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HomeMy WebLinkAboutICTC Agenda and Packet 2019-07-22 Agenda Iowa City Telecommunications Commission City Cable TV Office, 10 S. Linn St., Tower Place Parking Facility, Level 3A Monday, July 22, 2019, 5:30PM 1. Call to order 2. Approval of minutes 3. Announcements of Commissioners 4. Short public announcements 5. Election of officers 6. Post-franchise role of the Telecommunications Commission 7. REPORTS Consumer Issues Mediacom Report Local Access Reports City Cable TV Office Report 8. Adjournment If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Ty Coleman at 319-356-5454 or ty-coleman@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. PRELIMINARY Iowa City Telecommunications Commission 06/24/2019 Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 5 Minutes Iowa City Telecommunications Commission June 24, 2019 – 5:30 P.M. City of Iowa City Cable TV Office, 10 S. Linn St. - Tower Place, Level 3A Call to Order:Meeting called to order at 5:37 P.M. Members Present:Matthew Brenton, Gina Reyes, Adam Stockman Members Absent:James Pierce Staff Present:Ty Coleman Others Present: Recommendations to Council:​ ​None Approval of Minutes: Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to approve the June 24, 2019 minutes as presented. The motion passed unanimously. Announcements of Commissioners: None. Short Public Announcements: None. Post-franchise role of the Telecommunications Commission: Brenton referred to the draft proposal included in the meeting packet and asked if anyone had comments or questions. Brenton said the proposal is modeled after the Climate Action Advisory Board’s proposal that was also included in the packet. Additionally, Brenton referred to the portion of the Iowa Code that identifies some restrictions and requirements for municipal broadband. He said that with this and the fact that another broadband provider is coming to Iowa City, it is possible that the City Council would not want to pursue municipal broadband. He said it was interesting that the Iowa Code stated that this part of the code does not apply to telecommunications services provided directly by a municipal airport and wasn’t sure whether providing services through our airport would provide any opportunities to create a system with fewer restrictions. Brenton said the proposal wraps up with a comment stating that the Commission does not see a role for the current group other than being funneled into the proposed Municipal Broadband Advisory Board. He said that he did not include in the proposal a statement that the Advisory Board would be made up of the members of the Telecommunications Commission and said that members of the Commission could apply for the Advisory Board if they wished to participate in it. Brenton said the Municipal Broadband Advisory Board proposal calls for ten members, PRELIMINARY Iowa City Telecommunications Commission 06/24/2019 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 5 including a chair and a secretary. He summarized that the makeup of the board would include those with a background in information technology and networking as well as municipal government. He said he pulled from the Climate Action Advisory Board proposal for other suggested areas of expertise. Brenton said he listed the duties according to what the Commission had discussed in past meetings as well as based on what he felt the Board would be able to help with. Duties listed in the proposal include gathering and presenting information about existing broadband deployments and noting what has worked and what hasn’t. He said the Board would help to determine what existing infrastructure, if any, could be used for providing municipal broadband. He said the last duty listed is to present a recommendation and assist with drafting a request for proposal. Brenton noted that it is possible the recommendation would be to not pursue municipal broadband. Brenton listed elements of the mission of the proposed Municipal Broadband Advisory Board as identifying pros and cons, outlining requirements, finance recommendations and cost estimation, and achieving viewpoints that represent a diverse array of stakeholders. Stockman said that he noticed the Climate Action Advisory Board listed attendance expectations that required at least seventy-five percent attendance at monthly meetings and noted that the Telecommunications Commission’s proposal did not include information about the frequency of meetings. Stockman said it would be beneficial to include attendance expectations if the group would be meeting for one year, noting that frequently missed meetings by a member could hinder the group. He said that, alternatively, those kinds of questions could be addressed by the Board once it is established. Brenton agreed and said a bullet point could be added that the Board would determine the frequency of the meetings. Brenton said the Board proposal doesn’t have to state who would identify who will serve on the Board, but that it could include that the Telecommunications Commission would make the initial determination, knowing that City Council could, instead, choose to determine the members themselves. Stockman said it would be good if the Commission could take on the role of choosing members for the Board through an application process. Coleman said that it has been a challenge to keep the five spots within the Telecommunications Commission filled, but that a group with a more specific role such as the one being proposed would likely lead to greater interest by members of the community. Brenton said he knows people who would be willing to serve on a municipal broadband board, but were not interested in serving on the Telecommunications Commission. Reyes said that having a diverse list of areas of representation, rather than a focus on technology-related interests or expertise, will make it easier to find ten members. Reyes suggested that adding something in the duties section of the proposal along the lines of studying the current state of access to broadband across Iowa City. She said that it may help to determine priorities for where municipal broadband should be rolled out first. Brenton mentioned the local group that had visited the Commission in the past, informing them of their efforts to create access to broadband using wireless mesh networking. The group had been working with the school district in an attempt to distribute broadband to students in an area of increased need using point to point wireless. PRELIMINARY Iowa City Telecommunications Commission 06/24/2019 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 5 Brenton said that if it would be stated the Telecommunications Commission would determine the members of the Municipal Broadband Advisory Board, then the final comments on the proposal should be changed to reflect that the group would remain a Commission until the City Council decides whether it agrees that an advisory board should be formed. At that time, either the Commission would help with the selection process or it would disband. Brenton said that while the Commission awaits a response from City Council, it would continue to meet, though it would not have a lot to act on. Coleman said he had inquired with Assistant City Manager Ashley Monroe about an estimated timeline for the process of working with Council to accept or decline the proposal. Coleman said Monroe indicated that once the Council has the proposal in its hands, it could be up to a few months before the Commission would be able to meet with Council at a work session, depending on the prioritization of all issues and discussions the Council is attending to. Brenton wondered if there was a way to give Council a heads up that a proposal would be coming soon. Coleman said that he could let the Assistant City Manager know, so that perhaps she could update the Council on the group’s progress. He said that since the Council receives the Commission’s meeting minutes, they likely have an awareness of what the group has been discussing. Coleman said that it could be possible for the group to agree on the minor changes and additions that were being suggested, and approve the draft of the proposal as amended. Stockman said that the suggested changes to the proposal were not extremely substantive, but could be classified as friendly amendments. Stockman and Brenton said the group could review the changes and vote right then and there. Brenton stated the changes to the drafted proposal as follows: 1.Add to the second bullet point that the Board would determine the frequency of the meetings. 2.Change the third bullet point to read “The Board shall consist of ten members appointed by City Council or the Telecommunications Commission.” 3.In the duties section, add “Conduct access assessment across community to help prioritize planned roll-out.” 4.Change final comments to say that the Telecommunications Commission would not disband until Council makes its decision. Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to approve the proposal as amended. The motion passed unanimously. Brenton said he would finalize the changes in the proposal and send the document to Coleman for the next step of getting it to Council. Consumer Issues: Brenton referred to the Cable Complaints reports in the meeting packet and asked if the unresolved issue found in the April report involving an unburied cable had yet been resolved. Coleman said that he had received more cable burial complaints than usual in recent months, noting that the harsh winter and spring rain has likely created a backup. Coleman said the PRELIMINARY Iowa City Telecommunications Commission 06/24/2019 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 5 resident reported that a CenturyLink technician had come out and got her service working again, but that on the same day, her neighbor had a cable replaced and was left with a cable laying on her lawn. The resident said the cable was in a place that required her to move it while mowing her own yard. Brenton asked if there was an update on the unresolved issue listed within the May report. Coleman said he heard back from Lee Grassley very soon after reaching out to him. He said Grassley was somewhat surprised to hear from him, given that the issue involved a person and business outside of Iowa City, but that Mediacom’s records indicated technicians had measured the speeds around 900mbps. Coleman said the customer said that it is possible to have measured those speeds, but that once a device is connected to the network, the speeds drop significantly. Coleman said that since the issue was connected to an account outside of the Iowa City area, he informed the customer that he would need to step back from the issue and leave it for the customer and Mediacom to discuss. Coleman said that he didn’t intend to overstep his bounds, but thought that if he could help someone to gain better insight into an issue by sending a couple of emails, he was happy to try. Mediacom Report: Coleman said he did not receive any information from Mediacom. Local Access Reports: Coleman said he included a report from PATV intended for the May packet but did not receive anything for the June packet. Brenton asked if PATV’s director, Gerardo Sandoval, had said anything about continuing to attend the Telecommunications Commission meetings. Coleman said he would check in with Sandoval, but had the impression that he still had an interest in attending. City Cable TV Office Report: Coleman referred to the reports the Cable TV Office had submitted in the meeting packet. He noted that the City continues to produce its podcast, Iowa City Matters, and that the next episode, featuring a discussion on bicycling in Iowa City, would be released soon. Coleman said the following episode will focus on the Americans with Disabilities Act and the celebration of its anniversary coming in late July. Coleman remarked that the podcast has allowed for in-depth conversations on the topics presented. Adjournment: Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously. Adjournment was at 6:17 p.m. PRELIMINARY Iowa City Telecommunications Commission 06/24/2019 Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 5 TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 12-MONTH ATTENDANCE RECORD Gowder Bergus Brenton Johnk Pierce 07/23/2018 Meeting not held due to lack of quorum. vacant vacant 08/27/2018 Meeting not held due to lack of quorum. vacant vacant 9/24/2018 x vacant x vacant x Paterson 10/22/2018 x o x vacant x 11/26/2018 Meeting not held due to lack of quorum. vacant 12/17/2018 x o x vacant x 01/22/2019 Meeting not held due to inclement weather and lack of quorum. vacant resignation Stockman 02/25/2019 x vacant x x o/c Reyes 03/25/2019 resignation o/c x x x 04/22/2019 vacant x x x o/c 06/03/2019 Meeting not held due to lack of quorum. vacant 06/24/2019 vacant x x x o (x) = Present (o) = Absent (o/c) = Absent/Called (Excused) Iowa City Telecommunications Commission Municipal Broadband Advisory Board Proposal to Iowa City City Council The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission was originally formed to advise, review, and resolve issues involving cable providers operating under the Iowa City franchise. Iowa City’s municipal franchise agreement with Mediacom expired on August 1, 2018. At this time the commission was tasked with identifying future duties and responsibilities. This proposal is the result of that discussion. The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission proposes that the Iowa City City Council form an advisory board to explore creating a municipal broadband network to serve Iowa City. The board shall be established as follows:  The mission of the Municipal Broadband Advisory Board is to assist the City with determining whether a municipal broadband deployment in Iowa City is in the best interest of the community. This includes, but is not limited to: o Identifying the pros and cons of a municipal broadband deployment. o Outlining requirements for municipal broadband. o Financing recommendations and cost estimation. o Achieving diverse stakeholder representation and viewpoints.  The board shall be established for one year. The board will determine frequency of meetings.  The board shall consist of ten (10) members appointed by City Council or chosen by the Telecommunications Commission from a pool of candidates. Board members shall be chosen based on specialty and expertise. Relevant experience includes, but is not limited to: o Information technology, especially networking o Government agencies, especially municipal o Regulated utilities o Non-profit organizations o Institutions, including but not limited to the Iowa City Community School District and the University of Iowa o Small and large businesses o Professional services, for example: accountants, contractors, bankers, lawyers o Students  Board members duties include, but are not limited to: o Gather and present information about existing municipal broadband deployments. o Work with city officials to identify municipal infrastructure that can be utilized for broadband, estimate cost, and address other feasibility concerns. o Assess broadband access throughout the community to help prioritize deployment. o Provide a recommendation to City Council and assist in drafting RFP (if requested).  Board leadership shall consist of the following: o Chair o Secretary The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission has determined that since there is no city franchise agreement it no longer has a purpose. Once City Council has reached a decision on this proposal the Telecommunications Commission will disband unless tasked with advisory board candidate selection. July 16, 2019 To: Iowa City Telecommunications Commission From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator (MPSC) Re: Cable Complaints June 2019 1.) Date: ​05/28/19 (this issue was inadvertently left out of the May 2019 Cable Complaints Report) Method of contact:​ Voicemail to MPSC Complaint/Comment Summary: Resident complained that Mediacom had a monopoly in Iowa City and that he can’t reach the speeds he’s paying for. Resident also said that Mediacom is not providing security for its systems. Resolution Summary: MPSC called the resident back and left a voice message to provide information and offer assistance with getting technical issues resolved through Mediacom’s local staff. No response was received from the resident. Date of Resolution:​ 05/28/19 - No complaints/issues were received by the Cable TV Office during the month of June 2019. Date: ​July 15, 2019 To: ​The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission From: ​Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator, City of Iowa City Cable TV Office Re: ​City of Iowa City Cable TV Office report for the July 2019 meeting Media Production Services Submitted by Jack Brooks, Special Projects Assistant, and Toni Ugolini, Media Production Assistant Recent production activities: ●Topics covered for episodes of the weekly ​Iowa City Update​ program have included how to recycle glass, a new hate crime ordinance, and Rummage in the Ramp, and more. ●Created ​Community Highlight​ videos from the Juneteenth Commemoration, the 2019 Iowa City Jazz Festival, and Party in the Park: Mercer Park. ●Produced a promotional video on the grand opening of Riverfront Crossings Park. ●Completed a new ​Iowa City Matters​ podcast on bicycling in Iowa City. ●Recorded all three of the MusicIC programs sponsored by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. ●Recorded the State of the District Annual Speech for the Iowa City Downtown District. ●Recorded and produced a video from the Slam-O-Vision Poetry Slam contest held at MERGE during the Downtown Block Party. This event was sponsored by the UNESCO City of Literature. ●Covered the Inclusive Teacher Awards sponsored by the Iowa City Office of Equity and Human Rights. ●Recorded the most recent Aging in Place lecture which took place at the Iowa City Senior Center. ●Created a short, informational video on the Emerald Ash Borer, providing information about what procedures the City is taking to help treat the ash trees in Iowa City. Upcoming productions: ●The next ​Iowa City Matters​ podcast, featuring a discussion on accessibility and inclusivity. ●Continue creating weekly ​Iowa City Update ​programs with topics including the Soul and Blues Festival and the ADA Celebration. ●Continue the recording and production of the Friday Night Concert Series, including live pre-show promos on Facebook. ●Record the Black Authors Panel during the Summer of the Arts’ Soul & Blues Fest. Programs Completed by the Cable TV Office in June 2019 ●2019 Friday Night Concert Series ○Everyday People and James Tutson & the Rollback ●Aging in Place Forum: Healthy Lifestyles ●Embracing the Caregiver Role ●History for Lunch / Iowa Stories:The Iowa Angle - Frank Lloyd Wright ●Israeli Colonialism and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Past, Present, Future ●State of the Downtown 2019 ●United Way's 100th Year Celebration Kickoff ●2019 Iowa Arts Festival ●Flood Mitigation Projects ●Iowa City Update ○2019 Juneteenth Commemoration ○Free Lunch Program ○How to Recycle Glass ○Tall Grass Ordinance ●The Longfellow Front Porch Music Festival ●Economic Development Committee Meeting of 06/03/2019 ●Iowa City City Council Meetings ○June 4, 2019 ○June 18, 2019 ●Iowa City City Council Work Sessions ○June 4, 2019 ○June 18, 2019 ●Market Music ○2019 Saul Lubaroff Jazz Trio