HB 1723: On to Ways and Means

RantWoman has plenty to say about HB1723. First RantWoman is very glad to have a nice Senate committee hearing to free her from multilingual doomscrolling related to certain appalling Russian military actions.

Look near the bottom for stories from RantWoman's experience

RantWoman is creating this post as a placeholder for supplemental comments that RantWoman may offer after posting written testimony within the timeline for written comments after a legislative hearing. The short version of detailed comments RantWoman means to post: this bill touches LOTS of areas where everyone, the legislature, telecomm companies, and the public, public agencies, community based organizations, and individual WA residents can do is try things. RantWoman hopes her comments prove helpful in deciding what to try next.

View today's hearing in the Senate Energy, Environment, and Economic Development committee on TVW

Some Background 

including navigation directions that work for RantWoman so screen reader users don't have to read whole pages:

go to leg.wa.gov.

Click on Senate.

Click on Committees.

Click on .Energy environment and Technology

Click on Agendas and Documents

Click on Committee Schedules, Agendas, and Documents.

There are some form fields that should have committee name, session, date range.

Here if you know a bill number, there is an option for bill and a field for bill number.

From here, there is still some work. If readers have gotten this far, they can figure out the rest.

The text of the striker version of the bill

Full text of the striker (amended, substitution)version of the bill

The staff report summary which RantWoman would have fount it useful to read before the hearing.

Bill Report in a flyout

Next the full text of what RantWoman said in the hearing,

Thank you Chair Carlyle and members of the committee

My name is (RantWoman)

I am speaking as someone in leadership roles in several community based organizations.

Failing to fund community outreach needed to bridge the current application barriers is a little bit like having low income housing half a mile from the nearest bus stop.

 The state and the telecomm companies need to collaborate to provide training in many languages statewide. And if state agencies want to be able to serve clients remotely or to have them be able to do telehealth on par with other WA residents, they need to be a part of helping people qualify for broadband subsidy programs. This requires funding, and it will pay for itself many times over.

Thank you again for the opportunity to speak. Vote yes on this bill and fund what is needed.

For the record, HB1723 moved on to Ways and Means with no recommendation.

What RantWoman might have said if she hadn't been trying to be short and sweet to keep things moving forward.

Thank you Sen. Carlyle and members of the committee

Fund people not just technology

I urge this committee to move this bill forward. I also urge the legislature and the telecomm companies building out better broadband  to collaborate and to fund what is necessary to support community based organizations who workd to help underserved residents take full advantage of the broadband related opportunities contained in the IIJA.

My name is (RantWoman). I previously testified about this bill in the house. I am speaking for myself in as someone in leadership roles in several community based organizations. I became legally blind in midlife and I credit just being able to participate as a citizen observer in the work of Seattle’s community technology Advisory Board, CTAB with helping me land on my feet after coming through a number of medical events.

 

I have also coordinated several different digital inclusion projects serving different SHA communities.

I have learned a number of important things.

It’s critical to organize trainings in multiple languages and to facilitate good communications throughoug all phases of a project.

 The current front facing consumer level application processes for discount programs assume an applicant or person assisting with the application process already has access to the internet. Paper information sources tend to involve acres of tiny print in English without easy ways to satisfy documentation requirements. Better broadband access means funding the kinds of community organizations that can provide help in language to overcome these barriers.

 

 CTAB goes out and asks the community people want:

--jobs

--content and services relevant to their needs."

 

Failing to fund the close to the community outreach needed to overcome many application barriers would be a little bit like having low income housing half a mile from the nearest bus stop.

 

The City of Seattle has made money from cable franchise fees go a very long way toward promoting digital inclusion, providing training and capacity building in many languages for many communities. The state and the telecomm companies need to collaborate to do this statewide. And if state agencies want to be able to serve clients remotely or to have them be able to do telehealth on par with other citizens, they need to be a part of helping people qualify for these programs. This requires funding, and it will pay for itself many times over. 

Thank you again for the opportunity to speak. Vote yes on this bill and fund what is needed.