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Hi <br>
.<br>
Again!<br>
RAN<br>
<br>
A) The White House Broadband Opportunity Council has just referred
to Access to Broadband a "Core Utility" This is a big deal, and a
big report. Thanks for the Tip ET! We are re-framing Internet Access
as a utility, and the DavisGIG community-owned plan fiber for fiber
optic network is de facto, more utility style implementation of
Internet access.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/22/white-house-says-broadband-is-a-core-utility/">http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/22/white-house-says-broadband-is-a-core-utility/</a><br>
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">B) This month has been about meetings,
here are some good meetings DavisGIG has had recently. These are
important because the convey the vision to other leaders and
stakeholders in the community and help move the project along.</p>
I'd like to really encourage other folks in the community to come to
these and share their $0.02. When you present our civic leaders with
multiple perspectives from people with diverse life experiences all
advocating a similar goal for the City, it helps convince them this
is the right choice.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">So thank you to everyone that arranged
these events and attended them on our behalf over the last month.
Lets move this along. <br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Meetings <br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">1 - DJUSD with Director of
Instructional Technology and IT Manager</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">2 - David Greenwald - PVOD </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">3 - Soroptomist luncheon</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">4- Jumpstart Davis</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">5 - DCN Executive Committee Meeting </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">6 - Chief Innovation Officer</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">7 - Felisha Alvarez - Davis Enterprise</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Details <br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">1 - The Meeting with DJUSD was
presented as an initial meeting to brief people in the
superintendent's office on the project, and invite their
participation in future discussions with other stake holders
involved in building out our municipal fiber optic network. IT was
a 45 minute meeting, attended by myself, Richard Lauckhart from El
Macero, along with Marcia Bernard and Bob Kehr. We provided an
overview of how the network would operate, the benefit it would
bring to the schools, their stronger negotiating position with
Comcast for future Inet use, and other issues. They indicated they
would discuss it amongst their technology committee, to come up
with additional things they could do with a fiber optic network to
all the homes and businesses. They were very concerned about
digital divide issues and reaching all of the students in Davis.
This plan does do that, as it was conceived, so that is a
strength. They asked what they could do to help, and we suggested,
get engaged with the process, at a task force, and 2x2 meeting
level to advocate and support the deployment of a municipal fiber
network. Join the volunteer list. Further asked that if it went
forward they re-engage at the board level with DCN or a future
DavisGIG operating committee of DCN. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">2 - David Greenwald met me at the
Makerspace and did a 10 minute interview for the Jumpstart Davis
Event, made no promises and delivered nothing. His recorder is
nice, I think I'm going to get one for our next General Meeting.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">3 - Had a very comfortable reception
and delivered an extemporaneous lecture about DavisGIG to the
Soroptomist group. We really need to engage further with this
network and more like it. Most of us are surrounded in realms of
tech geekery, and so take fiber optic for granted as a naturally
preferable evolution for Internet Access in Davis, this group were
over half retirees, and yet I felt everyone not only understood
the concept, they were largely positive on it. There was a 20
minute or so talk, with about 15 minutes of great questions. We
were able to distribute our 3-4 Internet contact points to their
list, and I heard some options and good feedback. Thanks HB!</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">4 - Jumpstart Davis is a regular
monthly meetup to showcase local entrepreneurial activities. Thank
you to the many DavisGIG Volunteers who came to support our talk.
IT was also somewhat extemporaneous, with presentation slides from
our prior Library outreach effort. A lot of City leaders were
present as well, and it was great for them to hear all the general
rambunctious energy from all our supporters and other attendees at
the event. We reinforced contacts with community leaders, made
some new allies of the effort, and really drew great enthusiasm
from a dinner party at a nearby table. A good thing is that this
meeting led to 2 future meetings which happened this week, with
CIO of the City and the Enterprise. Scott Ragsdale from Davis
Roots spoke in passing about helping get this sold in Davis, but
no contact has been forthcoming from him. He also said something
like that at the Small Business Boost conference and didn't return
any email then either, so likely no help there.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">5 - DCN has regular weekly lunch
meetings, and this last week it was attended by a very eloquent
DavisGIG advocate Matthews Williams. He presented several new
strategies he feels could help move our project forward in a more
timely way, plus opinions on the financing and direction of the
effort. Some good public relations ideas he brought are a student
campaign in conjunction with DJUSD where we get all school
children to donate a $1 or so, for their future broadband network,
a powerful symbol. He's also advocating financing the effort from
revenue bonds, and paying for the network from ISP lease fees or
"franchise fees" for accessing the network, rather than an
every address pays for the service, which would trigger a Prop 218
vote, or some other tax. Finally, another solid idea is soliciting
the MRIC folks to assist in putting forward funds for the
preparation of the FSR, and so we can get this all done in a more
timely way then going through the perceived slower public process.
I very much appreciate someone who is as passionate about getting
this done, and to let everyone know, as Matt has been forthcoming
on this in these meetings. He is running for City council in 2016,
and I believe DavisGIG will be a plank in the platform. IT seems
now this is taken on a life of its own, but, hey a great meeting!
And great to have another enthusiastic person that is community
minded and determined to see this happen.<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">6 - Had a great 1 hour talk with Diane
Parro at the Davis Makerspace this morning. We discussed our
backgrounds, the Internet, mediums of Internet transmission,
what's needed, for DavisGIG to operate, so on and so forth. GREAT
meeting. We are fortunate, because it seems in her prior work in
the County she has been involved with on Broadband issues
extensively out of Don Saylor's supervisor office, and has brought
the issue forward for years through various committees if only to
be stymied. Now this in Davis. After the meeting she has a good
grounding of how networks operate, why fiber is better than coax,
and why open access is better than monopoly Internet. Process
going forward is getting something to council in the October/early
Nov timeline, putting together her a working group, not a TASK
FORCE, to help get the RFP/FSR stuff done. Stuff we have been
discussing since meeting 2 of the DavisGIG group. I've put it out
there, that we want to just do all that now, and I'll be seeing
what they say to that next week. 6/16 is right around the corner.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">After this first, grounding in
Internet Concepts, We are meeting again next week, time to have
another person or two from our group to drop in and add their bit.
Drop me a line. Especially someone that can put their FSR Hat and
getting things done, and reassure them we can take it on, at
least fast tracking this process to some consultancy to get a
quick turn around from a reputable agency. Several people in the
community have put forward we could fundraise on that issue, and
perhaps get buy in from the Innovation Center folks. She is also
working on her round of higher level stakeholder meetings and
getting buy in from other people in town. Helped give her a list.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">7 - After DP left the Makerspace,
Felisha Alvarez, a UCD grad and reporter from the Enterprise took
a great in depth 1 hour or so interview on DavisGIG. I spun out
the long yarn of our tale, our history, and how we have gotten to
where we are. What comes next, and a lot of similar stuff that we
went over with DP. We'll see if it goes anywhere, but she sounded
very interested. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">C) We should have lawn signs at our
next meeting. Wed October 7<sup>th</sup> at 6:30 pm at Sudwerk.<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Anyway â more is to be done. Please
check out TRELLO ! <a href="http://www.trello.com/davisgig">http://www.trello.com/davisgig</a></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Pick a task, get it done.If you need
an invite email <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:rob@omsoft.com">rob@omsoft.com</a>. You should be
able to see 4 or so boards covering general project areas, with
lists for specific areas and cards for individual tasks. Add your
own tasks or boards if you want. we are starting to have a need to
flesh this project out, now that there is civic interest. Go to
it. <br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">At least sign up and get us some free
Trello Gold. <br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Onward.<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">RAN<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Rob Nickerson <br>
<br>
CEO<br>
Om Networks<br>
UCD Class of 96<br>
C: 530-848-3865<br>
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