City of Sacramento
City Council - 2PM Report
915 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2024-01461 9/17/2024 Discussion Item 3.
(City Council/Housing Authority) Marina Vista and Alder Grove Public Housing Wi-Fi Project File ID: 2024-01461
Location: 240 Seavey Circle and 816 Revere Street, District 4, Represented by Councilmember Valenzuela
Recommendation: Receive and file.
Contact: Mark Hamilton, Director, (916) 449-6248, [email protected], Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency
Presenter: Mark Hamilton, Director, (916) 449-6248, [email protected], Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: The Center for Digital Equity (CDE) defines the digital divide as a reference to “the gap between individuals, households, businesses, and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard to both their opportunities to access information and communication technologies (ICTs) and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activities.” The CDE also outlines the cure for addressing the Digital Divide through Digital Inclusion, which is defined as “the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies.” The CDE goes on to break this down into five main categories:
1. Affordable, robust broadband internet service
2. Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user
3. Access to Digital Literacy training
4. Quality Technical Support
5. Applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation, and collaboration
File ID: 2024-01461 9/17/2024 Discussion Item 3.
Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, in 2019, the Housing Authority was approached by Mr. Prasad Rampalli, a retired executive from Intel, to see if there was an interest in addressing the digital divide and jumpstarting the digital inclusion process at two of our largest Public Housing sites, Marina Vista and Alder Grove. The plan would be to use the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s release of the Band 48 Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) as the method of delivering high speed internet through Wi-Fi at no cost to the residents of these communities.
For context, the Marina Vista and Alder Communities are two of the oldest Public Housing sites within the HACS Public Housing inventory. These properties were originally built in the early 1940s in the early days of Public Housing programs. They sit on almost 30 acres of land each and are located within the Upper Land Park area, providing housing to almost 700 households. Nearly 1600 children aged 0 to 17 live in these two communities, with a vast majority of those children being school-aged.
The Housing Authority, along with funding from Intel and assistance from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and FutureTech, launched a pilot program in 2020. Through these partnerships, it was determined that nearly 25 percent of children utilizing remote learning were dropped out of their classes due to a lack of internet connectivity or low bandwidth. It was further cited that while the school deployed additional Wi-Fi hot spots, the need for services exceeded the capacity of those hot spots as they became rapidly saturated with use and rendered these devices ineffective.
In 2021, after receiving the necessary approvals through the local permitting process, the Housing Authority, with its partners, was able to deploy a pilot program to test this Wi-Fi technology through a single radio transmitter installed near Panther Field on the Marina Vista property. Twenty-five student users were invited to test the new technology by using special USB dongles that would allow them access to the new Wi-Fi network.
The results of this pilot were promising. According to the customer satisfaction metrics, the following results were reported:
1. 90% of users found the solution as simple to use as Wi-Fi.
2. 93% would recommend it to neighbors, friends and family.
3. 85% said [the connection] made doing daily work easier.
4. 87% said [the connection] was better than their home Wi-Fi.
While these results were good, the Housing Authority worked with its partners to see if there was a path towards improvement. It noted that the ease of use was not equal to a similar use case for currently available access, and that some students indicated that the service provided did not exceed what they were currently using.
For Phase 2 of the project, Federated Wireless was brought in as a leader in this space to assist with designing and implementing a larger-scale version of this project. They were tasked with finding a
File ID: 2024-01461 9/17/2024 Discussion Item 3.
way to:
1. Eliminate the need for USB devices to access the internet.
2. Collaborate with the Housing Authority to increase ease of use.
3. To find a non-invasive means of deploying the technology without tapping into resident-paid utilities or installing devices within resident homes.
4. To provide Internet speeds that would allow families to replace their current internet services without any performance loss.
5. Provide services for a minimum of five years.
All these elements would need to be captured in a prospectus. This prospectus would describe the technology that would be utilized and shape a budget for this meaningful project.
Through a series of meetings and discussions, a budget was formed landing at 1.451 million dollars over five years. The scope of work was further refined, and input from the local community and school was gathered. Ultimately, the City of Sacramento provided funding for the project in late 2022.
Once funding was fully approved, Federated Wireless started working with the City of Sacramento to obtain the necessary permitting for the project. Alder Grove is considered a historic preservation site, so additional considerations were needed. Twelve broadcast locations were built, with six at Marina Vista and six at Alder Grove. These locations would provide access points for residents to connect to the Wi-Fi onsite. Work was done with Comcast to provide the necessary connections to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) at each of the locations through the California Network and Telecommunication Program (CALNET).
As of June 2024, the project has finished all necessary installations. In September 2024, testing will begin with resident groups to test the connection and gather additional input and feedback before the Wi-Fi network goes live in late September 2024.
Policy Considerations: This project aligns with the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s mission to provide digital equity to underserved communities and locations.
Economic Impacts: None.
Environmental Considerations: California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): The proposed free Wi-Fi program has been analyzed in accordance with CEQA and determined to be exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines §15301, which covers operations, repairs, maintenance, and utilities.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): The proposed free Wi-Fi program has been analyzed in accordance with NEPA and determined to be exempt pursuant to 24 CFR §58.34(a)(2) as an information service and §58.34(a)(4) as public services.
File ID: 2024-01461 9/17/2024 Discussion Item 3.
Sustainability: Not applicable.
Commission/Committee Action: This item was presented to the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Commission on July 17, 2024.
Rationale for Recommendation: This report provides an update on the Wi-Fi Project at Marina Vista and Alder Grove. The Council and/or Housing Authority Board are not required to take further action.
Financial Considerations: All financial aspects of this project have been funded through a generous contribution from the City of Sacramento. The Housing Authority, in Year 5 of the project, will be responsible for $40,000 in funding. These funds will be specifically identified in the 2028 budgets for the Marina Vista and Alder Grove communities.
LBE - M/WBE and Section 3 requirements:
The items discussed in this report have no M/WBE or Section 3 impact; therefore, M/WBE and Section 3 considerations do not apply.