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Q&A
Digital equity plan and device refurbishment initiative
1:39:31
·
172 sec
Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez inquires about the recently released digital equity plan, focusing on the device refurbishment initiative and its relation to Local Law 81. Matthew C. Fraser explains the plan's components and the creation of new roles to support digital equity efforts.
- The plan includes reusing citywide infrastructure and creating roles dedicated to long-term digital equity initiatives.
- A new position, Chief Digital Equity Officer, will be created to coordinate efforts across all agencies.
- The initiative aligns with Local Law 81, which allows refurbished city computers to be provided to nonprofits.
- Gutiérrez emphasizes that the existing bill (Local Law 81) already covers much of what the new initiative aims to do and encourages OTI to integrate it into their plans.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:39:31
Okay.
1:39:32
I think we'll we'll have some follow ups on that.
1:39:41
Okay.
1:39:42
Now I just wanna get to, very briefly, the digital equity plan that was released last week.
1:39:52
I know that both you and council member one, which I agreed, were talking about I think it was ultimately initiative five, the refurbished devices, making you know, putting them where we're needed.
1:40:05
Can so I I passed the bill in June 2023 with the cast similar.
1:40:10
I'm just trying to get a sense of that is this of this initiative.
1:40:13
It's local law 81 that makes it so that, you know, gently used devices, computers in the city can be refurbished for non for nonprofits specifically.
1:40:24
Is that is that this?
Matthew C. Fraser
1:40:26
So that that's definitely a part of this.
1:40:29
So it's looking at for citywide infrastructure, the things that we purchase, how can we reuse them in responsible ways and create some extensibility and opportunities for for both the partners that are working with us and the agencies that are servicing the public and leveraging those assets to to help support a more connected New York City.
1:40:49
In addition to that, it's looking at creating roles that are dedicated to looking at this as a long term initiative.
1:40:57
Currently, we have strategic goals across multiple agencies that are focused on providing digital equity as as an overall strategic goal, but this is the first time that we would be creating a role that's exclusive at coordinating that effort across all agencies and making sure that the city creates the city or the administration places a permanent emphasis on making this a cornerstone of how OTI and the city operates going forward.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:41:27
And who is the agency responsible for tracking these devices and, you know, placing them where they need to be?
Matthew C. Fraser
1:41:35
So currently, as part of the digital equity roadmap, we are creating a role, the chief digital equity officer.
1:41:45
And that person in that office and that end will be responsible for not just spearheading the programs, but working with agencies to build a construct of how we track and disseminate these types of assets.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:41:57
Tell the chief equity officer whenever you hire them, they don't have to build anything out because it's already a bill and it's with with DCAS.
1:42:03
And so I would just implore you all to look into that to ensure that it is, you know, meeting your criteria, but but it exists.
1:42:10
And they're supposed to report back on how that process is.
1:42:13
If you all want to expand it or amend it, it it exists and I would love to I would love for that to be integrated because it's it's already a bill we passed.
Matthew C. Fraser
1:42:23
Fantastic.