Digital Access Plan

Columbus Ave Corridor

Meeting I 8/17/2021

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Agenda

Welcome and Meeting Goals

About MAPC and Project Process

Digital Access Level Setting

Existing Conditions on Columbus Ave

"Light" Case Study Overview

Next Steps

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DISCUSSION BREAK

Assets on Columbus Ave

Meeting Goals

Have shared baseline understanding of the existing conditions along the Columbus Ave corridor as related to digital access

MAPC Team receives guidance on potential community assets.

MAPC Team receives guidance on outreach opportunities for Digital Needs Assessment.

Digital Access Plan – Columbus Ave Corridor

Meeting I 8/17/2021

Meeting Goals

You all leave the meeting with a shared baseline understanding of the existing conditions along the Columbus Ave corridor as related to digital access
MAPC Team receives guidance on potential community assets.

MAPC Team receives guidance on outreach opportunities for Digital Needs Assessment.

Agenda

Welcome and Introductions

Digital Access Level Setting

Existing Conditions on Columbus Ave

Next Steps and Adjourn

About MAPC and Project Process

"Light" Case Study Overview

DISCUSSION BREAK

Who We Are

Housing
Transportation
Climate Resilience and Clean Energy
Economic Development
Land Use
Municipal Government
Policy
Digital Access

Metropolitan Area Planning Council

School / Education
Work
Healthcare
Workforce Training
Access to Social Assistance and Resources
Economic Development

Pandemic & Beyond

Everett, Chelsea,Revere

The Development of an Municipal Digital Access and Equity Plan will:

Advise Capital Investment

Inform Policy Decisions

Identify Program Needs

Vision for Municipal Digital Access

Remove barriers to adoption that prevent universal access to reliable and high speed (100/100) internet.

Ensure all residents who desire to improve their digital / technology literacy have a pathway to educational opportunities at a range of skill levels, offered in community appropriate languages and settings.

Augment the capacity of key stakeholders such as IT Departments, School Districts, Libraries, Community based organizations, and municipal staff to address the digital divide

Promote competition among internet service providers offering broadband service.

Digital Access and Equity Planning

Phases of Work

Evaluation of Current Internet Providers and Levels of Service
Analysis of Community Access to Device and Internet

Phase 1A: Existing Conditions (July - August)

Phase 1B: Community Needs Assessment (August - October)

Identification of Population Specific Challenges and Needs via Survey
Focus Group(s) and Key Stakeholder Interviews with Community Members

Review of Existing Infrastructure and Assets Along Columbus Ave
Assessment of Potential Technology Interventions and Programs

Phase 2: Infrastructure and Technology Evaluation (March - April)

Development of an Operational Framework that Urban Edge can use to Implement a Tech Solution, PLUS Programs for Skills Development and Community Ownership

Phase 3: Digital Operation Framework (May - June)

Help us see information from the community perspective

Provide feedback and response to proposed strategies

Assist in connecting with community members

Own this product

Advisory Committee Role

An Adequate Device

Literacy

Connection

Three Determining Factors of Digital Access

Cable: Widely available, slower than fiber leverages copper coaxial cables. Comcast uses a mix with fiber (hybrid fiber-coaxial)

Fiber: Fiber uses light signals to carry internet data. Limited availability, often higher speeds

DSL (Digital subscriber line): Leverages copper phone lines as well. High availability but slower speeds

Satellite: Ideal for rural areas and available throughout all 50 states sends and receives singnal through connecting to an orbiting satellite. Slower speeds.

Fixed wireless / 5G: Access Points affixed to locations like cell towers and on top of a buildings antenna array that are between the Distribution Point and the customer.

Connection Terms

Legacy of Cable

Image Source: https://calcable.org/learn/history-of-cable/

What is "Broadband"

"Broadband" standard set by Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Originally established in 1999 the standard has been adjusted in 2010 and 2015.

In 2015 it set the standard as 25 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 (Mbps) upload

Data Center /

Internet Exchange

Fiber (Fast)

Cable (slower)

Wifi (slower) or ethernet (more reliable)

Slows down every step

The farther fiber optic cables go, the faster the internet

Accessing the Internet Using Cable

Copper wire slows the connection

Cable: Widely available, slower than fiber leverages copper coaxial cables. Comcast uses a mix with fiber (hybrid fiber-coaxial)

Fiber: Fiber uses light signals to carry internet data. Limited availability, often higher speeds

DSL (Digital subscriber line): Leverages copper phone lines as well. High availability but slower speeds

Satellite: Ideal for rural areas and available throughout all 50 states sends and receives singnal through connecting to an orbiting satellite. slower speeds

Fixed wireless / 5G: Access Points affixed to locations like cell towers and on top of a buildings antenna array that are between the Distribution Point and the customer.

The Internet

The Journey

We are going to focus elsewhere for now, but we'll revisit. This is a critical part of the internet.

There is a lot going on in here: devices, skills, wifi, etc.

Cable & Fiber

Power!

Cell & 5G

Satellite

Street light

A Quick Look at the Study Area

primary UE corridor, comprising the majority (56%) of all UE housing and 34%of all UE residents, Urban Edge HQ, the Jackson Square T Station and Dimock

includes Hyde Square and the Mildred Hailey development

2/3 of Urban Edge’s portfolio is clustered primarily in four census tracts The remaining third of UE’s portfolio is located in Mattapan and Dorchester

includes a few mostly clustered UE properties in Roxbury

(813) “Columbus Ave Corridor”

(1203.01) “Egleston Square”

(812) “Jackson/Hyde”

(815) “Roxbury”

includes bulk of Egleston Square (in Jamaica Plain) and represents 7%of all UE housing units

Census Tracts of Study Area

Demographics of Study Area

Racial Composition

Age Composition

Households Without a Computer

According to this Census data 27.1% of “Columbus Ave Corridor” households do not have a computer.

According to this Census data 15.5% of “Columbus Ave Corridor” households are soley reliant on a smartphone for internet access.

Households With Only a Smart Phone

According to this Census data 39% of “Columbus Ave Corridor” households do not have access to the internet.

Households Without Internet

Compared to Boston

The Columbus Ave Corridor experiences substantially higher levels of digital divide issues than Boston as a whole.

In June the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a map that displays key indicators of broadband needs across the country.

Columbus Ave Corridor stood out

NTIA Map

Source

Households With Only a Smart Phone

Households Without a Computer

Households Without Internet

Study Area Tracts

Sources: Boston –BPDA’s “Boston at a Glance –2019”

Study Area Tracts

Internet Speed in Study Area

We will need to switch up the geography in order to look at internet speeds

We will be looking at the zip codes 02119 & 02130

Switch Geographies

Microsoft Speed Data

Microsoft recently released speed data they calculated when users download their software

Only 23.5% of those in 02119 met that standard in this data

MLab Speed Data

MLab is another source for speed data. When you Google "speed test" this is the data from tests run there. It's only one way of measuring speed and has limitations.

For upload measured since 2017 in 02119, 45% of the time the speed was under the "broadband" defitintion.