Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB)
Minutes
November 12, 2013, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
SPECIAL LOCATION:Room L280 Boards and Commissions Room, City Hall 601 5th Avenue
OVERVIEW:
1. Welcome, agenda & minutes approval
2. Public comments
3. Chief Technology Officer Report – Erin Devoto
4. Cable Refranchising – Community Needs Assessment: Board discussion with Cheryl Johnson from CTC Communications (90 min)
5. Review and vote on the new Seattle Channel Executive Summary language
6. Get Online for Health Campaign
7. December meeting and elections (5 min)
8. New member recruiting
9. CTTAB race and social justice workshop
10. Member Skills Survey
Comments can be provided to David.Keyes@seattle.gov for distribution to the Board
or posted via Twitter including a mention of @CTTAB or the #CTTAB hashtag.
Attending:
CTTAB Members: Nourisha Wells, Rob Dolin, Stacey Wedlake, Ben Krokower, Phillip Duggan, Daniel Hoang, Beryl Fernandes, Dana Lewis, Brian His (via phone)
Public: Cheryl Johnson (CTC Communications), Viet Nguyen (Frause), Dorene Corwell (STAR Center), Mary Taylor (CenturyLink), Joseph William (SPU School of Business), Henry Pan (Providence Health Services)
Staff: Erin Devoto, David Keyes, Sabra Schneider, Brenda Tate, Alice Lawson, John Giamberso, Tony Perez
1.Welcome (5 min)
- Introductions of all attendees
- Review and vote to approve this meeting’s agenda and previous meeting’s minutes
Postponed minutes approval until the next meeting.
2.Public comments: None
3.CTO Report – Erin Devoto
DoIT is working to put transition team in place with phones, computers, tablets and cell phones.
DoIT has started Phase Two of the Data Center Work with Price Waterhouse and HP as consultants.
Wed through Saturday, Seattle hosts National League of Cities. David, Dorene and Erin are giving presentations.
Last week the Stranger posted an article about the Mesh wireless networks. Police received a grant for it and DoIT was a vendor to the police department and helped stand it up
Wifi in city hall was originally a pilot. DoIT is now looking at adding an additional wifi capabilities
Erin and team working on transition papers in the next few weeks.
Ben asked who is responsible for mesh networks. Erin explained police is working with council on policies.
Erin also talked about public benefit of mesh network including metro information, SDOT and
4. Cable Refranchising – Community Needs Assessment: Board discussion with Cheryl Johnson from CTC Communications (90 min)
Tony Perez talked about improving customer services by improving the amount of time it takes to reach a real person at Comcast. He asked CTTAB to experiment and pass along the information to his office. Tony introduced Cheryl Johnson from CTC Technology and Energy and asked that the conversation focus stay with CTTAB members. Other ways to give input are the online survey and future discussion groups. Cheryl Johnson is seeking to find out what CTTAB members think is important in upcoming negotiations.
Cheryl’s questions and introductions
Reminder that we are no longer looking at just stand alone cable, its voice and data too even though we don’t regulate all of that.
We have to prove and document the needs of the community.
What are current and potential services are important in seattle?
Discussion and concern raised about asking for contact information in the survey.
Beryl asked that question 9 be broken up into two questions.
Intent is to walk through survey and get some feedback on the actual questions now and have CTTAB members put additional information in the survey
Question: Are free cable modems still important to the city?
Rob: Yes high demand through TMF grantees.
Phillip: Yes, it’s being used by all organizations
Brian: Is there a way to be more precise or open with language? IE 5 years from now, cable modems might not be the way people access the internet.
Tony: Good opportunity to help future proof the tool. This will be a tool, only one piece.
David: Clarified the current use of cable modems.
Cheryl: Can also email feedback.
Discussion ensued from many member of CTTAB about specific questions in the survey.
Cheryl and Tony handed out this template, asking attendees to gather info on call wait times from Comcast and other service providers.
5. Review and vote on the new Seattle Channel Executive Summary language. (10 min)
John Giamberso has posted the new language here: http://cttab.seattle.gov/2013/11/01/seattle-channel-scec-executive-summary-revision/
John also posted the Channel Diversity report on the CTTAB blog. See the Report.
John is looping back with CTTAB to get input on the Channel Mandate executive summary. Future plan for document are:
Updating Seattle Channel 5 year plan
Using priorities for negotiations
Erin responded to questions about the cable fund. Money is earmarked in an ordinance for community outreach.
Seattle Channel works to leverage partnerships, could do more
Ben moved to endorse the summary. Nourisha seconded.
6. Get Online for Health Campaign: help distributing materials –Stacey (5 min)
Stacey showed CTTAB posters and handouts for Get Online for Health
Asked CTTAB to give out posters at gatherings and groups to spread the word for get online week for health
Next quarters topic will be jobs and employment
7. December meeting and elections (5 min)
David and Rob noted that elections for the Chair and Vice Chair will take place at the December meeting. Rob will send out a note with the officer job descriptions. Members were encouraged to run for positions.
8. CTTAB Recruiting
Discussion started about recruitment and priorities for next year. Beryl suggested we solicit input from Mayor’s office and Council early so we might be able to plan and recruit based on their priorities.
CTTAB has one opening and two possible renewals. Renewing members need to be reconfirmed by council and the Mayors office.
9. CTTAB race and social justice workshop
Ben briefed CTTAB on the upcoming race and social justice workshop
December 12- The room fits 40 people, so there is room for adding more people
Tickets for pre workshop and visit the exhibit
Post exhibit workshop being planned for:
January 6, 3-5pm location TBD, at Seattle Municipal Tower
9. CTTAB Member Skills Survey
Rob passed out survey of topical expertise
8/9 CTTAB members answered
Rob reviewed the results
Purpose might help up recruit skills for vacancy
Is it possible to ask council what they’re working on
What do we want to work on for the retreat?
11. Other business
Next CTTAB meeting: Tuesday, December 10th
Meeting adjourned at 8:06.