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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020/04/21 Item 03 - Resolution RESOLUTION NO. __________ RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA INCREASING THE PUBLIC, EDUCATIONAL, AND GOVERNMENT (PEG) ACCESS FUND BUDGET AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS WITH T- MOBILE AND POTENTIALLY OTHER TELECOMMUNICATION PROVIDERS FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF $650,000 TO PURCHASE WIFI HOTSPOT DEVICES AND SERVICES FOR DISADVANTAGED FAMILIES WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, due to the escalating number of COVID-19 virus cases nationwide and in California, various actions have been taken throughout the County to prevent the spread of the virus including the closure of all schools and the movement toward distant learning; and WHEREAS, with approximately 69,500 students throughout Chula Vista and the shift toward accessing educational tools and curriculum online, students without internet access are at an increasing disadvantage; and WHEREAS, families in our community without broadband internet access have been difficult to reach with information on the COVID-19 crisis, in a timely and easily accessible manner and must rely on public institutions, libraries, schools, or community centers for Internet access, but these resources are not available due to the COVID crisis, making it essential that the City and education partners pursue other opportunities to support our community; and WHEREAS, in May 2019, the City began a multi-phase project to develop a Digital Equity and Inclusion Plan with a set of strategies aimed at improving digital equity including access to Internet connectivity in the home and access to functioning devices for students to complete course work and, as part of this of this effort, the City hosted a stakeholder workshop at the Civic Center Library on July 29, 2019 to identify the communities most impacted by the digital divide in Chula Vista; and WHEREAS, in an effort to support digital inclusion and address the digital divide, staff recommends the purchase of 2,000 WIFI hotspot devices that would be funded from the available balance of the Public, Educational, and Government (“PEG”) Access Fund, and would be circulated through the Chula Vista Public Library, in partnership with the Chula Vista Elementary School District, to the community with the priority being for students in grades K-6, and would also offer the community the ability to have access to unlimited data at 150 Mbps speeds with filtering in compliance to the Children’s Internet Protection Act; and WHEREAS, these additional devices would circulate for a two-month period (to support families and students), with an option for renewal and would address an immediate need for families and students within the Chula Vista community; and WHEREAS, by providing more hotspot devices for the public to access, the City would significantly improve access to the Internet and support digital inclusion while addressing the educational gap that is created by the digital divide; and WHEREAS, the City solicited proposals from various telecommunication providers and received a favorable quote from T-Mobile, with monthly service charges proposed at $20/month; and WHEREAS, City staff is currently negotiating with CVESD on funding the monthly service fee for their students and the final terms with CVESD, T-Mobile, and other potential providers are subject to final terms to be approved by the City Manager and City Attorney; and WHEREAS, this item is being brought forward at this time in order to move forward with the purchase and service of the WIFI hotspot devices as they are in high demand and the City does not want to lose out on the opportunity; and WHEREAS, staff is recommending that funding for this project come from the PEG access fee provided to the City as a result of the franchises with Cox Cable and AT&T; and WHEREAS, PEG funds can be used for capital purchases of facilities, equipment and services that promote the publication of government information, and have been by local governments to provide access to cable programming, as well as to provide citizens with access to other electronic information about the services they provide and issues they face, providing information to citizens of an educational nature, and providing public meeting coverage and, under the terms of federal and state oversight of cable television franchises, funding for public access to the cable network is available for specific purposes including installation of infrastructure supportive of Public, Education and Government access. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Chula Vista, that it authorizes the City Manager to enter into agreements on behalf of the City, up to a maximum amount of $650,000, with T-Mobile, and other internet providers that the City Manager may identify, to provide WiFi hotspot devices for use by the Chula Vista community, subject to City Attorney approval of the agreements and confirmation of the legality of the use of PEG funds; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council increases the Fiscal Year 2019-20 PEG budget by $650,000 from the PEG Fund available reserves. Presented by Approved as to form by Gary Halbert Glen R Googins City Manager City Attorney