we
as
for
members
of
the
public.
At
this
point,
I
think
the
next
meeting
is
is
for
may
19th,
which
is
three
weeks
from
today,
and
certainly
you're.
Welcome
to
come
back
and
and
listen
and
see.
D
The
data
some
of
the
stuff
we've
heard
obviously
go
through
some
of
the
hopefully
we'll
have
some
submissions
that
will
come
through.
You
know
through
email
right
testimony,
so
I'm
thinking
it
might
be
a
sort
of
pause-
let's,
let's
think
this
through
more
thoroughly
and
then
and
then
go
to
the
next
phase
in
june.
But
that's
just
a
suggestion
since
we're
three
weeks
away
from
essentially
bringing
them
on.
B
I'm
just
trying
to
commit-
I
I
also,
but
what
I'm
trying
to
express
is
that
I
would
I'm
I'm
looking
for
an
opportunity
to
be
able
to
react
to
what
they
say.
Ask
them
questions
based
on
what
they
say
and
have
enough
time
in
that
period
to
ask
follow-up
questions
to
to
really
drill
down
on
issues,
and
I
just
want
to
make
sure
that
there's
that
structure
set
up
so
that
there
is
time
available
to
do
that.
D
I
was
saying
perhaps
to
follow
up
to
ben's
comment.
What
if
we,
you
know,
broke
into
two
meetings,
then
right
we
bring
one
or
two
of
them
to
give
chance.
If
you
will
right,
unless
you
think
and
break
it
in
a
space
where
we
say
a
couple
of
commissioners,
focus
on
the
space
that
you
know,
verizon
sits
and
a
couple
of
commissioners
focus
on
the
space
of
comcast
right
and
the
rest
focus
on.
You
know
the
other
smaller
companies.
D
It
could
be
a
way
to
sort
of
have
you
know
between
now
and
then
to
have
the
ability
to
dive
into
each
space
right
and
not,
you
know,
obviously,
what
I'm
getting
from
you
ben
is
that
we
want
to
be
as
toefl
and
as
thorough
with
them
as
possible
right.
So
that's
why
I'm
thinking
out
loud
in
this
space.
A
A
I
would
suggest
that
the
commissioners
add
to
those
six
questions,
other
questions
and
that
we
divide
up
those
questions
among
the
commissioners
to
ask
and
and
then
anyone
can
ask
a
follow-up
question
which
is
really
helpful.
To
have
people
ask
follow-up
questions
because
often
when
you're
asking
a
question,
you
know
it's
helpful
to
have
somebody
listening
and
make
sure
that
they're
getting
the
right
answer
and
anybody
should
feel
comfortable
asking
a
follow-up
question.
A
Okay,
all
right
they're
ready
and
then
if
people
will
add
to
them,
you
know
we
can
have
those
out
to
people.
If
you
will
add
to
them,
then
we
would
try
to
turn
those
around.
If
you
add
to
them
by.
Let's
say
you
add
to
them
by
next
wednesday,
then
we
can
have
them
turned
around,
so
people
will
have
them
by
friday,
and
so
let's
try
to
do
that.
A
A
Okay,
so
let's
make
sure
that
everybody
has
the
material
talia
did
talia
did
and
and
the
questions
and
and
then,
let's
make
sure
folks
have
an
opportunity
to
add
to
those
questions
and
we'll
see
where
we
are
by
the
end
of
next
week,
a
week
well
a
week
from
now
what
is
today
wednesday
yeah.
So
all
right,
do
you
have
a
motion
to
adjourn.