PEOPLE OUT THERE. SO IT’S VERY OVERWHELMING TO SEE THE COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER AND
HELP US OUT A MILLION. WHAT IS
KSAT? 12 NEWS.
>> THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IS A GAP
BETWEEN THOSE WHO HAVE ACCESS
TO DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND THOSE
WHO DO NOT. IT’S BEEN A PROBLEM
IN AND AROUND SAN ANTONIO AND
IT WAS MADE EVEN MORE PARENT
DURING THIS PANDEMIC. THAT’S
RIGHT. SO JOINING US IN TODAY’S
LEADING SA SEGMENT IS.
>> MEDINA GABBY THOUGHT SHE IS
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WITH SA
DIGITAL CONNECTS. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR MAKING TIME FOR US
THIS MORNING. MEDINA. YES,
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO RIGHT OFF THE BAT FOR
THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW HOW
PROBLEMATIC IS THE DIGITAL
DIVIDE HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
>> YES, SO TODAY 20% OF
RESIDENTS IN SAN ANTONIO AND
BEXAR COUNTY FACE BARRIERS
ACCESSING THE INTERNET. AND
THAT COULD BE FOR A COUPLE OF
REASONS. FIRST OFF, MAYBE THEY
DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO
INFRASTRUCTURE. YOU KNOW, IF
THEY’RE KIND OF IN THAT
UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF BEXAR
COUNTY, EVEN IF THEY WANTED
TO CONNECT A CYBER
INFRASTRUCTURE, THEY CAN’T JUST
A SECOND REALLY BIG PROBLEM IS
AFFORDABILITY. SO MAYBE THEY DO
HAVE ATNT SPECTRUM OR GOOGLE
FIBER OUTSIDE THE HOME BUT THEY
CAN’T AFFORD IT. THAT’S A HUGE
BARRIER FOR WHY PEOPLE DON’T
HAVE INTERNET. AND LASTLY IS A
DIGITAL LITERACY. SO, YOU KNOW,
MAYBE THEY CAN CONNECT. MAYBE
THEY CAN AFFORD IT, BUT THEY
DON’T KNOW. YOU KNOW HOW TO
START A COMPUTER. THEY DON’T
KNOW HOW TO SET UP AN E-MAIL
ADDRESS OR ASKED THE CITY
RESOURCES. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS
A DIGITAL CONNECT IS FOCUSING
ON ALL THOSE STREET LIKES TO
THE STORE AND MAKING SURE THAT
PEOPLE GET CONNECTED TO THE
INTERNET. YOU KIND OF JUST
TOUCHED ON IT. BUT CAN YOU GO
DEEPER INTO HOW?
>> SA DIGITAL CONNECTS WORKS
AND HELPS YOU KNOW THAT DIGITAL
DIVIDE.
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO AS A
DIGITAL CONNECTS IS FOCUSED
ON 3 THINGS.
>> WITH WE WE JOIN, WE CREATED
A PUBLIC SECTOR, PRIVATE SECTOR
AND COMMUNITY COLLABORATION.
AND ALTOGETHER, WE BUILT OUR
COMMUNITIES TO CHILL EQUITY
PLAN WITH THAT DIGITAL EQUITY
PLAN SHIP TELLS US IS WHERE THE
DIGITAL DIVIDE IS IN. SENATOR
KNOW, KIND OF QUANTIFY THAT
FOR US HOW IT IMPACTS DIFFERENT
DEMOGRAPHICS, HOW IT IMPACTS
OLDER ADULTS, HOW IT IMPACTS
PENSIONS, HOW IT IMPACTS
STUDENTS. AND SO NOW THAT WE
HAD CREATED THAT PLAN HAS A
DIGITAL CONNECTS US FOCUS ON
IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN. AND YOU
ALL MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL AND THERE’S
GOING TO BE A LOT OF FEDERAL
FUNDING GOING TO THE STATES
AND, YOU KNOW, THEN WILL DRIVE
DOWN TO THE CITIES AND COUNTIES
THAT IS FOCUSED ON BROADBAND
EXPANSION. AND SO WE’RE REALLY
MAKING SURE THAT SAN ANTONIO
AND BEXAR COUNTY GET OUR FAIR
SHARE OF THAT FUNDING AND THEN
THAT THEIR THING THAT HAS A
DIGITAL CONNECTS IS FOCUSED ON
IS TRACKING AND REPORTING
PROGRESS ALONG THE WAY AND
MAKING SURE ALL RESIDENTS ARE
CONNECTED.
>> SO HOW EXACTLY DID YOU GUYS
GO ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT
EVERYONE IS CONNECTED, YOU
KNOW, USING THOSE FUNDS NOT
ONLY LOCAL FUNDS BUT ALSO
FEDERAL FUNDS. I MEAN, ARE YOU
OUT THERE? BECAUSE I REMEMBER
DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE HAD
BUSES OUT THERE WITH WI-FI FOR
STUDENTS AND FAMILIES. YOU
KNOW, WE’VE SEEN HOW VITAL
WI-FI IS TO OUR DAY-TO-DAY
LIVES, ESPECIALLY FOR STUDENTS.
HOW DO YOU GUYS DO THIS
OUTREACH?
>> YEAH, THAT THAT’S A GREAT
QUESTION. SO THIS PAST WEEK
WE CELEBRATED A HUGE MILESTONE.
WHAT WE SAW COUNTY LEADERSHIP
STEP UP AND DEDICATE 25 MILLION
DOLLARS TOWARDS DIGITAL
INCLUSION EFFORTS. I WANT TO BE
CLEAR THAT NONE OF THAT FUNDING
IS GOING TO COME TO OR THROUGH
AS A DIGITAL CONNECTS. THOSE
ARE ALL THOSE FUNDS ARE ALL
GOING TO BE GOING TO TOWARDS
EFFORTS TO CLOSING THE DIGITAL
DIVIDE. AS A DIGITAL CONNECTS
IS FUNDED BY THE PRIVATE OUR
PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS.
FUND IS TO HELP US DO THIS WORK
EVERY DAY. AND SO ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT WE’RE TRACKING IS
THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY
PROGRAM RIGHT NOW. THE FCC IT’S
CALLED THE AFFORDABLE
CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM. ACP.
AND HE’S BASICALLY A $30
SUBSIDY OFF OF PEOPLE’S
INTERNET BILL EVERY SINGLE
MONTH. AND MOST OF THE BIGGER
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS LIKE
ATNT SPECTRUM, GOOGLE FIBER
OFFERED $30 A-MONTH PLAN.
SO ESSENTIALLY WHEN PEOPLE SIGN
UP FOR THIS BENEFIT, THEY COULD
BE GETTING INTERNET FOR FREE
EVERY SINGLE MONTH. AND SO WE
GET REPORTS ON HOW MANY PEOPLE
IN SAN ANTONIO, BEXAR COUNTY
HAVE SIGNED UP FOR IT. WE’RE
WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS TO
PROVIDE WHAT FIBER
INFRASTRUCTURE ON THOSE
HOUSEHOLDS THAT DON’T. AND SO,
YOU KNOW, WE’RE JUST ONE STEP
AT A TIME AND MAKING SURE
EVERYONE IS CONNECTED AND
MEDINA SHORT TERM, WHAT COMES
NEXT AND LONG TERM. WHAT
BENEFITS FOR OUR COMMUNITY?
C?
>> AS A WHOLE.
>> GOOD QUESTIONS. SO SHORT
TERM, YOU KNOW, LIKE TALKING
ABOUT YOU, PEOPLE NEED THE
INTERNET RIGHT TO APPLY FOR A
JOB OPPORTUNITIES STUDENTS
NEEDED FOR SCHOOL. OLDER ADULTS
NEEDED FOR TO FEEL CONNECTED TO
THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
PEOPLE NEEDED FOR RENTAL AND
UTILITY ASSISTANCE OR TO FIND
HOUSING. PEOPLE NEEDED TO APPLY
FOR JOBS ONLINE. SO THESE ARE
ALL THE BASIC WAYS THAT WE CAN
USE INTERNET. SO THERE’S SO
MUCH TO SO MANY SHORT-TERM WINS
FOR RESIDENTS IN OUR CITY AND
COUNTY LONG-TERM. I MEAN, THIS
IS A HUGE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
GENERATOR, RIGHT? BUSINESSES
ARE GOING TO WANT TO COME HERE
WHEN THEY KNOW WE HAVE A FULLY
CONNECTED CITY AND COUNTY AND
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WHEN YOU
HAVE A HERE IN OUR CITY AND
COUNTY AS WELL. SO THERE ARE A
LOT OF GREAT SHORT-TERM ONES,
BUT ALSO LONG-TERM, IT BENEFITS
ALL OF US. ALL RIGHT. WELL,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US TODAY. ANYONE WHO HAS ANY
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM,
HOW TO GET INVOLVED AND HAVE