March, 26, 2013 - San Antonio Housing Authority

SAN ANTONIO HOUSING AUTHORITY March 26, 2013
Staff is also making great progress at the family properties of Charles Andrews, Mission Park,
Cross Creek, Cheryl West, and Lincoln Heights.
The Community Development Initiatives Department (CDI) has secured two AARP participants
to help with the Education Investment Foundation (EIF) activities, including the Wi-Fi Initiative.
In addition, staff will be advertising to hire two part-time positions to administer and monitor the
Wi-Fi Initiative and learning centers. We anticipate recruiting local college students. An
additional 18 computers have been identified to potentially use towards this initiative; the
equipment is currently being assessed for utilization.
In-House Technical Design:
With SAHA's in-house design that allows us to "piggy back" and utilize the on-going expansion
of our fiber WAN (Wide Area Network) bandwidth at each site to provide better IT systems for
employees, we are able to use our initial investment to provide low cost, wireless connectivity to
our residents. This is a similar effort to that of the City, as described in the February 13, 2013
Express-News article by John W. Gonzales, titled, 'S.A. forms network to make better use of
broadband':
"[Councilwoman] Ozuna, a cyber-security specialist who represents District 3, said 'With
the importance of the Internet and connectivity today, broadband networks cannot be
seen as luxury commodities. They are necessities for economic development, education
and cultural activities."'
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local news/article/S-A-forms-networkto-make-better-use-of-broadband-4275585.php#ixzz2MzPLbOLS
SAHA has taken a similar approach, by utilizing the agency's existing fiber WAN, to cost
effectively deploy a wireless network for our community rooms, as follows:
• One-time equipment cost of $440.31 and recurring Time Warner Cable service charge of
$8.00 per month per site.
• Use of refurbished computer equipment from existing inventory to provide at least two
computers at 20 sites
• Priority sites include those that had previously received stimulus funds, which financed
the construction of learning and/or resource centers at elderly communities
Staff has briefed schools, non-profits, partners, all of our federal elected officials, Mayor
Castro's office, State Representative Justin Rodriguez's office and Councilman Cris Medina's
office on the purpose and roll out of this initiative. Staff has secured the participation of
Councilman Medina and others for the March 26, 2013 unveiling at Westway Apartments. Staff
has also provided a briefing to SAISD and committed SAHA's support in their efforts to secure a
$2.3 million grant from the Department of Education that will provide "Low Cost Connectivity" to
their population. Staff will continue to brief other elected officials and partners.
PROPOSED ACTION:
None
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
For each site, there is a one-time equipment cost of $440.31, with a total recurring TWC service
charge per month per site of $8.00.
ATTACHMENTS:
List of site locations
Photos of Westway learning center.