Sep 22, 2020 Innovation and Technology Committee

GREAT.

[00:00:01]

UH, WE HAVE WHAT APPEARS TO BE A FORUM, BUT WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE, AND WE'RE GONNA ASK OUR CLERK TO TAKE THE ROLE HERE.

COUNCIL MEMBER TIO.

ABSENT A COUNCIL MEMBER, ANDREW SULLIVAN.

ABSENT.

COUNCIL MEMBER RIDGE CHAIR.

UH, CITIZEN MEMBER DI DION COYAR.

HERE.

CITIZEN MEMBER DIRK MONDOR.

HERE, CITIZEN MEMBER WILL GARRETT CHAIR.

WE HAVE A QUORUM.

GREAT, THANKS.

UH, UH, OUR

[1. 20-5583 Approval of the June 23, 2020 Innovation and Technology Committee Meeting Minutes. ]

UH, I'LL ENTERTAIN MOTION.

SO MOVED.

MS. CUE? DID I SEE A YES? A SECOND.

GREAT.

GREAT.

AND WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES? AYE.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? HEARING NONE.

UH, MINUTES ARE APPROVED.

OUR SECOND ITEM

[2. 20-5627 Briefing on the City of San Antonio’s Digital Kiosks as well as a request to amend the current contract with IKE/Orange Barrel Media. [Brian Ramey, Development Director, IKE Smart City]]

AND, UH, OUR REQUEST TO AMEND OUR CURRENT CONTRACT WITH, UH, IKE ORANGE BARREL MEDIA.

BRIAN DILLARD.

AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.

UH, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.

SO, YES, UH, THE FIRST ITEM WILL BE ON OUR DIGITAL KIOSK AND ALSO ON THE CALL WE HAVE, UH, BRIAN RAMEY.

UH, BRIAN'S THE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR FOR ORANGE BARREL MEDIA.

UH, WHICH IKE, OUR, OUR VENDOR FOR THE KIOSK IS ACTUALLY BRIAN IKE IS A SUBSIDIARY OF ORANGE BARREL MEDIA.

IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT.

EXCELLENT.

WELL, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

UH, IF I GET INTO ANY HOTSPOT QUESTIONS, BRIAN'S GONNA ANSWER ALL OF THEM.

UH, SO , THANKS, BRIAN.

HAPPY TO, THANKS FOR HAVING ME INDEED.

UM, SO THE DIGITAL KIOSK PROGRAM, UH, IT'S BEEN AROUND, UH, THIS WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL IN 2017.

THE ORDINANCE ON THE IN ORDINANCE, SUBORDINATES IN ORIGINAL CONTRACT WAS PUT IN PLACE JUNE OF 2018.

UH, SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING HERE.

UH, I'LL KIND OF GO OVER THE EXTENSION.

I'LL DO AN OVERVIEW OF THE EXTENSION ITSELF, UH, AND THEN I'LL DO A RUN THROUGH OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT EXACTLY HAS HAPPENED WITH THE KIOSK OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS, OR EXCUSE ME, TWO YEARS.

UM, AND THEN I'LL DO A RECAP OF THE EXTENSION AGAIN.

THAT WAY WE CAN, UM, MAKE SURE WE'RE IT'S TOP OF MIND AS WE GO INTO THE DISCUSSION.

SO, UM, EXTENSION OVERVIEW.

UH, THE INITIAL CONTRACT, AS I MENTIONED, WAS, UH, APPROVED THROUGH AN ORDINANCE IN 2018.

UH, IT WAS APPROVED FOR FIVE YEARS.

IT WAS INTENDED TO BE A PILOT.

UM, SO WE HAVE BEEN IN PILOT PHASE, UH, FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS NOW.

UM, I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE IN A SECOND ON SOME, SOME NEXT COMING SLIDES, SOME UPCOMING SLIDES.

UH, CONTACT CONTRACT EXTENSION THAT'S BEING, UH, REQUESTED IS FOR EIGHT YEARS.

IN ADDITION TO THE INITIAL FIVE YEARS, UH, I THINK THE ORIGINAL CONVERSATION WAS AROUND 10 ADDITIONAL YEARS.

WE SCOPED THAT BACK TO EIGHT.

UH, SO A TOTAL OF 13 YEARS WITH FOUR ADDITIONAL ONE YEAR OPTIONS, WHICH IS UP TO THE CITY, UH, TO DETERMINE.

AND WE GET TO THAT POINT.

UM, NO REAL SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE CONTRACT TERMS OTHER THAN THE, UH, THE TIMELINE.

UH, AND THEN NO ADDITIONAL KIOSK IN THE CURRENT SCOPING.

NOW, THE CONTRACT DOES ALLOW FOR MORE KIOSK, BUT OF COURSE, THAT'S UP TO CITY, UH, CITY STAFF AND CITY COUNCIL.

UH, THAT IS AN AVAILABLE OPTION TO ADD MORE.

AND I THINK WE CAN GO UP TO A HUNDRED.

UM, WE CAN GO TO A HUNDRED.

SO, UM, SO CURRENT LOCATIONS GAVE YOU A, A LENGTHY LIST HERE.

FIVE, UH, WHEN WE GOT PAST THAT, UH, WE ASKED FOR ABOUT FIVE MORE.

UH, WE'VE GOT THREE OF THOSE DEPLOYED.

TWO ARE ON HOLD BACK DUE TO BOND PROJECTS, UM, BEING END OF THE WAY.

I THINK A COUPLE OF 'EM ARE AT PARKS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING SOME BOND CONSTRUCTION.

UH, BUT WE'LL GET THOSE LIVE, UH, RIGHT AFTER THAT.

BUT THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT CALL FOR 25, WE GOT ALL THOSE IN PLACE.

UH, AS OF LAST YEAR, UH, I GAVE YOU KIND OF A BROAD, UH, MAP OF WHERE THOSE ARE LOCATED.

A LOT OF THEM ARE DOWNTOWN, UH, WHICH THESE KIOSKS, THE REVENUE IS DRIVEN BY ADS.

UM, SO DOWNTOWN, UH, AREA WAS DEFINITELY THE, THE MAIN SPOT TO, TO TAP INTO THAT.

UH, AS FAR AS USAGE RATES, I THOUGHT THIS WAS INTERESTING.

UM, YOU KNOW, REFLECTING ON 2019 PRE COVID, UH, AS THEY WERE BEING INSTALLED, WE DEFINITELY SAW AN INCREASE OF USAGE RATES.

AND AGAIN, THAT USE WAS MAINLY DOWNTOWN.

WE HAD A HIGH RATE OF USAGE OF WOODLAND WOOD, WOODLAWN, LAKE PARK.

UM, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE KIOSK, WHICH I HOPE, I HOPE, UH, WE ALL ARE BY NOW.

UM, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE USEFUL FOR WAY FINDING.

UH, THEY OFFER WIRELESS INTERNET CONNECTION, UH, WHEN YOU'RE NEARBY.

UM, THEY PROVIDE INFORMATION ON NEARBY BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS, ET CETERA.

UM, TAKE LITTLE SELFIES ON IT.

THEY DON'T STORE ON THERE.

UM, AND THEN THEY PROVIDE AD THEY ALSO PROVIDE

[00:05:01]

UM, SO DOWNTOWN, UH, WE UTILIZE THEM A LOT FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION.

THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL WHEN COVID HIT.

UH, SPEAKING OF COVID 2020 USAGE RATES, UM, YOU CAN SEE THE IMPACT THAT THAT STARTED TO TAKE EARLY ON IN THE YEAR, UM, DIDN'T COMPLETELY GO AWAY.

UH, WE WOULD HOPE THAT THESE RATES WOULD GO UP AS THE PANDEMIC STARTS TO, YOU KNOW, UH, WEAN OFF IN THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO, UH, FINGERS CROSSED, AND THEN REVENUE.

SO, UM, THE BIG PIECE OF THIS IS THAT THE KIOSKS DON'T COST THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ANYTHING.

THEY ACTUALLY BRING IN REVENUE FROM THE KIOSK.

UH, SO THE FIRST THREE YEARS ARE REALLY FOCUSED IN ON THE MAG, THE MINIMAL ANNUAL GUARANTEE.

UH, THAT WAS 20 I SET AT 21.5%.

AND THAT INCREASES, UH, EVERY YEAR AT 2%.

UH, THOSE FIRST THREE YEARS, YOU'LL SEE A DIFFERENT NUMBER FOR THOSE THAN THE REST OF THE YEARS.

THAT'S BECAUSE THE, AS THE KIOSKS WERE INSTALLED, THAT MAG INCREASE, EACH KIOSK HAS A, I BELIEVE A 4%, UH, MAG ATTACHED TO IT.

SO THAT'S WHY THOSE, THOSE COSTS, YOU SEE A BIGGER GAP THERE.

UH, BUT AS WE GO FORWARD, I GAVE YOU KIND OF A, A OUTREACH THROUGHOUT THE NEXT, UH, FIVE YEARS ON WHAT THOSE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE.

UM, IN ADDITION TO THE MAG, THE MINIMUM ANNUAL GUARANTEE, UH, IF THAT, THAT'S THE LOWEST WE'LL GET, THAT'S THE MINIMUM.

SO THE AD REVENUES THAT ARE BROUGHT INTO THIS, IF THEY GO OVER THAT NUMBER, UH, THEN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO GETS A PORTION OF THAT.

UM, SO THAT'S WHY THAT THIRD BULLET IS THERE ABOUT FUTURE REVENUE AMOUNTS COULD DIFFER OR INCREASE BASED ON THOSE ADDITIONAL REVENUES.

BUT THOSE NUMBERS THAT YOU SEE THERE ARE REFLECTIVE OF WHAT, UH, THE ULTIMATE GUARANTEE IS.

UH, AND I PUT A LITTLE BULLET DOWN THERE AT THE BOTTOM.

SO WE'VE GOT SEVEN KIOSKS LOCATED AT VIA SITES.

AND NOW WHETHER THEY BE CITY RIGHT AWAY VIA SITES OR VI VIA OWNED FACILITIES, UH, THEY ARE LOCATED THERE.

THAT WAS AGREEMENT WE HAD WITH VIA, UH, AS FAR AS A REVENUE SHARE AGREEMENT FOR, FOR THOSE, THAT IS BASED ON AD REVENUE.

UH, WE ARE SPLIT HALF AND HALF WITH VIA ON ANY KIOSK THAT ARE VIA OWNED FACILITIES.

AND THEN 60 40 FOR VIA KIOSK THAT ARE IN CITIES RIGHT AWAY, UH, AT, AT VIA LOCATIONS.

AGAIN, QUICK RECAP OF THE CONTRACT EXTENSION.

ORIGINAL, ORIGINAL CONTRACT WAS FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS.

UH, WE'RE ADDING ON EIGHT YEARS WITH FOUR ADDITIONAL ONE YEAR OPTIONS HERE.

NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE CONTRACT TERMS OTHER THAN THE TIMELINE.

AND THEN NO ADDITIONAL KIOSKS IN THE CURRENT SCOPING.

BUT OF COURSE, THAT IS AVAILABLE OPTION TO ADD MORE, UH, IF, IF WE DECIDE TO DO SO IN THE FUTURE.

UH, MS. CHAIR, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I HAD FOR, UH, THE DIGITAL KIOSK PRESENTATION.

AND YOU'RE ON MUTE, SIR, UNLESS COUNCILMAN YOU, YOU'RE STILL MUTED, SIR.

SORRY TO INTERRUPT.

OH, I'M SO SORRY.

FORGIVE ME.

UH, FIRST, UH, WE'LL GO AROUND THE HORN.

THIS IS NOT A VERY DIFFICULT TOPIC.

UH, THIS ONE SEEMS LIKE PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.

AND SO WE'LL START OFF WITH MR. WILL, GARRETT.

ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, SIR? SO, BRIAN, THANKS FOR THE, UH, UPDATE.

UM, ONE QUESTION THAT I, I SEE ALL THE DATA AND THAT LOOKS GOOD.

HOW'S IT GOING IN YOUR MIND IN TERMS OF WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS WERE FROM THE CITY SIDE? HOW'S IT GOING THROUGH THE, YOU KNOW, INITIAL RAMP UP? OBVIOUSLY, COVID IS GONNA CHANGE THINGS, BUT HOW DO YOU FEEL? IT'S, IT'S BEEN, I, I'LL BE, I'LL BE STRAIGHTFORWARD.

THE FIRST YEAR OF INSTALL, UH, WAS A BIT MORE THAN WE EXPECTED, BUT IT WAS A PILOT.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE ALL LEARNING HOW TO EXPLORE THIS.

UH, WE WERE RUNNING INTO CONVERSATIONS OF RIGHT AWAY AND POWER DISTRIBUTION AND WHO'S WHO, WHO PAYS FOR THE POWER? IS IT THE CITY C P S? AND HOW DO WE GET THAT FROM MIKE? AND, UM, ARCHEOLOGY CONCERNS WHEN IT CAME TO, YOU KNOW, INSTALLING THESE, UH, IT WAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMPONENTS THAT WE HADN'T, UH, PRELIMINARILY FIGURED OUT.

UH, SO THAT ADDED A LEVEL OF, I, I GUESS, PROJECT COORDINATION FROM THE CITY'S END.

UH, BUT AFTER THE FIRST YEAR, AFTER, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF GOT OUR RHYTHM WITH THE INSTALLS GOING IN.

AND IKE, YOU KNOW, REALLY STARTED TO FIGURE OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE DIFFERENT PLAYERS IN THE FIELD OF CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND, UH, T C I AT THE TIME NOW, PUBLIC WORKS.

UH, I, I THINK IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY SMOOTHED OUT.

UM, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US AND MIKE HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL.

UH, I KNOW I CAN REACH OUT TO BRIAN REMY AT ANY TIME AND GET AN ANSWER THAT I NEED, UH, RAPIDLY.

UM, YEAH, IT, IT'S, IT'S REALLY BEEN A, A PRETTY SMOOTH PROCESS OVERALL.

UH, I'M, I'M, I'M HAPPY WITH IT BEING THE, UH, KIND OF, I GUESS, PROJECT OWNER FROM, FROM THE SIDE OF INNOVATION.

AND THEN, UM, AND I'M, YOU BRIEFED THIS AT SOME POINT, SO ARE THESE ALSO WIFI HOTSPOTS, OR NO? YES, SIR, THEY ARE.

DO WE HAVE USAGE RATES ON HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE USING THEM FOR THAT PURPOSE? IN TURN? WE DO, WE DO HAVE THOSE.

UH, WE CAN GET THOSE, UH, WE HAVE A, A PORTAL THAT WE CAN ENTER

[00:10:01]

WELL, AND IT WAS MORE JUST, YOU KNOW, OVER THE, ESPECIALLY THE LAST, YOU KNOW, EIGHT MONTHS MM-HMM.

WHERE WIFI HAS SUDDENLY BECOME A PREMIUM WITH CERTAIN THINGS BEING SHUT DOWN.

I WAS JUST INTRIGUED ON IF PEOPLE WERE, AND OBVIOUSLY DOWNTOWN HEAVY AND DOWNTOWN'S PROBABLY BEEN A FACTOR THE MOST, BUT SO, SO THE USAGE RATES FOR THE KIND OF WIRELESS CONNECTIONS, UH, HONESTLY HAVEN'T TAKEN A, A HUGE, UH, SPIKE OR ANYTHING, BUT THAT'S MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION.

YEAH.

UM, SO THEY'RE LOCATED DOWNTOWN, WHICH, YOU KNOW, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF PLACES WITH AVAILABLE WIFI.

NOT TO MENTION SA THREE WIFI IS AVAILABLE ALL THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN.

UM, BUT I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE STILL DEFINITELY USING IT.

UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS ISN'T REALLY THE SPOT WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD HAVE TABLES NEARBY OR ANYTHING WHERE, YOU KNOW, FOLKS COULD POST UP OR ANYTHING.

AND THEN ON OUR PARKS, OF COURSE, WE HAVE SA FREE WIFI AS WELL.

UH, THESE DEFINITELY ADD AN ADDITIONAL VALUE FOR FOLKS THAT MAYBE THEY CAN'T ACCESS SA FREE WIFI, ONE REASON OR ANOTHER.

UM, SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE HELPFUL.

MM-HMM.

.

OKAY.

THAT'S GOOD.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.

SURE.

UH, THANK YOU, UH, MR. MONDOR WILL BEAT ME TO MY QUESTION.

I WANTED TO KNOW IF THERE WAS MORE USAGE ON THE WIFI ACCESS POINTS, SO, OKAY.

GREAT.

UH, MR. COURAGE, ANY QUESTIONS? JOHN, YOU'RE ON MUTE, PAL.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

UM, I KNOW THERE WAS A, A DISCUSSION ON ADDING MORE KIOSKS.

UH, LET ME ASK MR. DI, UM, I MEAN, UM, BRIAN FROM THE COMPANY, I'M SORRY, I FORGOT YOUR LAST NAME ALREADY.

UM, WHAT IS THE PROSPECT OF BRINGING MORE KIOSKS INTO THE CITY? FOR EXAMPLE, I THOUGHT ORIGINALLY WE WERE GONNA HAVE ONE AT, UM, MCALLISTER PARK, BUT I NOTICED IT'S NOT ON THE LIST.

AND, UH, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY OTHER AREAS WHERE I'D LIKE TO SEE THESE AVAILABLE.

SO WHAT IS THE POSSIBILITY OF THAT? AND COULD THAT BE SIMPLY ADDED THROUGH THE CONTRACT AS WE GO FORWARD? YEAH.

THANKS FOR THAT.

SO, UH, I THINK BRIAN, UH, DILLARD MENTIONED WE HAD TWO, UH, ADDITIONAL SITES IDENTIFIED IN PARKS, AND ONE OF 'EM WAS MCALLISTER PARK.

AND WE'VE RUN INTO BOND PROJECT ISSUES THAT HAVE, UM, PUT THAT KIND OF ON THE BACK BURNER.

SO UNTIL THOSE ARE COMPLETE, UM, THEN WE'LL NEED TO REVISIT THAT.

AND WE'VE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT PRE COVID SINCE COVID HIT.

THAT'S KIND OF, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY SLOWED DOWN A LOT.

SO THOSE ARE KIND OF THE, THE FIRST TWO INITIAL THINGS THAT'LL BE REVISITED.

BEYOND THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA SEE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF AS AD REVENUE PICKS BACK UP AS, AS PEOPLE, UM, START MOVING ABOUT MORE, UM, INTO 2021, THAT'S WHEN WE'LL KIND OF EVALUATE WHAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE.

AND THAT'S WHEN WE'LL, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH, WITH BRIAN AND THEN OTHERS WITH THE CITY AND, AND COUNCIL TO FIGURE OUT, UM, IF WE WANT MORE.

NOW, MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE EXISTING CONTRACT IS THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO PUT MORE IN.

I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE ANYTHING IN, UM, IN THIS EXTENSION THAT HAS TO DO WITH THAT.

OKAY.

UM, HOW ABOUT, UH, OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH SOME OF THE, UH, OTHER AREAS AROUND TOWN THAT, THAT DON'T HAVE ANY OF THESE? UH, ARE WE, HAVE WE TARGETED DIFFERENT, UH, HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS WHERE WE DON'T ALREADY HAVE SOME OF THESE SET UP FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION? AGAIN, IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS, WE HAVEN'T CONSIDERED ANYTHING.

UM, BUT AGAIN, I THINK, WE'LL, WE'LL LOOK AT THAT AND WE'RE HAPPY TO EXPLORE.

UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, AS, AS THINGS PICK BACK UP AND RECOVERY HAPPENS, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE OBVIOUSLY GONNA WANNA BE OPEN TO DISCUSSING, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL SITES, ESPECIALLY THAT ARE HIGH TRAFFIC.

UH, LET ME ASK YOU RIGHT NOW, ARE, ARE THESE LOSS LEADERS FOR YOU? ARE YOU ACTUALLY LOSING MONEY ON THESE BECAUSE THE, UH, REVENUE'S FALLING OFF WITH ADVERTISING? SO TYPICALLY, YEAH.

RIGHT NOW, I MEAN, UH, THROUGH COVID, WE DEFINITELY HAVE, UM, WE WERE, WE USUALLY PROJECT, IT'S KIND OF LIKE STABILIZING A REAL ESTATE ASSET.

IT'S KIND OF HOW THE ADVERTISING WORLD WORKS, AND WE BRING ON, UM, NEW TYPES OF ADVERTISING MEDIUM, AND WE START PUTTING THAT OUT TO THE ADVERTISING AGENCIES AND GETTING THEM TO BE INTERESTED IN SAN ANTONIO.

AND WE REALLY SAW THAT PICKING UP IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, AND IT WAS REALLY UNFORTUNATE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, AD REVENUE TOOK, YOU KNOW, A, A COMPLETE DECLINE ALMOST TO ZERO, UM, STARTING IN MARCH AND, UM, APRIL, AND WE'RE STARTING TO SEE IT COME BACK UP.

UM, I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE FEEL THAT THIS EXTENSION IS REALLY HELPFUL

[00:15:01]

UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE INVESTED A LITTLE OVER $3 MILLION IN THIS PROJECT IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT WE'RE REALLY COMMITTED, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, DRIVING THIS MARKET, THE SAN ANTONIO MARKET, CONTINUING THE ENHANCED PUBLIC BENEFITS.

AND THEN THE REVENUE THAT'S GENERATED FOR THE CITY, WHICH I THINK YOU IS, IS I MENTIONED OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS WITH, AT MINIMUM WE'LL BE AROUND 2.3 MILLION.

AND WE REALLY FEEL THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THIS ONLINE AND REALLY DRIVE THE ADVERTISING REVENUE ABOVE THAT MINIMUM GUARANTEE.

AND THAT'S, I MEAN, THE MORE ADVERTISING REVENUE WE HAVE, THE BETTER IT'S FOR BOTH PARTIES.

SURE.

LET ME ASK BRIAN DILLARD, UH, HOW MUCH, UH, DOES THE CITY HAVE OF USAGE, AIRTIME, GRAPHICS, TIME, WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT, UH, ON THESE, FOR US TO PROMOTE WHAT WE WANNA PROMOTE? I BELIEVE OUT OF EIGHT OR NINE ADS, UM, BRIAN, WE HAVE TWO.

IS THAT CORRECT? SO YOU HAVE ONE OF THE EIGHT SLIDES IN THE SLIDE LOOP, AND THEN ONCE SOMEONE'S ACTIVELY USING THE KIOSK, WHEN THE ADS GO TO THE TOP THIRD, BASICALLY ALL OF THAT IS CITY CONTENT WITH POSTER APPLICATIONS.

AND THEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, WHEN WE HAVEN'T BEEN SOLD OUT, WHICH I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE EVER HAD THE SEVEN OF THE OTHER SLIDES COMPLETELY SOLD OUT TO ADVERTISEMENTS, WE'VE PROVIDED, UM, CONTENT THAT WE WORK WITH YOUR MARKETING AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT TO GET DIFFERENT CONTENT, ESPECIALLY THROUGH COVID WITH SPECIFIC MESSAGING OR HELPING LOCAL BUSINESSES COMMUNICATE UPDATED AVAILABILITY OF, YOU KNOW, TAKEOUT AND DELIVERY OPTIONS AS THINGS HAVE HAVE CHANGED.

MM-HMM.

HAS CENTRAL SAN ANTONIO TAKEN ON SOME OF, UH, ADS IN YOUR, UH, KIOSKS DOWNTOWN? I KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH THEM.

UM, I DON'T THINK ANYTHING HAS BEEN PUT UP QUITE YET, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN COMMUNICATION BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN US, UM, AND, UH, CARLOS, UM, AND THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT.

YEAH.

SO COUNCILMAN COURAGE.

WE HAVE HAD A, A COUPLE OF ADS GO THROUGH, UH, CENTRO, UH, G P A, UH, HAS DEFINITELY THERE.

THEY'RE OUR LIAISON WITHIN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WITH IKE, WITH REGARD TO CONTENT REVIEW, UH, AND MAKING SURE WHAT WE DO GET SUBMITTED, UH, FROM IKE AND FROM ADVERTISERS IS APPROVED BASED ON CITY OF SAN ANTONIO GUIDELINES.

BUT I DO KNOW THAT CENTRO HAS HAD A COUPLE OF ADS THROUGH GPA TO IT, UH, POSTED UP ON KIOSK.

WHAT'S THE WAY FINDING PROGRAM THAT'S ON THOSE KIOSKS? SO THE KIOSKS PROVIDE, IT'S, IT'S BASICALLY, IT'S A MULTIMODAL TRIP PLANNING APPLICATION ON THE KIVA.

SO IT DEPENDS ON, YOU CAN GO TO ONE APPLICATION THAT IS JUST SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FOR ALL THE DIFFERENT MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION THAT'S AVAILABLE.

UM, AND YOU CLICK, YOU KNOW, YOU SEARCH FOR A DESTINATION, IT'LL TELL YOU ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN GET THERE THAN A BUS AND, AND WHERE TO GET THAT BUS AND WHAT TIME IT'S GONNA BE THERE.

OR YOU GO TO SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS LIKE THE HEAT DRINK APPS, AND IT'S GONNA SHOW YOU ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ESTABLISHMENTS THAT ARE IN CLOSEST PROXIMITY TO THE KIOSK.

NOBODY CAN PAY TO BE HIGHER UP ON THE LIST.

AND THEN WHEN YOU CLICK ON ONE, IT'LL PROVIDE YOU THE DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO GET THERE, AND THEN YOU CAN USE A QR CODE AND GET IT ON YOUR PHONE AND THEN BE ON YOUR WAY.

OKAY.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

THAT'S ALL QUESTIONS I HAVE NOW.

GREAT.

THANK YOU, MR. COURAGE.

UH, WE HAVE, UH, DEANNE QUAY ANY QUESTIONS? SURE.

CUSTOMER E COURAGE ASKED A BUNCH OF THE ONES I WAS GONNA ASK, BUT I HAVE SOME FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS.

I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU ALL HAD, MAYBE THOUGHT ABOUT RECONSIDERING HOW THE KIOSK ARE BEING USED, IT JUST, UM, OR MAYBE BEING, MAYBE DOING SOME RESEARCH ABOUT HOW TO FEEL MORE CREATIVE WITH WHERE THE , I MEAN, IF YOU'RE SOMEONE VISITING THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR A CONVENTION AND THE MOST, THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE DOWNTOWN MORE LI IT'S MORE, IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY VERY LIKELY THAT IF YOU WERE ABLE TO AFFORD TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR A CONVENTION THAT YOU, YOU, YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A TABLET OR A DEVICE TO LOOK UP WHERE TO EAT, WHERE TO DRINK, AND LOOK FOR A WAY TO, YOU KNOW, MOVE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

UM, AND IN DETROIT AND SOME OTHER CITIES, THEY'VE BEEN REALLY CREATIVE WITH THESE THINGS CALLED CORE NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAMS WHERE THEY'VE POSITIONED THE KIOSK, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND I MEAN, I WOULD HYPOTHESIZE THAT, LIKE, IF YOU WERE TO USE AN ASSET LIKE THIS, YOU COULD DO SOME REALLY CREATIVE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH, MAYBE TARGET LIKE A WHOLE NEW LIST OF ADVERTISERS TRYING TO REACH LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES.

UM, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU INVEST IN DEVICES LIKE THAT, UM, IN NEIGHBORHOODS, I, I ALSO HAVE A HUNCH THAT IT COULD HELP DECREASE CRIME BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IF A KIOSK HAS A CAMERA OR NOT.

BUT I JUST THINK THAT, UM, I LIKE THE KIOSK.

I'M JUST WONDERING IF MAYBE WE COULD, YOU KNOW, DURING THESE TIMES PANDEMIC ERA TIMES THAT WE COULD BE MORE CREATIVE WITH THIS ASSET COMMUNITY ASSET.

THANK YOU.

[00:20:01]

EXCELLENT QUESTIONS.

UM, THANK YOU, BRIAN.

UH, THANK YOU, JOHN.

THANK YOU TO OUR FRIENDS AT IKE FOR BEING SO PATIENT WITH US.

I KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN FRUSTRATING FOR THEM AS WELL.

UH, COVID, UH, MOVED THE EARTH OUT FROM EVERYBODY, AND, UM, IT, IT'S REQUIRED ALL OF US TO BE FLEXIBLE AND UNDERSTANDING, AND I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS HAVE, AND SO THANK YOU FOR THE EXCELLENT SERVICE TOO.

I'LL, I'LL TELL YOU, UM, THAT I ACTUALLY ENJOY USING THE, THOSE, UH, THOSE KIOSKS.

AND I, MY KIDS LOVE THEM.

UM, THEY, UH, THEY'RE ALWAYS SHOWING ME NEW THINGS WHEN WE GO TO THE AIRPORT, WHEN WE USED TO GO TO THE AIRPORT.

UH, BUT, UM, I, I THINK THEY'RE VERY EFFECTIVE TOOLS.

I, I WOULD LIKE TO URGE Y'ALL TO THINK ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE ELSE THE PUBLIC, UH, CONVENES, RIGHT? AND SO, MUNICIPAL COURT IS A GOOD PLACE, RIGHT? WHEREVER WE GET A LOT OF BUS RIDERS, UM, YOU KNOW, AT THE TEDA BUS TRANSFER STATION, BROOKS HAS GOT ONE.

I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, OTHER VIA OPPORTUNITIES THERE.

AND SO I'LL, I'LL JUST THROW THAT OUT.

I, I, I DON'T KNOW WHERE IS THE RIGHT PLACE, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GONNA PUT MORE SOMEWHERE, UM, IT WOULD BE WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, THE CITY DOES A LOT OF OUTWARD FACING SERVICE AND COMES INTO CONTACT WITH FOLKS, BUT, UM, I THINK THAT THAT TAKES CARE OF THAT.

WE GOT A, UH, THIS IS FOR ACTION, RIGHT, JOHN? YES, SIR.

WITH, WITH YOU ALL'S, UM, UH, UNDERSTANDING AND AGREEMENT, WE WOULD MOVE TOWARDS FULL CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL FOR THIS ITEM.

SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOUR, UH, YOUR BLESSING.

WHAT DO YOU THINK, MR. GARRETT? YOU WANNA MAKE A MOTION? YES, I MOVE.

I'LL SECOND IT.

GREAT.

MR. ALMANOR SECONDS.

UH, ALL THOSE IN APPROVAL? AYE, AYE.

HEARING NO OPPOSITION? WE HAVE, UH, WE'RE PASSING THIS ON TO FULL COUNSEL FOR, UH, CONTRACT AMENDMENT.

THANK YOU.

UH, THE NEXT THING,

[3. 20-5625 Briefing on updates on the City of San Antonio’s Digital Inclusion Pillar of the Recovery and Resiliency Plan “Connected Beyond the Classroom.” [John Peterek, Assistant to the City Manager; Brian Dillard, Chief Innovation Officer, Office of Innovation]]

SO, UH, BRIAN, THIS IS YOURS AS WELL.

EXCELLENT.

UM, SO VERY EXCITED TO BE PRESENTING THIS, UH, THIS PORTION.

UM, AS YOU KNOW, DIGITAL INCLUSION HAS BEEN A BIG IMPACT AND A BIG CONVERSATION PIECE, UH, PRE PANDEMIC, BUT DEFINITELY POST PANDEMIC.

UM, SO WE'RE GLAD THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL, UH, HAS ALLOWED AND EMBRACED THIS.

AND, UH, AS CITY STAFF, WE DEFINITELY FEELS LIKE WE'RE TAKING A, A LARGER LEAP THAN WE ORIGINALLY EXPECTED BACK IN JUNE.

UH, WE'VE ACTUALLY ADDED SOME COMPONENTS, SO I'LL JUMP INTO THOSE.

UM, SO OUR CURRENT DIGITAL INCLUSION EFFORTS, UM, UH, AROUND WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IN THIS SPACE, UH, WE'VE GOT QUITE A FEW PROJECTS NOW.

I KNOW LAST TIME WE BRIEFED ON CONNECTED BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, WHICH WAS OUR PROJECT TO PROVIDE 20 THOU ACCESS IN-HOME INTERNET ACCESS TO 20,000 STUDENTS THROUGHOUT TOP 50 NEIGHBORHOODS.

AND I'LL JUMP INTO THAT IN A SECOND.

BUT I WANTED TO HIT ON SOME NEW EFFORTS THAT WE'VE TAKEN ON OVER THESE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, UM, BECAUSE WE KNEW WE NEEDED TO BE VERY, UH, AS, AS OUR C I O CRAIG HOPKINS SAYS, VERY TACTICAL IN HOW WE DO THIS.

VERY STRATEGIC, UH, WE KNOW WE NEEDED LONG-TERM, UM, BUT WE ALSO NEED SHORT-TERM MIDTERM TO HELP OUT SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OUR STUDENTS IN THESE AREAS.

UH, THE FIRST PROJECT WE TOOK ON WAS AN ESSAY FREE WIFI EXPANSION.

SO, UH, BEFORE COVID, WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE, UH, WIFI COVERAGE IN ALL OF OUR PUBLIC LIBRARY PARKING LOTS.

UH, IT WAS KIND OF WEAK IN OUR PARKING LOTS.

WE KNEW WE NEEDED TO EXPAND ON THAT.

WE NOW HAVE WIFI, UH, AVAILABILITY IN ALL 29 SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY LOCATIONS ACROSS THE PARKING LOTS.

UH, NOW OF COURSE, THIS IS NOT A, UH, THIS IS DEFINITELY A, I WON'T, I WON'T SAY A BANDAID, UH, BUT THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO FILL IN A GAP FOR THOSE THAT DON'T HAVE INTERNET ACCESS AT HOME.

UH, WE KNOW THIS IS NOT A LONG-TERM SOLUTION.

WE WANNA EXPECT FOLKS HAVE TO PARK IN THE PARKING LOTS IN THE SUMMER OR WINTERTIME IN ORDER TO GET HOMEWORK DONE.

UH, BUT THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE WANTED TO TAKE ACTION ON IMMEDIATELY.

UM, SO WE EXPANDED THAT, UH, IN COOPERATION WITH OUR PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM, UH, AS WELL AS OUR IT DEPARTMENT.

THE SECOND THING IS HOTSPOT DISTRIBUTION.

SO, UNDERSTANDING THAT WE REALLY NEEDED TO TRIAGE THIS EFFORT WHEN IT CAME TO DIGITAL DIVIDE, UH, THROUGHOUT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

UH, AS YOU CAN REMEMBER, UH, A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, WE HAD ASKED, UH, OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THOSE TOP 50 NEIGHBORHOODS.

WE ASSESSED WITH THEM WHAT THEIR CURRENT SITUATION WAS WITH HOTSPOTS AND WHERE THEY WERE PROJECTED TO GO IN THE FUTURE, AND HOW COULD WE FILL THAT GAP.

UH, WE ORIGINALLY HAD EIGHT ISDS INCLUDED IN THAT, AND I'LL GET INTO WHY THAT TRICKLED DOWN TO TWO IN A SECOND.

BUT, UH, THE TWO THAT WE'RE DISTRIBUTING HOTSPOTS TO RIGHT NOW ARE NORTHEAST SIDE I S D, AS WELL AS EDGEWOOD, I S D, UH, AND THAT'S ROUGHLY FROM 500 TO A THOUSAND TO EACH.

UH, WE ARE ALSO DISTRIBUTING ABOUT, UH, I BELIEVE A HUNDRED HOTSPOTS TO PRE-K FOR SA FOR THEIR USE.

UH, AND THEN WE'RE DISTRIBUTING 200 TO PARKS AND REC RIGHT NOW.

UH, THEY STILL, THEY ARE ABOUT TO, AS YOU SAW THE ANNOUNCEMENT OVER THE WEEKEND,

[00:25:01]

WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT RESIDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET WHEN THEY GO TO THOSE SPOTS, UH, AND USE THEM MORE THAN JUST FOR RECREATIONAL.

UH, SO AS I MENTIONED, THE ORIGINAL HOTSPOT DISTRIBUTION ASSESSMENT WAS FOR EIGHT DISTRICTS.

UH, TWO OF THOSE, UH, ARE STILL GETTING HOTSPOTS, BUT WE HAVE SIX THAT ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE TAKING ON A FUNDING MATCH FROM T E A.

AND THIS IS CALLED OPERATION CONNECTIVITY.

SO AFTER WE DID THAT HOTSPOT ASSESSMENT WITH THE EIGHT ISDS, WE WERE NOTIFIED IN THE CONVERSATION WITH THE ISDS THAT THAT TE A HAD LAUNCHED A PROJECT CALLED OPERATION CONNECTIVITY.

AND WHAT THIS IS, IS IF A SCHOOL DISTRICT SPENDS MONEY ON DEVICES OR HOTSPOTS, T E A HAS COMMITTED TO MATCH THAT SPIN.

WHAT T E A, UM, WE DIDN'T GET A HEADS UP, BUT WE GOT A HEADS UP THROUGH I SDSS, UH, WAS THAT, UH, THEY PROJECTED TO ISDS THAT IF A CITY OR COUNTY AGENCY, UH, PROVIDED A MATCH AS WELL, THAT THERE WOULD BE NO COST TO THE ISDS.

UM, SO, UH, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH T E A OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS.

UH, WE'VE IDENTIFIED HOW EXACTLY WE'RE DOING THAT, UH, AND WE ARE NOW MATCHING DOLLARS AT THOSE REMAINING SIX, UH, ISDS AS REQUESTED BY THEM.

UH, SO THAT'S SS A I S D, SOUTH, SAN I S D, NORTHSIDE, I S D, HARLANDALE, SOUTHWEST, AS WELL AS JUDSON.

UH, AND AGAIN, THESE ALL FALL IN LINE WITH THE ORIGINAL EIGHT SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITHIN THOSE TOP 50 NEIGHBORHOODS.

UH, SO THE NEXT PROJECT WE HAVE IS OUR COMMUNITY HUBS.

SO I MENTIONED THAT WE WERE DISTRIBUTING, UH, HOTSPOTS TO PARS AND REC, BUT WE ARE ACTUALLY WORKING WITH THEM AS THEY BEGIN TO SET UP COMMUNITY, UH, COMMUNITY HUBS WITHIN EIGHT OF THEIR COMMUNITY CENTERS.

THOSE EIGHT COMMUNITY CENTERS, AGAIN, FALL IN LINE WITHIN THE TOP 50 NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE IDENTIFIED BEFORE BASED ON EQUITY, UH, AND OVERALL KIND OF VULNERABILITY WHEN IT COMES TO CONNECTIVITY TO THE INTERNET.

UH, SO WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS WE'RE NOT JUST PREVENTING AN AN AN AREA FOR STUDENTS TO GO IN AND, AND ATTEMPT TO DO HOMEWORK OR DOWNLOAD ASSIGNMENTS.

UH, BUT THESE ARE ALSO SPACES WHERE PARENTS, FAMILIES, RESIDENTS, OVERALL, CAN GO IN AND UTILIZE THOSE CENTERS TO, YOU KNOW, UH, SUBMIT HOUSING APPLICATIONS, SUBMIT UTILITY PAYMENT ASSISTANCE.

UM, SO THESE ARE PLACES WHERE THEY CAN GO WITHIN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, WHERE WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE NEEDING THAT ASSISTANCE.

UH, WE'RE WORKING WITH PARKS REC TO DEPLOY THOSE IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

UH, OF COURSE WE'LL DO THAT, UH, UNDERNEATH METRO HEALTH'S DIRECTION WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY, UH, AND, AND SANITIZATION AND ET CETERA.

UH, AND THEN THE LAST THING BEFORE WE GET INTO THE BIG PROJECT IS OUR DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY, R F C S P.

UH, SO THIS WAS REALLY AN EFFORT THAT WE LAUNCHED ABOUT A MONTH AGO.

UH, THIS R F P DROPPED, UH, THIS WAS OPENING AN OPPORTUNITY TO TELECOMMUNICATION PROVIDERS, ISPS, TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR, UH, TO ASK THEM, UH, HEY, COME INTO THE FOLD, UH, IDENTIFY HOW WE CAN DO THIS BETTER, AND LET'S DO THIS, UH, QUICKER WITH A MORE AFFORDABLE APPROACH.

UH, I CAN'T REALLY SPEAK ON THE RESPONSES RIGHT NOW.

WE'RE IN A BLACKOUT PERIOD, BUT I'M HAPPY TO GIVE AN UPDATE, UH, AT A FUTURE TIME ON THAT.

UH, AND THEN THE LAST PIECE OF THIS IS CONNECTED BEYOND THE CLASSROOM.

SO I'LL JUMP INTO THAT AND I'LL HAVE A RECAP OF ALL THESE EFFORTS AT ON THE LAST SLIDE.

SO, UH, DON'T, DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO MEMORIZE ALL THESE .

UH, SO CONNECTED BEYOND THE CLASSROOM IS A PRIMER.

UH, THIS IS PROVIDING IN-HOME SCHOOLS SYSTEM ACCESS FOR UP TO 20,000 STUDENTS THROUGHOUT 50 NEIGHBORHOODS AND THROUGHOUT EIGHT INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

AND YOU'LL SEE THE BREAKDOWN THERE OF ALL THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

AND IN THE PARENTHESES ARE THE NUMBER OF NEIGHBORHOODS WITHIN THOSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED.

I KNOW THAT MAP IS VERY SMALL.

I AM HAPPY TO SEND THAT OUT AGAIN TO EVERYBODY.

IT'S THE SAME MAP WE SENT OUT IN JUNE, UH, BUT I'LL SEND THAT OUT AGAIN SO YOU HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO THAT.

UH, OUR PROJECTED TIMELINE FROM BACK IN JUNE WHEN WE FIRST PRESENTED THIS, UH, WAS THAT WE WOULD START OUR PILOT IN SEPTEMBER.

UH, WE ARE RIGHT ON TIME WITH THAT.

OUR PILOT, UH, INSTALL IS OCCURRING CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW.

UH, SO JUNE, WE DID OUR BUSINESS CASE BUILD OUT.

UH, WE IDENTIFIED OUR USER REQUIREMENTS AND IDENTIFIED THE NEIGHBORHOODS.

JULY, WE STARTED STRATEGICALLY WORKING WITH OUR ISDS, UH, AND ALAMO COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO START IDENTIFYING HOW DO WE ACTUALLY SERVICE STUDENTS, UH, AND, AND WHERE SHOULD WE BE DOING THAT.

UH, AND THEN IN AUGUST, WE STARTED DOING OUR VENDOR BIDS AND CONTRACT PLANNING.

UH, WE DID THIS THROUGH A D I R, UH, APPROACH, UH, IN ORDER TO BE A LITTLE MORE RAPID.

OF COURSE, THIS PROCUREMENT, UH, OPPORTUNITY IS SOMETHING THAT USUALLY TAKES, UH, A LENGTHY AMOUNT OF TIME.

BUT WE KNEW THAT RESIDENTS WERE SUFFERING.

WE WERE, UH, ASKED BY, WERE, UH, ASKED BY COUNCIL TO, TO SPEED UP ON THIS EFFORT.

AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'VE DONE.

UH, AND OF COURSE, SEPTEMBER, OUR PILOT AND DEMONSTRATION NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE WEST SIDE ARE KICKING OFF.

I'LL DIG IN A LITTLE BIT DEEPER ON THAT IN A SECOND.

UH, WE ARE SLATED OCTOBER TO DECEMBER TO EXPAND THE PROOF OF CONCEPT THREE TO FIVE ADDITIONAL NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE WEST SIDE.

UH, AND THEN JANUARY

[00:30:01]

UM, SO WE'LL LEARN THOSE LESSONS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, UNDERSTANDING WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE AND HOW CAN WE DO BETTER IN ORDER TO MOVE INTO NEXT YEAR QUICKER AND, UH, MORE IMPACTFUL FOR OUR RESIDENTS.

SO PHASE ONE, PHASE ONE IS FOCUSED IN ON SIX NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE LINEAR HIGH SCHOOL FEEDER PATTERN.

UH, AGAIN, THAT TIMELINE IS SEPTEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER OF 2020.

UH, AND I'VE INCLUDED A LITTLE MAP THERE TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHERE THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS AND WHAT THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE.

UH, AS FAR AS THE TECHNOLOGY, UH, I WANTED TO GIVE YOU KIND OF A ROUGH OUTLINE OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS FAR AS THE TECHNOLOGY WE'RE, WE'RE PROVIDING.

UH, SO AGAIN, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS NOT PROVIDE, IS NOT BECOMING AN INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER.

UH, WE ARE BUILDING OUT, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE, FIBER INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, AS WELL AS WIRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE TO PROVIDE A PRIVATE L T E NETWORK THROUGHOUT THOSE 50 NEIGHBORHOODS.

UH, NOW THIS IS IN COORDINATION WITH THE ISDS TO ALLOW STUDENTS TO ACCESS THEIR SCHOOL DISTRICT'S NETWORK FROM AT HOME.

SO, AGAIN, WHEN LITTLE JOHNNY LOGS INTO LITTLE JOHNNY'S WIFI, HE IS NOT LOGGING INTO HIS WIFI, HE'S LOGGING INTO S A I S D, OR HE IS LOGGING INTO EDGEWOOD, I S D.

UH, THIS DOES A LOT OF THINGS.

IT DOES TWO THINGS.

MAINLY, IT MAKES SURE THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS NOT VIOLATING STATE MUNICIPAL CODE, UH, BY PROVIDING INTERNET SERVICE.

UH, AND SECONDLY, IT PROTECTS OUR STUDENTS BY MAKING SURE THEY GO THROUGH THE SAME FIREWALL THAT THEY WOULD IF THEY WERE ON CAMPUS.

SO THIS IMPLEMENTS DPA REGULATION, SAFETY, SECURITY FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, UH, THROUGHOUT THOSE, UH, THROUGHOUT THOSE POPULATIONS.

AND I'LL LET YOU DIG INTO THAT MAP A LITTLE BIT DEEPER, UH, IF YOU'RE TRYING TO FALL ASLEEP AT NIGHT.

UM, BUT I'M HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS ON THIS AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION.

I, UH, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE ANTENNAS ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE.

VERY NON-INTRUSIVE.

AGAIN, THESE ARE MOUNTED ON VERTICAL ASSETS THROUGHOUT THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.

THOSE VERTICAL ASSETS, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE COMMUNITY CENTERS, LIBRARIES, RADIO TOWERS, FIRE STATIONS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.

AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THOSE FOR THE PILOT PHASE.

UM, I'M HAPPY TO GIVE YOU A BREAKDOWN OF THOSE, UH, IF NEEDED AFTER THE PRESENTATION.

THIS IS THE EQUIPMENT IN HOME.

SO, UH, I'LL KIND OF DOUBLE BACK HERE.

SO, FIBER INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT'S THE FIRST MILE.

IT'S THE BACKHAUL.

UH, AND THEN WE'VE GOT THE WIRELESS DEPLOYMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THAT'S THE MIDDLE MILE.

AND THEN THE LAST STEP IS THE IN-HOME ACCESS POINT.

UH, SO THIS IS GOING TO BE, THIS ENTIRE SOLUTION IS GONNA BE TAKING PLACE OF THE HOTSPOT SOLUTION THAT WE TYPICALLY WOULD SEE.

UM, THIS IS OUR EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A LONG-TERM SOLUTION IN PLACE FOR STUDENTS, UH, WITH, WITH FUNDS INVESTED BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.

SO, UH, TWO, THREE YEARS FROM NOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE COMING BACK AND SAYING, HEY, WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THOSE FUNDS WE INVESTED? UH, AND I HAVE TO, AND ME, YOU'LL BE ASKING ME AT THE TIME, I HOPE, UM, BUT I DON'T HAVE TO SAY IT'S, IT'S, THE HOTSPOTS ARE OBSOLETE OR IN THERE IN SOMEBODY'S CLOSET OR TRASH CAN, I CAN POINT DIRECTLY TO THIS EQUIPMENT THAT'S IN SOMEBODY'S HOME AND THAT THEY'RE STILL UTILIZING BASED ON THE NETWORK THAT WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE.

UH, SO THAT'S PHASE ONE PILOT PROOF OF CONCEPT THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THIS YEAR.

PHASE TWO IS REPLICATION OF THOSE EFFORTS, EXPANSION OF TECHNOLOGY, INCLUSION OF REMAINING NEIGHBORHOODS, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND OVERALL FULL DEPLOYMENT.

UH, UH, SOME OF IT, SOME CONSIDERATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO PHASE TWO.

AND I WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY THAT, UH, THIS IS SOMETHING NEW THAT WE ARE DOING.

UM, NOT A LOT OF CITIES HAVE DONE THIS.

UM, AND IN CONVERSATION WITH NATIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION ALLIANCE IN CONVERSATION WITH, UH, INNOVATION OFFICES AND IT DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT, UH, THE NATION, UH, EVERYBODY'S LOOKING AT US FOR THIS.

SO THIS IS DEFINITELY A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.

SO THESE ARE SOME COMPONENTS OF CONSIDERATION THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE DEPLOYMENT.

SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT E-RATE REGULATIONS.

SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT E-RATE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, WHAT'S KIND OF KNOWN AS FREE SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM.

THAT'S THE, UH, THE, THE, THE GRANTS AND THE FUNDING THAT COMES IN FROM FEDERAL LEVEL TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UH, THAT SERVE UNDERSERVED, UH, AREAS.

UH, SO UNDERSTANDING THAT AS WE UTILIZE, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE, WE PROPOSE TO, UH, WE HAVE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS THROUGHOUT E-RATE.

AND ARE WE VIOLATING THAT? ARE WE PUTTING SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN JEOPARDY? UH, THAT'S ONE CONVERSATION WE HAVE TO HAVE AS WE START TO GO INTO OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

AND WE ARE HAVING THOSE AT THIS TIME, UH, TECHNOLOGY CONCERNS.

SO DOES THE TECHNOLOGY WORK, UH, THROUGHOUT EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD BASED ON DENSITY, BASED ON, UH, TREE CANOPIES BASED ON, UH, HOME STRUCTURE, UH, UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT CAN VARY FROM NEIGHBORHOOD TO NEIGHBORHOOD.

UH, WE ARE PROJECTING FOR THAT.

WE'RE, WE'RE PLANNING THAT OUT AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

WE'RE NOT, WE'RE TRYING NOT TO RUN INTO OBSTACLES AS WE RUN INTO 'EM.

WE'RE TRYING TO PROJECT FOR THOSE, UH, ASSET LIMITATIONS.

SO UNDERSTANDING THAT NOT EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD HAS, UH, CITY OWNED BUILDINGS.

HOW DO WE FILL IN THOSE GAPS WITH THOSE VERTICAL ASSETS? AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, FUNDING APPROACHES, SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES, THOSE KIND OF TIE IN ONE-TO-ONE.

NOW, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS DOING A MAJOR CAPITAL INVESTMENT HERE, AND WE'RE COVERING THE FIRST YEAR OF OPERATIONS.

[00:35:01]

WE'RE TALKING WITH ADVOCACY AND PHILANTHROPISTS, UH, THROUGHOUT OUR CITY TO IDENTIFY HOW DO WE SUPPORT THIS, UH, PAST THE FIRST YEAR.

AGAIN, PHASE TWO'S PROJECT TIMELINE IS QUARTER THROUGH QUARTER TWO THROUGH QUARTER FOUR OF 2021.

IT'S FISCAL YEAR.

I GOT A RECAP HERE OF EVERYTHING THAT I'VE REVIEWED.

UM, AND MR. CHAIR, I'M OPEN FOR ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, COMMENTS OR CONCERNS, SIR? GREAT.

LET'S, UH, LET'S MOVE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

DEANNE QUAY, I, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE E-RATE, UM, E-RATE REGULATIONS, AND, UM, ALSO TWO THINGS.

ONE, I'M WORRIED ABOUT LIKE UNFORESEEN CHALLENGES, SLOWING YOU ALL DOWN.

THAT'S NUMBER ONE.

NUMBER TWO, HOW DO WE GET IN FRONT OF THAT? YOU KNOW, ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE THAT EVERYBODY'S DOING, RIGHT? EVERYBODY'S DRINKING WATER FROM A FIRE HOSE, BUT HOW DO WE GET IN FRONT OF THE UNFORESEEN CHALLENGES? HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THE CONTINGENCY PLAN LOOK LIKE FOR THE UNFORESEEN CHALLENGES? UM, BUT I DO, I DO WANT TO KNOW MORE WHEN IT'S POSSIBLE ABOUT THE E-RATE REGULATIONS, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE MOVING PRETTY QUICKLY AS WE'RE PLANNING FOR THE STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

AND THEN THE FEDERAL LEVEL, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE GONNA KICK BACK IN AT SOME POINT, UM, IN JANUARY.

SO, UM, AGAIN, IF THERE'S A WAY THAT THOSE OF US IN THE COMMUNITY COULD BE HELPFUL TO HELP FIGURE OUT WHAT THOSE BOTTLENECKS ARE GOING TO BE, SO THAT THIS PROGRAM DOESN'T HAVE TO SLOW DOWN AT ALL.

UM, BUT IT ALL LOOKS LIKE REALLY GREAT WORK.

CONGRATS, BRIAN.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, DAN.

AND, AND MAY I SAY DIRECTLY THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT AND CONVERSATION IN THIS, UH, YOU'RE DEFINITELY AN EXPERT IN DIGITAL INCLUSION SPACE.

YOU'VE BEEN A MEMBER OF OUR TASK FORCE SINCE DAY ONE.

UH, DEFINITELY APPRECIATE YOUR GUIDANCE ALONG THE WAY.

SO THANK YOU, DEAR.

GREAT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, MR. UH, JOHN COURAGE.

OKAY, THANK YOU AGAIN.

UM, MR. CHAIR, UH, I GUESS ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT, UH, I'M AWARE OF IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO BE LINKING OR HELPING TO LINK STUDENTS WITH THEIR SCHOOLS.

UM, IS THERE A WAY, A CAPACITY FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO ENABLE THE PARENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS TO LINK TO THE CITY'S, UH, WEBSITE? AND, YOU KNOW, SO WE KEEP CITIZENS INFORMED, NOT JUST THE KIDS GOING ON TO GET LESSONS, ET CETERA, BUT FOR THE CITIZENS WHO LIVE WITH THEM TO BE ABLE TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH WHAT'S GOING ON AT CITY HALL AND CITY GOVERNMENT.

COUNCILMAN CURTIS, THIS IS JOHN.

UM, YOU KNOW, EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS A DIFFERENT SET OF FILTERS, BUT I, I, I WOULD HAVE YOU IMAGINE YOU'RE A FORMER EDUCATOR, YOURSELF, SIR.

YOU GO INTO THE LIBRARY SETTING OF A HIGH SCHOOL OR AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND YOU SIT DOWN TO USE A COMPUTER, UM, MANY OF THOSE THINGS YOU'RE REFERENCING ARE AVAILABLE, RIGHT? AND SO I WOULD, I WOULD IMAGINE A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE AROUND WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO THE STUDENT AT HOME.

UM, SO THERE ARE SOME LIMITATIONS, BUT, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC ACCESS, INFORMATION, VITAL, VITAL SORT OF SITES THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN LIBRARIES AND SCHOOLS WOULD BE AVAILABLE IN THE HOME.

GOOD.

I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS HAVEN'T HAD IT TO UNDERSTAND ITS VALUE, BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY WANNA STAY INFORMED OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY, WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CITY.

UH, YOU KNOW, AND I'M ALL FOR PROVIDING THAT KIND OF ACCESS.

UH, YOU KNOW, IT ISN'T ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT.

IT'S ABOUT EDUCATION AND INFORMATION, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THAT IS INCLUDED IN WHAT WE'RE PUTTING OUT THERE.

BUT EVEN SO, WE'RE, WE ARE HITTING 50 NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE UNDERSERVED, BUT DO WE KNOW IF THERE ARE OTHERS? AND IS THERE A FUTURE FOR WIDENING THIS TO OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS THAT MAY HAVE HAD FEWER CHILDREN? UH, AND SO IT WASN'T A PRIORITY, BUT, UH, IS, IS STILL NEEDING THAT KIND OF A CONNECTION? UH, YES, SIR.

I MEAN, WE, WE CONTINUOUSLY TRY TO IDENTIFY WHERE WE'RE GOING IN THE FUTURE.

UH, I THINK THE FIRST STEP OF THIS WAS THE PILOT TO IDENTIFY IF THIS TECHNOLOGY, HOW WELL THIS TECHNOLOGY WORKS, AND HOW CAN WE MAKE IT WORK BETTER.

UH, AFTER THE 50 NEIGHBORHOODS, AFTER THE FIRST YEAR, UH, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED SOME NEIGHBORHOODS TO START TO MOVE INTO SOME COMMUNITY AREAS.

UH, BUT OVERALL, UM, AGAIN, WE ARE LIMITED TO PROVIDING STUDENTS SERVICES ACCESS THROUGH THIS APPROACH.

UH, SO GETTING OUTSIDE OF THOSE STUDENTS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A, A BIT OF A HIGHER LEVEL CONVERSATION ON.

UH, I THINK WHEN IT, WHEN IT GOES BACK TO YOUR PREVIOUS POINT ABOUT PUBLIC ACCESS TO INFORMATION,

[00:40:01]

YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY A SUBSCRIPTION.

UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO AIM FOR THAT TEAM, SAME, SAME TYPE OF SOLUTION IN THE FUTURE.

UH, UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE UNDER SOME LIMITATIONS LEGISLATIVELY.

UH, AND I THINK THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT, UH, AND THE END HIT ON IT AS WELL.

I THINK THAT'S A CONVERSATION TO HAVE AS WE GO INTO, YOU KNOW, UH, INTO A SESSION IN JANUARY TO DISCUSS HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE LOOSEN UP SOME OF THOSE RESTRICTIONS AND REGULATIONS AT THAT LEVEL.

UH, BUT AS FAR AS PROJECTING FOR WHERE WE'RE GOING TO NEXT, UH, ABSOLUTELY, UH, WE DEFINITELY TRY TO IDENTIFY WHERE, WHERE, WHAT THE NEXT STEP IS.

JOHN OR MANNY, MAY YOU MAYBE YOU REMEMBER THAT ON OUR I G R LIST OF THINGS TO, UH, CONSIDER WHEN WE GO TO AUSTIN NEXT YEAR, TRYING TO, UH, LOOSEN UP SOME OF THE CONTROLS SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE MORE ACCESS TO PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.