Chaired by Imsong Lee.
AGENDA:
* Agenda Review
AGENDA ITEM 1: FTTH
Warren Kallenbach, Community Center Neighborhood Association.
Background of association: Created in 1964, when they wanted to put in a jail in the neighborhood.
[Palo Alto] Fiber [ring] goes right through the neighborhood. Kind of a joke originally -- "I'd like to tap into that." Held meeting to see who thought the same way. Asked Marvin Lee to find out who felt the same way.
Marvin Lee: Very stable neighborhood, uneven as to age. People lived there 40-50 years and some new families. Bounded by Middlefield, Channing, Embarcadero and Newell. Includes several schools. A nice, tight, compact neighborhood. When first started talking about fiber, discussed how to utilize it. Spoke to Van before first fiber was laid.
Never had such an easy job. Just took Harker Avenue. Went to neighbors, many of whom lived there for years. Asked what it would cost. Somewhere around $1,200 investment. We didn't want to go to the city to ask for the money. Each would have to wire own house. Then an arrangement with city to service the fiber after it got to the house.
Said if had those figures would like to ask city if would provide same service providing to any business. Those people I approached, only had one person who wasn't interested. A high-level training engineer, said, "What do I need all that capacity for?"
I had 95% sign-up. Absolutely amazing rate. Can't get that agreement on going to dinner. Didn't ask anyone who wasn't on e-mail. First question, are you presently using computer for mail.
Then asked people a block or more from me to talk to their neighbors. They were having same success. Little groups of people who knew each other and who were comfortable with each other.
Also hope to pick up the libraries and some of the other facilities in the community.
How to do it? Simple. City now asked everybody. Van's note went out with the bills. Van wants to test at 1%. Number not decided yet. Spread out in numbers suitable for an adequate testing system.
We have a family home in Maine. Just got back from a month. Area filled with all sorts of computer people. Credit card people discovered there's a lot of cheap labor in Maine. The governor has wired the state with T1 lines. A lot of successful computer people live there, including former Palo Alto resident, Bob Metcalf, who set up a farm to rescue farm animals. His reaction:"That sounds just like Palo Alto."
We have a wide reputation that this town is about to do something that should have been done a long time ago.
Warren Kallenbach: Utility bill flyer. He asked for more information about where the subscribers live so can do distribution patterns. When City Manager's report came out last week, invited to speak to the council. From the beginning Van has said wanted to be certain everyone in Palo Alto had an equal chance. We are planning for PA-ComNet to have a meeting with us sometime in August, in which we will invite other neighborhood groups interested in fiber to the home to sit down with us. We've had people sit down and say here's the equipment needed. I've heard terms I've never heard before in my life.
Check the web site www.cpau.com/fth. Asking for a response by Aug. 31, and asking that people get together.
Margaret Cooley: Wanted to mention the community forum.
Warren: Like to co-sponsor a meeting. Co-sponsor a proposal for fiber to the home. Will ask for City Hall chambers.
Jay Thorwaldson: Moved that PA-Comnet co-sponsor.
Margaret: Membership has gone up exponentially. Community Center Neighborhood Association would like to assist others in the community by sharing what we've learned, procedures and equipment costs. People might be interested in this but feel intimidated.
Van Hiemke: It's probably not necessary for every organization to do equipment. Costs are already assuming some volumes. Not something approved by the City Council. Trying to see if there's interested and volume enough to get the prices down. Aug. 31 date is to get report to council in late September.
GROUP AGREED TO CO-SPONSOR A COMMUNITY EVENT TO INVITE OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS TO HEAR ABOUT HOW TO GET FIBER-TO-THE-HOME PROJECTS STARTED.
[The event has been scheduled for Wednesday August 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Palo Alto Cultural Center Auditorium at 1313 Newell Road (at Embarcadero Road).]
Warren: We distributed a graphic to the Council members. Showed where we were located. Showed around us other possible neighborhood areas that could join us using the splice point. Could go to University South Neighborhood Organization.
AGENDA ITEM 2: Area Reports.
Margaret: Meetings -- the only thing happened in last month was special meeting with Brian Reid. Videotapes are available. Will be aired. Tues. July 28, 6:05 p.m. on Channel 77. Bill Van Orsdol. 90 minute people. 494-8686. Community Center Neighborhood Association did a lot to help set that up. Brian had a lot of interesting things to say. He's for all of Palo Alto to get funded. He was interested in getting some type of research funding. He felt would be some type of information service provider between homeowners. So could be a lot of competition in the marketplace. Said be careful not to just get one service provider.
AGENDA ITEM 3: Brainstorm on content.
Margaret: Was a thread on the listserve about content. Sense of the content issue is can we stop talking about how fast things can go, the technical side, but what is it we're trying to achieve.
Marvin: One thing started earlier, how to provide increased access through the libraries.
Mary Jo: Will have one more computer downtown. Will try to cram in more at Mitchell and Main. At Children's until we have a second floor won't have the space.
Claire McElroy: Will library take an active role in censorship on the Internet? Separate issue. What kind of position the library is taking. I don't have an ax to grind here.
Louis Bookbinder: Comment. Seems like this group has been meeting for about three years. For first three most just kind of feeling each other out. Kind of a chicken-and-egg thing. Can't have content unless have a group willing to do that. Think kind of reached a critical mass now and can start doing stuff.
Marvin Lee: Issue of filters in libraries. Don't think anything should be done to restrict access. Easiest way to monitor is to have computers out in the open.
Mary Jo: You also have a privacy concern. Librarians have an ethical standard to protect privacy. We try to put computers where we can put them physically. Can put a screen on so you're only one who can see what you have on the computer.
Frank Kobles: Comment made on impact of having more people joining PA-Comnet since the city put out the utility mailer. Does that say something about marketing and public relations? As member, when get interesting topic, people come on and go away when not.
Imsong: Seems to be a lot of interest in the fiber-to-the-home project. Results of the meeting in August.
Margaret: I don't feel any need to do any content project.
Keith: This is not just an event but it's a starting point. The issues raised can be put on the Web site, under the Resources Group section: in-home wiring, networking. To prepare their homes for the big fat pipe, and the filtering software they've just discussed. It's a starting point. We're more interested in how to organize neighbors so they can create a critical mass.
Claire: Jon Angel was talking streaming video on the list.
Hank Magnuski: There was a group of messages about how to stream video council meetings. There were discussions of how much editing and work involved in cleanup and compression. The consensus was there would be interest in having the meetings archived but it was just too much work. One use of the higher-speed networks would be to establish networks.
Marvin: You could get into the council's activities on dog tagging. Could get into that.
Hank: In principle, have a web site for every council meeting. One way would be to intercept off the cable. MPAC. Ideally work off a tape. For this to happen has to be a dedicated person.
Jay Thorwaldson: When used to cover the Council for the Palo Alto Times, wished something like this was around. The city already invests a great deal of resources doing extensive "sense minutes" of the Planning Commission and other city commissions. City should consider making this part of the City Clerk's function to streamline the information and make it easier for the public, and City Council members, to access. The City Clerk's office is dedicated to an objective recording of meetings, just as librarians are ethically dedicated to providing full access to information, and I'd be concerned about a volunteer having a personal bias or putting a spin on the reports, even if a volunteer had time an inclination to do it.
Emily: Good time to bring this up. Looking for a new City Clerk in next few months. It's an exciting idea.
Van Hiemke: Question to Hank on whether could replace the printed minutes.
Hank: Would be quicker. There is an advantage to text. If wanted to scan through last 15 council sessions could get it indexed more quickly.
Emily: While minutes are important from public records perspective, but also are a legal document.
Hank: Minutes however cannot convey the passion, ...the tone of voice.
Margaret: ...The Sarcasm.
AGENDA ITEM 4: Inventory of Accomplishments:
Mary Jo: If you go back a year, a turning point was the meeting we held in September with Steve Cisler and Harry Saal, and the council candidates.
Jay: Then there was the direct involvement of Community Center Neighborhood Association. That was another turning point.
Marvin: When came up with idea that we would fund the connection, the entire council visibly relaxed.
Emily: Reminder that this has not gone before the council for approval.
Imsong: But we will focus and continue and drive to get this done. It's a concrete project with a lot of meaning for the community and for the country.
Marvin: Agree. The implications for the nation and the world are very large. We're very conscious of the fact that the fiber ring was put in with our funds.
Emily: Yes, with utility user revenues.
Margaret: The seed started in this room (a PA-ComNet meeting) for Neighbor Space with Elliot (Margolies) and Mary Jo. Plugged-In is grateful for the cable modem that was donated by Cable Co-op, which came out of this room.
Warren: Neighbor Space became Palo Alto Online. Software enables conferences online. Beta testing going on now hoping to open it up to the community in September. One of more promising things for the community.
Margaret: Also a possible project for PA-Comnet. Would someone from PA-Comnet like to host a discussion.
Marvin: One more project we should be aware of, parallel with Cable Co-op, is the future role of Cable Co-op with the fiber project.
Mary Jo: Another accomplishment for an ad hoc group: There was some effort to try to organize, and we now have a structure.
Marvin: Van could report on number of responses.
Van: Already have 10 responses. Invitation (on fiber-to-the-home) just went out Friday. ....
NEXT MEETING: Wed. Sept. 2, 7:30 a.m. Terman Community Center library room.
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