COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING Wednesday – July 10th, 2024 – 6:30PM Permitting and Development Center – Event Center– Room 1405 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr, Austin, TX 78752 Some members of the BOARD/COMMISSION may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, email Dan Martinez at dan.martinez@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: Steven Apodaca, Chair Keith Pena-Villa Thomas Rice Ibiye Anga AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Carina Alderete, Vice Chair Brian AM Williams Gabriel Nwajiaku Sumit DasGupta The first ten speakers who register to speak no later than noon the day before the meeting will be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES the Community Technology and Telecommunications 1. Approve the minutes of Commission meeting on June 12th, 2024. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. “You’re Being Watched – AI & Surveillance in Public Places” Presentation (Sharon Strover – Director, Technology & Information Policy Institute, Phillip G. Warner Regents Professor of Communication, Moody College of Communications, University of Texas at Austin) 3. “AI Coding Makerspace: Youth Creating AI Voice Chatbots for Social Justice and other inclusion (Dr. Phillip Eaglin, Founder, Changing literacy programs” presentation by community digital inclusive AI organization, Changing Expectations Expectations) 4. Summary report of the digital inclusion town hall listening session for veterans and military families held on 6/1/2024 (Nehemiah Pitts III, Founder, Shining Light Consulting) DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. Review and approval of 2023 CTTC Annual Report 6. Approval of digital communications enhancements for City of Austin Commissions resolution FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Dan Martinez at the Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs Department in the Financial Services Department, at dan.martinez@austintexas.gov for additional information; TTY users route through Relay …
Being Watched Embedding Ethics in Public Cameras Building technical, legal, and social approaches to maximize the trusted use of public camera-generated video data Technology & Information Policy Institute Dr. Sharon Strover, Leo Cao University of Texas at Austin September 13, 2023 Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission, Austin TX & Good Systems Agenda Project Overview Research Approaches Major Issues & Questions Preliminary Conclusions Next Steps A multi -component research approach Understand conceptions of privacy among citizens, local journalists, and city officials Identify open records law at State level and relevant data management issues Build and test differential access models Design smart city literacy training and initiate citizen engagement for traffic control Research Approaches Rely on experts, city officials, ordinary people, and city units in order to understand variations in informational norms. Delphi survey interviews case studies (e.g., Austin Public Library) focus groups public survey (fall 2023) workshops Toward Differential Access & Civic Policies Smart City Technologies Austin Fire Department ShotSpotter (not in use in Austin, as of 2021) H.A.L.O. cameras CCTV cameras traffic cameras red light cameras Austin Transportation Department Privacy, Contexts, and Publicness contextual integrity approach to examine norms& critical social values actors: subjects, senders, receivers types of information transmission principles– consent, reciprocity, etc. contexts e.g., How do you think about camera-mounted drones used by fire departments when fighting fires? s ubje ct: drone s , ca me ra s s e nde r: fire de pa rtme nt re ce ive r: re s ide nts , city units type s : ima ge s of pe ople , buildings , e tc. tra ns mis s ion: purpos e s , be ne fits , goa ls Research Methods qualitative illuminate meanings, values & norms associated with public technology + privacy seven focus groups: identify benefits and concerns seniors; students; EFF; civic activists; tech workers; tech executives; library users in-depth case study: Austin Public Library tour of camera system infrastructure, group & individual interviews w/ IT, Security, Frontline staff interviews with other City units: Fire Department; Mobility (transportation); Chief Privacy Officer; Innovation Officer Core Findings: Focus Groups benefits & concerns security aspects of surveillance tech younger people assume no privacy anyway; make sure tech is used for "good" …
Annual Internal Review This report covers the time period of 7/1/2023 to 6/30/2024 Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission (CTTC) 1. Describe the board's actions supporting their mission during the previous calendar year. Address all elements of the board's mission statement as provided in the relevant sections of the City Code. (C) The commission shall advise the city council regarding issues that include: (1) Community technology; (2) Telecommunications services; (3) New sources of funding for access television projects; (4) New sources of funding for community technology projects; (5) Allocation of annual financial support; (6) The evaluation of the performance of access television contractors and other community technology contractors, including development of criteria to be used for evaluations; and (7) Information and communications technology facilities and services that are operated by the City for public use, including the City website, Internet services and open government technologies. (D) The commission shall conduct public hearings regarding issues that include: (1) The performance of access television contractors and other community technology contractors; and (2) The identification of community cable, telecommunications, and technology needs. (E) The commission shall promote access to telecommunications services and community technologies by methods including: (1) Public awareness, use, and viewership of access television programming and other community media; (2) Identifying community technology needs and problems in the City and defining innovative programming approaches to those needs and problems, and (3) Public awareness of telecommunications policy and community technology issues. (F) The commission shall serve as a coordinating forum for issues relating to the provision of every different type of telecommunications services and community technologies, by receiving reports and recommendations from other City boards and commissions and from City departments and forwarding these to the city council. (H) The Commission may create a Grant Review Committee consisting of up to seven members to review grant applications, conduct interviews, and evaluate applications for the purpose of providing recommendations to the Commission for grant awards under the City's Grant for Technology Opportunities program. The Commission may appoint persons to the Grant Review Committee who are not members of the Commission, but must appoint one member of the Commission to the Grant Review Committee who shall serve as ex-officio chair of the Grant Review Committee. All members of the Grant Review Committee are subject to Article 4 of Chapter 2-7 of the Code (Code of Ethics). Activities and Engagement: AI Advisory Committee Representation for the …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission Recommendation Number: (YYYYMMDD-XXX) (XXX is the agenda item number): WHEREAS, the City Council Message Board is running on software whose last major update was in 2007, the time before smartphones. The software is named “phpBB”, where “BB” stands for “bulletin board”, a technology from the era of dial-up modems. WHEREAS, Austin is known as a technology city. We are home to chip manufacturers like IBM, NXP, AMD, and Samsung. WHEREAS, Austin has a significant presence of technology companies such as Apple, Google, Dell, and Meta and Indeed. WHEREAS, Austin is home to the University of Texas at Austin, one of the top technology universities in the world. WHEREAS, Technology is part of Austin’s brand and our city’s government should be using the most modern applications available. WHEREAS, the city council message boards of Port Aransas and Amarillo are using WordPress, a newer software than Austin’s. WHEREAS, there is a new generation of collaboration software based on instant messaging and designed with smartphones in mind. This includes such proprietary apps such as Slack and Discord, as well as open-source alternatives like Zulip and Matrix. This innovative technology is being used by the boards of for-profit and nonprofit organizations to communicate and collaborate. WHEREAS, our Mayor, Kirk Watson, when in the Texas Senate, authored and championed changes to the Texas Open Meetings Act . The addition of Section 551.006 to the Texas Government Code permits government bodies to use online real-time communication that is visible to the public. Thus enabling the Austin City Council Message Board which now has thousands of posts and millions of views. WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s Boards and Commissions play an important role in city government. They are vital in adjudication, monitoring rights, monitoring the environment, and oversight of critical industries. They improve Austin by cherishing amenities, fostering the arts, and providing expert advice to City Council and serve as the inclusive interface for communities that are often overlooked by the government. WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s Boards and Commissions do not have message boards and, therefore, still suffer under the restrictive provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act prior to the addition of Section 551.006 by then Senator Kirk Watson. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Technology Commission recommends the City of Austin: 1. Research and implement modern technology solutions for the current City Council Message Board. 2. Develop …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission Recommendation Number: 20240710-006: WHEREAS, the City Council Message Board is running on software whose last major update was in 2007, the time before smartphones. The software is named “phpBB”, where “BB” stands for “bulletin board”, a technology from the era of dial-up modems. WHEREAS, Austin is known as a technology city. We are home to leading hardware companies like IBM, NXP, AMD, and Samsung. WHEREAS, Austin has a significant presence of technology companies such as Apple, Google, Dell, and Meta and Indeed. WHEREAS, Austin is home to the University of Texas at Austin, one of the top technology universities in the world. WHEREAS, Technology is part of Austin’s brand and our city’s government should be using the most modern applications available. WHEREAS, the city council message boards of Port Aransas and Amarillo are using WordPress, a newer software than Austin’s. WHEREAS, there is a new generation of collaboration software based on instant messaging and designed with smartphones in mind. This includes such proprietary apps such as Slack and Discord, as well as open-source alternatives like Zulip and Matrix. This innovative technology is being used by the boards of for-profit and nonprofit organizations to communicate and collaborate. WHEREAS, our Mayor, Kirk Watson, when in the Texas Senate, authored and championed changes to the Texas Open Meetings Act . The addition of Section 551.006 to the Texas Government Code permits government bodies to use online real-time communication that is visible to the public. Thus enabling the Austin City Council Message Board which now has thousands of posts and millions of views. WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s Boards and Commissions play an important role in city government. They are vital in adjudication, monitoring rights, monitoring the environment, and oversight of critical industries. They improve Austin by cherishing amenities, fostering the arts, and providing expert advice to City Council and serve as the inclusive interface for communities that are often overlooked by the government. WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s Boards and Commissions do not have message boards and, therefore, still suffer under the restrictive provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act prior to the addition of Section 551.006 by then Senator Kirk Watson. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission recommends the City of Austin: 1. Research and implement modern technology solutions for the current City Council Message Board. 2. Develop and provide …
Annual Internal Review This report covers the time period of 7/1/2023 to 6/30/2024 Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission (CTTC) 1. Describe the board's actions supporting their mission during the previous calendar year. Address all elements of the board's mission statement as provided in the relevant sections of the City Code. (C) The commission shall advise the city council regarding issues that include: (1) Community technology; (2) Telecommunications services; (3) New sources of funding for access television projects; (4) New sources of funding for community technology projects; (5) Allocation of annual financial support; (6) The evaluation of the performance of access television contractors and other community technology contractors, including development of criteria to be used for evaluations; and (7) Information and communications technology facilities and services that are operated by the City for public use, including the City website, Internet services and open government technologies. (D) The commission shall conduct public hearings regarding issues that include: (1) The performance of access television contractors and other community technology contractors; and (2) The identification of community cable, telecommunications, and technology needs. (E) The commission shall promote access to telecommunications services and community technologies by methods including: (1) Public awareness, use, and viewership of access television programming and other community media; (2) Identifying community technology needs and problems in the City and defining innovative programming approaches to those needs and problems, and (3) Public awareness of telecommunications policy and community technology issues. (F) The commission shall serve as a coordinating forum for issues relating to the provision of every different type of telecommunications services and community technologies, by receiving reports and recommendations from other City boards and commissions and from City departments and forwarding these to the city council. (H) The Commission may create a Grant Review Committee consisting of up to seven members to review grant applications, conduct interviews, and evaluate applications for the purpose of providing recommendations to the Commission for grant awards under the City's Grant for Technology Opportunities program. The Commission may appoint persons to the Grant Review Committee who are not members of the Commission, but must appoint one member of the Commission to the Grant Review Committee who shall serve as ex-officio chair of the Grant Review Committee. All members of the Grant Review Committee are subject to Article 4 of Chapter 2-7 of the Code (Code of Ethics). Activities and Engagement: AI Advisory Committee Representation for the …
few hours of the cablecast. Schedules and video can be Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission http://www.austintexas.gov/cttc REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Wednesday –July 10th, 2024 – 6:30PM Permitting and Development Center – Event Center – Room 1405 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr - Austin, TX 78752 Please go to http://www.austintexas.gov/cityclerk/boards_commissions/meetings/10_1.htm for backup materials associated with this agenda. All ATXN (City Channel 6) programming is cablecast on Spectrum, Grande Communications, and Google Fiber on their cable channel 6, on AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 and webcast online. Over 20 meetings per month, including this commission meeting, are available on demand online, typically within a found at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/atxn-video-archive. The Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission convened in a REGULAR meeting on Wednesday, July 10th, 2024, at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr. in Austin, Texas. Current Commission Members Keith Pena-Villa ‐ Mayor Kirk Watson Brian AM Williams ‐ Council Member Natasha Harper‐Madison, District 1 Steven Apodaca – Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, District 2 Carina Alderete ‐ Council Member José Velásquez, District 3 Vacant ‐ Council Member José “Chito” Vela, District 4 Thomas Rice‐ Council Member Ryan Alter, District 5 Gabriel Nwajiaku‐ Council Member Mackenzie Kelly,District 6 Vacant ‐ Council Member Leslie Pool, District 7 Vacant ‐ Council Member Paige Ellis, District 8 Ibiye Anga – Council Member Zohaib “Zo” Qadri, District 9 Sumit DasGupta ‐ Council Member Alison Alter, District 10 Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance in person: Steven Apodaca, Chair Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Carina Alderete, Vice-Chair Thomas Rice Sumit DasGupta 1 Ibiye Anga Brian AM Williams Keith Pena-Villa Board Members/Commissioners Not in Attendance: Gabriel Nwajiaku CALL TO ORDER Chair Apodaca called the Community Technology and Telecommunications Meeting to order at 6:44 p.m. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten speakers who register to speak no later than noon the day before the meeting will be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. No members of the public were signed up to speak. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approve the minutes of the Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission special called meeting on May 8th, 2024. Motion to approve the minutes made by Commissioner DasGupta and seconded by Commissioner Pena-Villa. The minutes from (6/12/2024) were approved on a vote of 7- 0. DISCUSSION ITEMS “You’re Being Watched – AI & Surveillance in Public Places” Presentation (Sharon Strover – Director, Technology & Information Policy Institute, Phillip G. Warner Regents Professor of Communication, Moody College of …
