►
Description
The Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities of the Council of the City of Philadelphia held a Public Hearing on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 10:00 AM to hear testimony on the following item:
230108
An Ordinance authorizing the Procurement Commissioner, on behalf of the City, to enter into a concession agreement with Slice Wireless Solutions, Inc. for the operation, maintenance and expansion of a neutral-host radio, cellular and WiFi system and other wireless services, under certain terms and conditions.
A
A
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are
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A
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a
clerk
please
call
the
road
to
take
attendance,
remember
they're
in
attendance,
will
indicate
they
are
present
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names
are
called.
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please,
please
say
a
few
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words
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responding
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your
image
will
be
displayed
on
screen.
When
you
speak.
What
a
clerk
please
call
the
roll.
A
B
Bill
number
230108
authorizing
the
procurement
commissioner,
on
behalf
of
the
city,
to
enter
into
a
concession
agreement
with
slice,
Wireless
Solutions
Incorporated
for
the
operation,
maintenance
and
expansion
of
the
neutral
host,
radio,
cellular
and
wi-fi
system
and
other
Wireless
Services
Under.
Certain
terms
and
conditions
before.
A
We
begin
to
hear
testimony
from
the
witnesses
we
have
for
today.
Everyone
who
has
been
invited
to
the
meeting
to
testify
should
be
aware
that
this
public
hearing
is
being
recorded,
because
the
hearing
is
public.
Participants
and
viewers
have
no
reasonable
expectation
of
privacy,
but
continue
to
be
in
the
meeting.
You
are
considered
to
being
recorded
additionally
prior
to
recognizing
members
for
the
questions
or
comments
they
have
for
Witnesses.
A
I
will
note
for
the
record
at
this
time
that
we
will
use
the
chat
feature
available,
Microsoft
teams
to
allow
members
to
signify
that
they
wish
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be
recognized
in
order
to
comply
with
the
sunshine
act.
The
chat
future
must
only
be
used
for
this
purpose
for
the
clerk.
Please
call
the
first
panel
for
Bill
number
230108.
E
E
Thank
you
good
morning,
chairman
Johnson
and
members
of
the
committee
on
transportation
and
Public
Utilities.
My
name
is
Adam
Mitchell,
deputy
chief
Revenue
officer
for
the
Department
of
Aviation,
which
manages
both
Philadelphia
International
Airport,
PHL
and
Northeast
Philadelphia
Airport
PNE
I
am
here
today
to
testify
in
support
of
Bill
number
230108,
which
authorizes
the
city
of
Philadelphia
to
enter
into
a
concession
agreement
with
slice,
Wireless
Solutions
Incorporated
for
the
operation,
maintenance
and
expansion
of
a
neutral
host,
radio,
cellular
and
wi-fi
system
and
other
Wireless
Services
Under
certain
terms
and
conditions.
E
Wi-Fi
is
an
important
amenity
for
passengers
in
our
terminal
complex
and
is
the
only
publicly
available
system
for
individual
use
at
the
airport.
Over
the
past
six
months,
the
PHL
public
Wi-Fi
network
supported
over
6
000
active
user
sessions
on
Peak
dates,
while
also
supporting
approximately
4
000
active
sessions
on
a
daily
basis,
heavy
use
over
time
ages.
This
important
infrastructure
during
the
heart
of
the
covid-19
pandemic,
the
department
of
Aviation
or
doa's
I.T
team
identified
that.
E
The
system
is
scheduled
to
be
fully
launched
by
early
2026,
ensuring
that
our
facility
will
be
fully
prepared
to
support
the
international
and
signature
events
scheduled
to
occur
in
the
city
that
year,
the
city
of
Philadelphia
received
seven
responses
to
this
RFP
and
a
diverse
selection
committee,
which
included
staff
from
the
Department
of
aviation
office
of
Information,
Technology
and
procurement.
Department
made
the
award
to
slice
Wireless
Solutions
Incorporated
in
April
2022.,
as
we
do
with
all
Contracting
opportunities.
E
We
conducted
an
open
and
transparent
RFP
process
in
accordance
with
the
city's
Contracting
requirements
and
best
value
regulations.
I'd
like
to
thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
present
testimony
this
morning
on
Bill
number,
230108
and
I,
kindly
ask
the
committee
for
a
favorable
recommendation
and
that
the
rules
be
suspended
to
allow
for
first
reading
at
the
next
session
of
council.
A
Hearing
none
we
want
to
thank
you
for
your
testimony
and
or
your
presentation,
and
also
just
for
clarification.
Just
for
the
record.
The
selection
of
this
RFP
process
included
members
of
the
Philadelphia
International
Airport
office
of
Information
Technology,
as
well
as
the
procurement
Department
correct.
A
F
F
F
C
A
F
F
Very
good,
okay,
again
quickly,
Scott
Phillips
I'm
vice
president
of
Business
Development,
with
Boingo
Wireless.
We
were
one
of
the
seven
respondents
to
the
RFP
process.
As
stated,
we
were
actually
ranked
second
in
the
RFP
by
a
margin
of
seven
percent.
So
we
have.
We
do
have
some
questions
as
to
the
reasons
for
basis
of
the
award
wanted
to
make
sure
it
was
on
a
clear
process
done
on
a
Level,
Playing,
Field
I'm
sure
the
city
does
as
well.
F
The
we've
sent
a
letter
over
on
Friday
I
believe
each
of
you
should
have
it
where
we
documented
the
concerns.
The
it
just
runs
through
them
quickly.
So
quickly,
I'm
going
to
go.
Boingo
is
the
largest
operator
of
gas
and
Wi-Fi.
So
that's
that's.
Handles
indoor
cellular
phone
connections,
Wi-Fi
I,
think
we're
all
familiar
with
of
that
for
phones,
laptops,
Etc,
we've
been
in
business
23
years
operate
over
40
U.S
airports.
F
The
initial
one
was
Port
Authority
of
New
York
New
Jersey,
which
we
operate
to
this
day
and
that
they
were
the
first
airport
tasks
and
Wi-Fi
networks.
So
we
in
this
process,
as
we've
had
questions.
We
first
tried
to
speak
to
the
airport
we
reached
out
with
questions,
we're
not
able
to
get
any
Clarity
there
reached
out
to
procurement
as
well,
and
then
we
did
speak
with
the
controller's
office
just
really
to
continue
to
try
and
get
clarity.
F
F
The
first
was
on
the
financial
scoring
metric
and
without
getting
answers
to
the
questions.
We're
working
off
of
limited
information,
so
primarily
the
notice
of
award
the
city
sent
out
a
notice
of
award
last
last
spring
about
a
year
ago
and
really
based
on
comments
on
the
notice
to
award
is
the
questions
we
have
for
you.
So
the
first
one
was
on
financial
scoring.
F
The
the
requirement
was
meant
or
percentage
of
Revenue,
but
to
this
suggests
that
the
award
was
made
on
made
upon
the
mag
plus
a
projection
of
how
much
revenue
that
might
be,
which
is
not
guaranteed
and
as
I've
heard
from
airports
before
we.
You
know
we
bet
on
mags
and
we
pray
for
Revenue
shares,
but
there's
no
guarantee
you're
going
to
get
them.
F
It's
interesting
that
the
the
numbers
between
the
seven
respondents
there's
a
disparity
of
over
three
times
the
amount
of
money
from
the
low
or
around
seven
million
to
the
high
at
around
25
million
and
I
will
say
that
we've
all
been
in
this
business,
we're
familiar
with
the
other
respondents.
We
this
business
is
a
pretty
mature
business
at
this
point
in
time.
So
it's
driven
by
revenue
of
what
the
carriers,
the
cellular
phone
carriers,
ATT
Verizon
T-Mobile,
will
pay
to
access
your
system,
that's
tied
to
how
many
passengers
you
have
might
use
it.
F
So
it's
a
pretty
pretty
clear
and
reliable
projection
of
how
much
revenue
might
be
available.
So
it
really.
It
just
raises
a
question
of
how
how
the
highest
number
could
be
so
much
higher
than
the
lowest
and
was
it
based
on
the
same
metrics.
If
there's
opportunity
for
a
projection
to
come
into
play.
F
So
normally
what
we
would
see
is
that
you're
tied
to
a
technical
specification
and
you
have
to
make
sure
the
system
meets
technical
criteria
and
ideally,
if
you
can
do
that
more
efficiently,
then
there's
additional
Revenue
to
be
shared.
So
that
was
the
first
point
and
Mr
chair
I'll
just
keep
going
with
the
other
two
or,
if
there's
any
questions,
we'll
address
them
later.
A
F
F
Yes,
sir,
okay,
second
item
of
three
excuse
me
acdd
Eagles,
so
airport
airport
concessions,
Business,
Development,
Enterprise,
the
you
know
we
do
we
deal
with
AC,
dbes
or
disadvantaged
business
enterprises
in
in
airports,
because
this
is
all
tied
to
Federal
money
of
when
it
becomes
an
AC
dve.
The
RFP
stated
a
requirement
of
10
participation
and
Boingo
agreed
to
meet
that
10
participation.
F
When
the
notice
to
award
came
out,
it
stated
participation
of
seven
percent
which
less
than
the
requirement
and
as
I've
just
looked
at
the
ordinance
it
now
States
four
percent,
so
the
city
is,
it
appears
the
city
would
be
about
to
enter
into
contract
for
a
four
percent
participation
when
the
requirement
was
10.,
so
something's
at
least
inconsistent
there
and
I'm
not
sure.
If
that.
What
type
of
flaw
that
constitutes
but
I
just
want
to
make
you
aware
of
it,
and
the
last
thing
again
gained
from
the
notice
were
the
reasons
for
selection.
F
Seven
respondents
in
this
field
were
all
experienced.
We've
all
been
at
this
some
longer
than
others,
some
bigger
airports,
smaller
airports,
but
they're
all
qualified
respondents.
What
was
curious
to
us,
and
maybe
just
an
odd
choice
of
words,
is
that
it
stated
the
select
the
selective
respondent
has
Superior.
Experience
would
suggest
that
they
have
more
experience
than
anyone
else.
We
don't
see
how
anyone
would
have
more
experience
than
Boingo
has
given
that
we've
been
at
this
the
longest
and
operate
the
largest
number
of
airports.
F
So
what's
critical,
there
is
that
the
experience
is
worth
15
percent
of
the
scoring
and
the
financial
experience
is
worth
another
15
percent,
not
to
mention
the
the
revenue
we
just
spoke
about
is
worth
25.
So
with
an
experience,
you've
got
30
percent
of
the
scoring
and
we
finished
second
by
seven
percent.
So
again,
those
are
the
main
issues
we
thank
you
for
your
time.
What
we've
seen
in
other
jurisdictions
is:
if
there
is,
if
it's
determined,
there's
a
process
law.
Often
the
RFP
process
has
started
over
from
the
beginning.
F
A
Dominate
the
rest
of
the
hearing,
they
used
to
put
your
perspective
in
this
in
the
airport's
perspective
and
I
have
reached
out
to
the
airport
regarding
this
topic
and
individuals
that
represent
you,
your
lobbyists
as
well
run
this
topic
for
quite
some
time,
and
normally
we
don't.
As
a
council
person,
it's
not
my
role
to
how
to
say
the
airport
makes
their
final
decision,
but
nevertheless
there
is
a
process
for
recourse.
D
A
Out
to
the
controller's
office-
or
there
is
a
follow-up
in
regards
to
his
actual
process,
then
and
I
reached
out
to
him
as
well.
We
didn't
get
any
response,
but
nevertheless
this
should
be
some
type
of
documentation
that
there
is
a
process
going
on
and
then
they'll
come
forward
and
say:
hey
this
process
is
Florida
or
not
same
thing
with
the
procurement
Department
as
well.
Who
basically
is
is
in
control
of
this
particular
process
of
granting
contracts
and
so
forth.
A
But
with
this
information
you
do
have
you
know
I'll
continue
to
review
it
with
this.
I
did
I
do
want
to
pay
attention
to
that
10
percent
minority
participation.
The
highway
went
down
to
four
percent,
because
I
think
that's
the
disparity
in
terms
of
making
sure
black
and
brown
people
participate
in
this
process.
A
But
I
will
we
will
do
our
due
diligence
on
our
end
to
get
a
response
to
the
key
questions
that
were
raised
for
the
record,
and
so
it
could
be
public
that
this
was
a
totally
transparent
process
regarding
how
we
move
forward,
and
so
that's
my
response
and
thank
you
for
taking
time
out
of
your
schedule.
For
providing
public
comment
on
this
particular
bill.
F
F
Been
on
we've
been
on
thousands
of
rfps,
you
win
some,
you
lose
some
in
the
event
we've
had
questions,
we've
been
able
to
go
to
the
issuing
authority
and
get
them
resolved
quickly.
So
this
is
pretty
much
unprecedented
for
us
to
do
this.
Obviously
we
have
a
vested
interest
here
and
I
appreciate
your
you
know.
Your
comments
would
suggest.
The
city
also
wants
to
make
sure
the
process
was
right
and
at
the
end
of
the
day,
you
wind
up
with
the
right
solution,
may
or
may
not
be
us,
but.
F
A
E
I
do
Mr
chairman
and
thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
respond.
I
would
reference
that,
from
the
Department
of
aviation's
perspective,
some
of
the
vendors
comments.
We
have
a
different
point
of
view,
one
in
terms
of
how
the
RFP
requirements
were
interpreted
and
what
the
minimum
requirements
for
the
rfpr.
We
are
happy
to
work
with
your
team
to
provide
more
information
with
respect
to
the
process.
I
would
also
refer
the
letter
that
the
department
of
Aviation
responded
to
the
vendor's
initial
protest,
which
was
vetted
by
the
department
of
procurement
in
June
of
2022.
E
At
that
time
after
we
investigated
the
original
complaint,
we
did
find
through
mutual
investigation
department
of
Aviation
and
Department
of
procurement
that
the
RFP
process
was
conducted
fairly
and
in
accordance
with
the
city's
best
value
regulations.
I
would
note
that,
according
to
those
regulations,
there
are
several
factors
that
the
RFP
evaluation
may
consider
in
addition
to
the
proposed
investment
in
that
requirements,
but
I
would
like
to
also
take
an
opportunity
to
specifically
reference
the
question
that
you
asked
Mr
chairman
about
the
acdpe
concerns.
E
That
being
stated,
our
acdbe
participation
was
not
a
scoring
Criterion
for
all
of
the
factors
that
were
listed.
The
airport's
office
of
business
diversity
reviewed
all
proposals
for
best
and
good
faith
efforts
in
accordance
with
existing
federal
regulations
in
response
to
the
minimum
participation
requirements.
I
would
also
note
that
the
four
percent
or
percentage
that
the
vendor
is
referencing
is
specific
to
slice
Wireless
Solutions
subcontractors.
They
do
have
a
four
percent
goal
for
subcontractors.
E
However,
it
is
important
to
note
that,
in
our
determination,
The
Entity
that
we
awarded
this
contract
to
is
itself
an
acdbe
certified
entity,
so
the
vendor
that
was
awarded
the
contract
is
serving
as
an
acdpe
certified
crime.
In
addition
to
that,
they
proposed
an
additional
four
percent
participation
for
subcontractors
on
this
contract
and
our
determination.
The
proposal
that
received
the
award
for
this
meets
the
requirements
and
was
found
to
be
in
compliance
upon
review
by
the
Air
Force
office
of
business
diversity
and
the
portrayal
Department.
A
Thank
you
very
much
just
make
sure
Adam.
Could
you
provide
to
chair
myself
and
members
of
the
committee
a
copy
of
the
letter,
responding
to
I,
guess,
I
would
call
the
grievance
or
so
to
speak
regarding
this
process
that
you
provided
in
2020,
so
just
provide
that
to
myself
and
we'll
provide
the
members
of
the
committee
just
for
the
record.
Okay,.
A
A
This
officially
concludes
the
public
hearing
of
the
committee.
We
will
now
go
into
the
public
meeting
to
consider
action
to
be
taken
on
the
bill
before
this
committee
today,
but
a
clerk,
please
call
the
road
to
take
attendance.
Remember
the
member
that
are
in
attendance
will
please
indicate
they
are
present
when
their
names
are
called.
Also,
please
see
a
few
brief
words
from
responding
so
that
your
image
will
be
displayed
on
screen
when
you
speak.
A
D
A
D
A
The
chair
notes
for
the
record
that
councilman
Sharon
Vaughn
second,
is
the
motion.
It
has
been
moving
property
setting
that
bill
number
two:
three
zero
one:
zero
eight
be
reported
from
this
committee
with
a
favor
recommendation
and
further
move
that
the
rules
accounts
be
suspended
to
permit
first
reading
of
this
bill
at
the
next
session
of
council.
All
those
in
favor
of
the
motion
was
signifiers,
saying
I
I.
D
A
Opposed
the
eyes
have
it,
and
the
motion
carries
I,
want
to
thank
everybody
for
taking
time
out
of
your
schedule
and
participating
in
this
hearing.
If
there's
no
additional
remarks.
This
concludes
the
business
before
the
committee
on
transportation
and
Public
Utilities
today.
Thank
you
very
much
and
thank
you
for
attendance.
Everyone
have
a
good
day.