HomeMy WebLinkAboutDS Update about the Canal Wi-Fi Network Project____________________________________________________________________________________
FOR CITY CLERK ONLY
Council Meeting: August 3, 2020
Disposition: Accepted report
Agenda Item No: 5.b
Meeting Date: August 3, 2020
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Department: Digital Service & Open Government
Prepared by: Rebecca Woodbury, Director City Manager Approval: ______________
TOPIC: CANAL WI-FI NETWORK
SUBJECT: UPDATE ABOUT THE CANAL WI-FI NETWORK PROJECT
RECOMMENDATION: Accept informational report.
BACKGROUND: Access to the internet is necessary for so many facets of a community including getting
news and information, participating in civic life, applying for jobs or unemployment, access to education,
and more. Residents in San Rafael do not have equal access to the internet and computers at home.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated digital equity issues as the shelter-in-place orders have led
to remote learning, high levels of unemployment, and a reliance on digital civic engagement methods.
When schools moved to an online learning model, an immediate need arose to better connect students
to the internet and provide them with laptops. The City started working with the County of Marin, San
Rafael City Schools, and Canal Alliance on a multi-pronged approach to the problem. This included
providing families with personal hotspots, promoting low-cost/free home internet programs, and providing
Chromebooks to students.
Thanks to several community volunteers and this collaborative effort, we started working to create a
public Wi-Fi network in the Canal neighborhood, where we determined there was the greatest,
concentrated need. On May 4, 2020, City staff presented an informational report to the City Council on
this project, as well as, the other efforts underway.
DISCUSSION: Since the last update to the City Council in May, the project has raised $335,000 from
the following sources:
•County of Marin: $75,000
•Marin Community Foundation: $125,000
•Pincus Family Foundation: $125,000
•Private donation: $10,000 (Leighton Hills)
In addition to these monetary donations, DC Electric Group, Inc. is providing equipment installation
services pro bono. Community volunteers from MarinIT and Cisco are providing network design services
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2
pro bono as well. The County of Marin was able to secure a grant that provided additional equipment,
allowing further enhancement of the network.
Equipment installation has begun; however, there have been some delays in getting circuits ordered and
installed. By August 20 (the first day of school for San Rafael City Schools), the first phase of equipment
installation is expected to be complete. The technical team will continue to enable new locations as fast
as the carriers can provide service.
We created a website where people accessing the network will land once they agree to the network terms
and conditions: www.canal-wifi.com. We are also working with San Rafael City Schools to configure all
the Chromebooks they are providing so the devices will automatically connect to the network. To prioritize
online learning, students using the network will get increased bandwidth, while other users will experience
toggled speed.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be working on promotional videos and other outreach materials
to get the word out about the Wi-Fi network. We will also continue to work closely with community partners
on other efforts to address digital equity issues in our community, including:
• Additional distribution of hotspots and laptops
• Further information about and assistance with signing up for low-cost internet programs, such as
Comcast Internet Essentials
• Digital literacy and cultural competency training for educators
COMMUNITY OUTREACH: We have been working with several community-based organizations and
volunteers on this project. In June, the City worked with Canal Alliance and San Rafael City Schools to
conduct a survey about internet access needs. The survey received over 1500 responses, with 849 of
respondents reporting living in the Canal neighborhood (see attachment). Our major findings include:
• 42% of survey respondents in the Canal said their internet was not fast enough to watch a video
without it buffering or load a website in 10 seconds
• 57% of survey respondents in the Canal said they do not own a computer at home
• 44% of survey respondents in the Canal said it was difficult to connect to the internet
• 61% of survey respondents in the Canal reported having a wired internet connection in their home
In the coming weeks, we will be working closely with Canal Alliance and other project partners to promote
this project in the neighborhood through videos, social media, text messages, and signage.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact to the City at this time.
OPTIONS: The City Council has the following options to consider on this matter:
1. Accept report.
2. Direct staff to return with more information.
3. Take no action.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Accept report.
ATTACHMENT: Internet Access Survey Data
ADDRESSING DIGITAL EQUITY IN SAN RAFAEL
CANAL NEIGHBORHOOD INTERNET ACCESS
Do you have a computer at home
that you own?
57% of respondents in the Canal said they do not own a computer at
home compared to 10% of residents outside the Canal.
Yes - 43%
No - 57%
Yes - 90%
No - 10%
Canal
Residents
Residents
outside the
Canal
How do you connect to the internet?
Residents
outside the
Canal
Canal
Residents
0 20 40 60 80 100
89% have access to wired internet
at home
61% have access to
wired internet at home
I don’t access the internet
Other / I don’t know
Free WiFi
Smartphone
Personal hotspot from school
Wired home internet
How fast is your internet connection?
0 10 20 30 40 50
Residents
outside the
Canal
Canal
Residents
% of responsdents
42% of respondents in the Canal said their internet
was not fast enough to watch a video without it
buering or load a website within 10 seconds.
87% of respondents living outside the Canal
said their internet is fast enough to watch a
video without it buering or load a website
within 10 seconds.
How easy is it to connect
to the internet?
44% of residents in the Canal report that it’s difficult to connect to
the internet compared to only 10% of those living outside the Canal
who find it difficult to connect.
4
Very Easy
1
Very Dicult
2
Dicult
3
Easy
0 20 40 60 80 100
Residents
outside the
Canal
Canal
Residents
COVID-19 and Shelter-in-Place orders have exacerbated digital
equity issues in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood. Thousands
of students are now participating in remote learning and many
have limited access to the internet and computers.
Since the Shelter-in-Place order went into effect, the County of
Marin, City of San Rafael, Canal Alliance, and San Rafael City
Schools have been working together to address digital equity
issues through the distribution of Chromebook laptops and
personal WiFi hotspots, promoting awareness of commercial
low-cost internet access, and building a WiFi network.
In tandem to these efforts, we conducted a survey about
internet access in the Canal neighborhood to better inform
our priorities and allocation of resources going forward. Here’s
what we learned.
Methodology:
We collected survey responses from June 1 to June 23, 2020. Responses were
collected in-person at food distribution events in the Canal neighborhood, in
addition to online via text, social media, and emails. We received a total of 1502
responses. 849 of those said they lived in the Canal neighborhood, 589 said
they lived outside of the Canal but within San Rafael, 60 said they lived outside
of San Rafael, and 4 did not answer. 943 took the survey in Spanish and this
includes all the in-person surveys.
Help us do more to address digital equity
issues in the Canal.
DONATE TO THE CANAL DIGITAL ACCESS EQUITY FUND
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CANAL-
ALLIANCE
~ SANRAFAEL
~crry SCHOOLS