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Q. Now that the Earthlink Wi-Fi deal is dead, what’s next? Will the city try for another contractor?

A. When Earthlink defaulted on the deal, it paid the city $5 million in penalties. We’re going to use $3.5 million of that money to build a wireless network for low-income areas. Our Digital Inclusion Project is a public/private partnership to construct 10 Wireless Empowered Community Access Network “bubbles” that will provide Wi-Fi access to low-income areas.
Residents will tap into these bubbles at community access locations, such as schools, community centers, and multi-service centers. The community access locations will be staffed by volunteers and members of the community organizations where the access is located. Those people will provide computer training and help using online resources. Our goal is to have 15 community access locations for each bubble.
The first bubble is being built in the Gulfton area of southwest Houston. We’ll use the rest of the $3.5 million on nine more locations to be built over the next two years. Library’s Nicole Robinson is heading this project.
This is just one of many ways the city is being proactive in improving residents’ lives. Look at the topics covered in this issue of City Savvy: the Office of Veterans Affairs to help our underserved veterans; the first express libraries in the nation, smaller libraries that bring all the library’s resources, including computers, into areas not being served by a local branch; and more police officers to help keep our neighborhoods safe.
We encouraged the creation of the Houston Employee Relief Organization to help the dependents of municipal employees killed at work. And we worked to get a meet-and-confer labor agreement for municipal employees. An improved work environment makes the city a more attractive place to work and creates a stronger workforce to serve our residents.
I took office pledging to make City Hall more responsive and efficient. These many proactive initiatives are extensions of that pledge and show that the efficiencies stretch well beyond this office and this building.

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