Approved Minutes — original pdf
Approved Minutes
COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION http://www.austintexas.gov/cttc MINUTES Regular Meeting Wednesday – January 13, 2021 – 6:30 PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING Please go to http://www.austintexas.gov/cityclerk/boards_commissions/meetings/10_1.htm for backup material 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 few hours of the cablecast. Schedules and video can be found at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/atxn-video-archive. CURRENT COMMISSION MEMBERS: Sophie Gairo ‐ Mayor Steve Adler Nehemiah Pitts III ‐ Council Member Natasha Harper‐Madison, District 1 Vacant ‐ Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza, District 2 Malcolm Yeatts ‐ Council Member Sabino “Pio” Renteria, District 3 David Alexander ‐ Council Member Gregorio Casar, District 4 Dave Floyd ‐ Council Member Ann Kitchen, District 5 Irfan Syed ‐ Council Member Jimmy Flannigan, District 6 Vacant ‐ Council Member Leslie Pool, District 7 Michelle Reinhardt ‐ Council Member Paige Ellis, District 8 Nicole Thompson – Council Member Kathie Tovo, District 9 Sumit DasGupta ‐ Council Member Alison Alter, District 10 Commission Members Present Nehemiah Pitts III Malcolm Yeatts Dave Floyd Michelle Reinhardt Nicole Thompson Sumit DasGupta Unexcused Absence Sophie Gairo David Alexander Irfan Syed CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order at 6:39 PM CITIZEN 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. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – December 9, 2020 Motion to approve the minutes made by Commissioner DasGupta, seconded by Commissioner Yeatts passed on a vote of 6-0 2. STAFF AND COMMUNITY BRIEFINGS (A member of the public may not address a board at a meeting on an item posted as a briefing) a. Presentation on ConnectionTest ATX (City of Austin: John Speirs and Anilya Krishnan; SpeedUpAmerica: Alexandra Corvello and Matt Sayre) The presentation can be viewed here. b. TARA Office Briefing (John Speirs, Program Manager – Telecom & Regulatory Affairs) John Speirs gave an update on the activities of the Office of Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs. This included the onboarding of a Digital Inclusion Fellow, who will be focused on internet speeds and infrastructure. 3. NEW BUSINESS (Discussion and Possible Action) a. Grant for Technology Opportunities Program – Letters of Interest Received and Action on Grant Review Panel (Commission Discussion and Action, Jesse Rodriguez, Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs) Jesse Rodriguez gave an update on the Grant for Technology Opportunities 2021 application cycle. At the conclusion of the Letter of Interest (LOI) submission window, 37 LOI’s were filed. This is in comparison to 21 LOI’s for the 2020 grant cycle and 31 LOI’s for the 2019 grant cycle. February 19 is the deadline for organizations to submit their full application. There are also 11 applicants to serve on the grant review panel, which will be selected at the February meeting of this commission. 4. COMMISSION UPDATES (Discussion and Possible Action) a. Digital Inclusion, Civic Engagement, and Strategic Technology and Telecom Policy Working Group Chair Pitts noted discussions he had on with TARA on the volunteer GTOPs review panel regarding evaluation of paying the reviewers. The Commissioners also discussed other potential mechanisms to reduce the work load of reviewers. Motion to support research by TARA on paying GTOPs grant reviewers proposed by Chair Pitts and seconded by Commissioner Yeatts passed on a vote of 6-0. b. Knowledge, Information, and Data Stewardship Working Group Chair Pitts discussed inviting the Clerk’s Office to a Working Group discussion on remote participation at commission meetings. Commissioner Reinhardt expressed a desire to have consistent monthly meetings. There was discussion on creating a survey to all commissioners to assess how the commissioners feel about remote participation at commission meetings, and their preference on this going forward. c. Technology, Infrastructure, and Innovation Working Group Commissioner Floyd noted that the working group discussed SpeedUpAmerica, which was presented on earlier in this meeting. Commissioner DasGupta mentioned the coming legislative session and whether the City should ask for authority to fill the connectivity gap if providers don’t step up to do so. Commissioner DasGupta also noted that the working group would like to hear from Jason John-Michael from ATD on project Connect. Commissioner Floyd asked all commissioners to share the SpeedUpAmerica test. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS This item was not reached due to loss of quorum. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned due to loss of quorum at 8:23 PM. 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 before the meeting date. Please contact Jesse Rodriguez at the Office of Telecommunications & Regulatory Affairs at (512) 974‐7676, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission, please visit their website at http://www.austintexas.gov/cttc or contact Jesse Rodriguez at jesse.rodriguez@austintexas.gov. Posting Submitted by: Jesse Rodriguez, Business Process Specialist, Wednesday, December 17, 2020