WEBVTT

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everyone . I'm honored to be here with

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you today and Vice President Harris .

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I'm Vincent Evans from the Vice

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President's Office of Public engagement .

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We are very glad to have this

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opportunity to talk about such an

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important priority for the biden Harris

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administration and that is addressing

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high speed internet and to hear about

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how internet access is affecting

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americans across the country and their

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daily lives , education and work .

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We're here today because the Vice

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president wanted to speak directly with ,

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but more importantly , hear directly

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from you who have personally been

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experience or experience the challenges

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and opportunities around this important

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issue and who are dedicated to

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elevating this important conversation

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through community education , research

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and advocacy . So with that I'm pleased

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to introduce to you the Vice President

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of the United States , Kamala Harris .

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Thank you . Thank you , Vincent . Hi

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everyone . I'm looking at you on the

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screen , but I'll look at you here . Um ,

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but I'm really looking forward to our

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conversation and I want to thank you

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all from taking time out of your busy

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lives to , to join us for this

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conversation . Um , it is truly an

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honor to welcome all of you uh , as

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students and parents , um tribal

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leaders and farmers from urban and

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rural areas . Each of you can speak to

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the need for affordable and accessible

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high speed internet . And I want to

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begin by talking about another era

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seemingly a lifetime ago and well

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before the internet and it was the dawn

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of electricity . Now . I think most of

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us were not born at that time . But

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let's just think about what dark days

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they were . Um , when many americans

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were left out , they were literally

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left in the dark because they didn't

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have access to electricity , which of

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course is so essential as we all now

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know to almost everything we must do

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to be productive . So understanding

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that in 1935 , President Franklin

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Roosevelt created the rural

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electrification administration and the

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following year he signed the rural

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electrification act into law . And so

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what happened was that we decided and

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he decided at the federal level where

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we have the best capacity to do work

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that requires scale across our country .

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What he did and what they then did was

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to send crews to rural communities

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helping to wire farms and homes with

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electricity . So literally government

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lit up America today . I believe

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we must act again and act in that

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way , understanding our capacity and

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our responsibility to connect America

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and to allow all americans to have

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access to those basic needs that

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allow them to raise their families ,

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allow them to educate their families to

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do their work . and in the 21st

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century broadband is critical to

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all of that and broad man is critical

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infrastructure therefore , because just

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think about the pandemic how families

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attended to their needs , attending

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school online , running their

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businesses online , going to the doctor

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online , working from home online . And

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also think about how many could not do

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any of that and missed out on these

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critical lifelines because they didn't

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have access to high speed internet .

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And think about it in the context of as

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we move forward , we're telling

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medicine and we're gonna talk about

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that today , we'll continue to allow

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americans who live far away from a

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doctor or a mental health provider to

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receive high quality care . Think about

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it in terms of the remote work that we

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now know can happen and will continue

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to allow companies in the United States

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to find talent outside of urban centres .

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You know , I've spent a lot of time in

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rural America . One of the things that

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especially the grandparents will talk

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about or how their Children have to

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leave because there's no work where

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they live in rural parts of America .

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And so they have to believe the place

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they grew up , the place where they

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want their Children to know their

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grandparents because they they're

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trying to find work . Well , tele work

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is one of the solutions to that . Let's

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think about small businesses and how

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they rely and we have learned in in the

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pandemic will rely on access to high

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speed internet to be able to talk to

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their customers to move their products

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and to tap into new markets online . So

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for every american to share in that

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opportunity We have got to remove the

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barriers . And in particular I think

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there are three but we have to remove

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these barriers to take , so we can take

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high speed internet nationwide . So

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first let's talk about what we need to

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do to remove the barriers to access .

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42 million Americans live in areas

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without reliable broadband . One in

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three americans who live in rural areas

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and tribal lands do not have access to

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broadband . And we know that these

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americans are not alone as we will hear

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today . Families and cities also lack

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access to high speed internet . Second ,

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one of the barriers we need to address

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is the issue of affordability . Over 65

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million Americans live in areas with

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only one high speed Internet provider .

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So that means what no competition ,

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More than 200 million live in areas

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with only one or two providers . This

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lack of competition drives up prices

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because if the provider doesn't have to

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compete with somebody else , right ,

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they've got basically a corner on the

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market . We need to deal with that

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competition . The 3rd barrier is equity

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and the disparities are clear , fewer

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black and brown . Americans use home

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broadband than white americans . And

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those americans who earn less than

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$30,000 a year are less likely to have

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high speed internet at home . So we're

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talking about racial disparities ,

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we're talking about income disparities .

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And why does that matter ? Well ,

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because it leads to other disparities ?

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Because when people are cut off from

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high speed internet , they are also

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being cut off from opportunity . So the

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president have a plan and it is called

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the american jobs plan that would

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expand affordable and accessible .

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These two things go hand in hand

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affordability and accessibility . And

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we would expand both for high speed

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internet to every american household .

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Our plan would build broadband

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infrastructure like laying fiber optic

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cables To reach 100% of our population .

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We would increase competition to reduce

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costs and we would ensure that every

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american , no matter where they live ,

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no matter how much they have in terms

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of income and therefore how much they

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can afford to pay would be able to

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access high speed internet at home .

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And as we connect America we will

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create both good jobs and economic

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opportunity . We will help our students

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succeed , we will help our small

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businesses succeed and we will help our

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nation compete . And I'm just gonna end

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with one quick story . So last month I

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was in new Hampshire and I visited the

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new Hampshire Electric Co op . So it's

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a rural electric co op and it was , it

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was started by farmers back in

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connection with that 19 right in the 19

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thirties , the rural electrification

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act and it brought electricity to the

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rural areas in that state . So I went

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to visit with them because of course

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they're very proud about what they did

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way back in the day to make sure all of

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rural America in that region had access

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to electricity . And guess what they're

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doing now Fast forward 90 years and

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that same coop in the , in the midst of

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Covid laid 100 miles of broadband lines

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in just 100 days . So they're almost

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literally using the foundation that

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they built on electrification to create

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access to high speed internet . And I

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believe we can do this kind of work

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across our country . I know we can get

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it done and we're going to hear stories

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from each of you about your ingenuity

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and , and and how you've been

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innovative in times of stress , in

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times of need , um , and and how we can

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be inspired by your work to see what we

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are capable of at a nationwide scale

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and I'm very proud to lead our

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administration's effort to get this

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done . And I look forward to hearing

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from all of you today . So again ,

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thank you for your time . And let's

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start our discussion and Vincent , I'm

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gonna turn it back over to you . Thank

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you , madam , Vice President . And with

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that we will begin our discussion . I'm

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very pleased to introduce our very

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first guest reverend , joan Ross ,

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reverend Ross is the operating director

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of the North End Woodward Community

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Coalition in Detroit michigan reverend

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ross . Thank you . Good afternoon

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Vice President Harris and thank you for

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inviting me to this conversation today .

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Northern Woodward Community Coalition

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is a Detroit based social justice

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community development organization

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working to build power by focusing on

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equitable systems change . We

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established opportunities that improve

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the quality of life for our community

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and which create workforce development

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opportunities with the goal of

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community retaining ownership of the

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projects in North End Highland Park and

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Hamtramck michigan . We serve as an

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anchor organization in the Equitable

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Internet Initiative , which began in

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2016 as a collaborative partnership

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between the Detroit Community

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Technology Project and three anchor

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organizations in the community ,

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boulevard Harambe , Grayson Action and

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US . Our goal is to increase internet

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access in the three undeserved

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neighborhoods of Detroit . As you know ,

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Detroit is historically undeserved in

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high speed internet . Before the

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pandemic , it was estimated that as

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many as 40% of Detroiters had no access

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to broadband and for many , the

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only access that they did have was

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limited cell phone package access . We

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saw this in our own community during

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the pandemic , In our service area of

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Highland Park Michigan . In the early

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months of the pandemic , only 100

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Children were able to access online

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learning due to lack of access for

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Internet or equipment . We've been

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working to get families connected

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through our fixed wireless network ,

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providing what we call internet and a

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box service . Currently in the three

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communities in Detroit , our network

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now serves 300 households and eight

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nonprofit organizations . And we've

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erected seven solar powered wifi

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charging stations . It's been very

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impactful to see how this has affected

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families . And if I may , I'd like to

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share two stories with you . One is

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we have a grandma who has custody of

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her sixth grader who before the

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pandemic hit grandma had only a limited

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data package on her cell phone and when

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that ran out , the only option that she

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had was to sit on a nearby parking lot

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of a restaurant and access their wifi

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hot spot in september . We knocked on

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the door and offered them our internet

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in a box . Our other story is about a

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94 year old sister who is legally blind .

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But before the pandemic , she was very

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active able to write and supply stories

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for a local newsletter . But when the

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pandemic hit , she was isolated at home .

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We provided her our internet and a box

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service and spent several hours setting

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her up and finding apps that could be

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voice command so that she would have

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connection . We went beyond that and in

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her local church , we were able to

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connect them to the Internet and for

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the first time they were able to

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broadcast their service . So she got

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connected again to her church . We also

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work to increase Internet adoption

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through a digital Stewart training

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program which prepares residents in our

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neighborhoods to operate , manage and

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own the their own internet . All of our

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18 employees come from the communities

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they serve and are trained in community

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organizing and the technology necessary

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to maintain a network . Thank you .

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Thank you . Thank you , reverend ross .

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Thank you . I know the vice president

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may have some questions for you ,

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reverend Mosque . Certainly . So , um ,

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the way I think of what you've done and

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in the term I I used to think of it is

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basically a community internet model .

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Um , and it reminds me of the co op ,

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it reminds me of basically , like you

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said , it's the community retaining

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ownership . It's not for profit . It's

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it's literally from the community of

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the community and for the community .

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And so one of the things that I think

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is a very important Aspect of that

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is what you have done to hire from the

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community and create jobs in the

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community and trained members of the

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community . So I know you employ 18

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people I believe from the community and

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you have provided um to to a larger

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group of the community devices and

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classes . Can you talk a little bit

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about that part of the work that you're

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doing , which is in addition to getting

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people access and making it affordable ,

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what you're doing in terms of workforce ,

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what you're doing in terms of the

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devices piece and then teaching people

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computer literacy . Okay . So the first

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thing we did in the early months of the

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pan and that's a collect as many

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donated pieces of equipment as we could

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find all the computers . Uh , and then

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what in um ,

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and taught them how to refurbish the

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computers so that we could pack our

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internet in the box , the internet in

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the box , color codes , everything ,

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all of the cave . Everything you need

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for . Internet is contained in the box

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and mouse and mouse pad , every cable ,

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every connection . And they're all

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color coded . So we could set a box on

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your porch and then you could install

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the inside while our guys install the

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outside . So the first thing to get

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access , we had to have equipment and

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we tried to use what's already on the

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planet versus a lot of new stuff .

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So that was that took a couple of

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months to just collect refurbished ,

16:13.860 --> 16:15.860
equipped or equipment that we could

16:15.860 --> 16:18.230
refurbish As far as the Digital Stewart

16:18.230 --> 16:20.960
program , we do employ 18 people from

16:20.960 --> 16:23.550
the community and we do pay a living

16:23.550 --> 16:26.720
wage . Um we put them through an eight

16:26.730 --> 16:29.330
week training program . We like them

16:29.330 --> 16:31.890
living in the community that they serve

16:31.900 --> 16:34.011
because then it becomes very personal

16:34.011 --> 16:37.040
to them that their neighbor is without

16:37.050 --> 16:39.840
internet that the grandma that they saw

16:39.840 --> 16:42.100
in the grocery store doesn't have an

16:42.110 --> 16:44.730
app on her phone and we get called for

16:44.730 --> 16:47.080
more than just computers . Of course

16:47.080 --> 16:49.660
they call us for every app there is .

16:50.140 --> 16:52.770
So the idea is the connection of

16:52.770 --> 16:55.700
community taking care of each other .

16:55.710 --> 16:58.660
When we talk about the stories that are

16:58.660 --> 17:02.210
shared , those are stories that have a

17:02.210 --> 17:05.980
personal relation to us that an S . P .

17:05.980 --> 17:08.091
A . Big company wouldn't care whether

17:08.091 --> 17:11.040
she had apps on her computer or legally

17:11.040 --> 17:13.460
blind person . Once they provided the

17:13.460 --> 17:15.571
service they thought they would think

17:15.571 --> 17:18.040
their job is over . But the digital

17:18.040 --> 17:20.230
Stewart program because that's our

17:20.230 --> 17:22.880
families that's our community , they

17:22.880 --> 17:26.860
build a stronger care and concern into

17:26.860 --> 17:29.082
maintaining and keeping our network And

17:29.082 --> 17:31.630
we do have 24 hour maintenance . So for

17:31.630 --> 17:34.210
24 hours there up watching our network

17:34.210 --> 17:36.450
to make sure it doesn't go down , wow

17:37.640 --> 17:39.860
okay . We need to scale up what you're

17:39.860 --> 17:43.210
doing . That is so impressive and

17:43.210 --> 17:46.510
you're right , it's , it's what a

17:46.510 --> 17:49.730
beautiful model of having community ,

17:49.730 --> 17:51.850
take care of each other in a way that

17:51.860 --> 17:54.140
that satisfies all of those needs . Um

17:54.150 --> 17:56.150
thank you . Thank you . Thank you .

17:56.240 --> 17:58.760
Thank you . Vice president . Thank you .

17:58.770 --> 18:01.080
Thank you , reverend ross . I want to

18:01.080 --> 18:03.080
now introduce Amanda Schermerhorn .

18:03.080 --> 18:05.130
Amanda is a federal legislative

18:05.140 --> 18:08.280
advocacy fellow with Lead Minnesota .

18:08.280 --> 18:11.290
She is a recent graduate of Minnesota

18:11.300 --> 18:13.720
State Community and Technical College

18:13.730 --> 18:16.240
and she is a mother of four . Amanda .

18:16.240 --> 18:18.184
Why don't you tell us your story ?

18:18.640 --> 18:20.600
Hello , thank you , madam . Vice

18:20.600 --> 18:22.600
president for having us all today .

18:22.600 --> 18:24.489
It's really an honor . My name is

18:24.489 --> 18:26.433
Amanda neighborhood . I majored in

18:26.433 --> 18:28.656
political science at M ST Detroit lakes

18:28.656 --> 18:30.822
Minnesota and I am attending Minnesota

18:30.822 --> 18:32.989
State University Moorhead this fall to

18:32.989 --> 18:35.100
further my education . I'm a wife and

18:35.100 --> 18:37.100
mother of four . Our oldest two are

18:37.100 --> 18:39.322
twins . Ellen Travis there 14 . Silence

18:39.322 --> 18:41.378
is 11 . Little Richard is seven . He

18:41.378 --> 18:43.489
has level three autism and is for the

18:43.489 --> 18:47.000
most part nonverbal . So in to 2019 ,

18:47.010 --> 18:49.300
um , nearly 15 years after my last

18:49.300 --> 18:51.356
semester of high school , I felt the

18:51.356 --> 18:53.244
time had come for me to pursue my

18:53.244 --> 18:55.133
dreams of becoming a civil rights

18:55.133 --> 18:57.400
attorney . I've always wanted to follow

18:57.400 --> 19:01.200
in the footsteps of RBG . I've

19:01.200 --> 19:03.367
always wanted to use my voice to speak

19:03.367 --> 19:05.256
up for those who may not have the

19:05.256 --> 19:07.422
privilege to speak for themselves . So

19:07.422 --> 19:09.533
enrolled in online prior legal course

19:09.533 --> 19:11.700
at our local community college . And I

19:11.700 --> 19:13.922
really enjoyed my first semester back .

19:13.922 --> 19:15.811
I switched uh political science .

19:15.811 --> 19:17.978
Excuse me . Shortly after the pandemic

19:17.978 --> 19:20.033
began with all the classes moving to

19:20.033 --> 19:22.144
being virtual . Um that was something

19:22.144 --> 19:24.200
that was able to do and I figured it

19:24.200 --> 19:26.200
was like a choice to better educate

19:26.200 --> 19:28.089
myself on the legislative process

19:28.089 --> 19:30.033
before going on to law school with

19:30.033 --> 19:32.200
everything being virtual . As I said ,

19:32.200 --> 19:34.311
I was able to join our campus student

19:34.311 --> 19:36.533
government . I served as vice president

19:36.533 --> 19:38.700
of our campus through my S . G . A . I

19:38.700 --> 19:40.811
was introduced to lead Mn , a student

19:40.811 --> 19:42.900
led organization representing

19:42.910 --> 19:46.530
180,000 plus two year college students

19:46.530 --> 19:49.010
in Minnesota about the honor . Yeah .

19:49.020 --> 19:51.820
Yeah . There's a lot of us I have had

19:51.820 --> 19:53.653
the honor of being a legislative

19:53.653 --> 19:55.653
advocacy intern with the demands of

19:55.653 --> 19:57.764
november . I helped schedule hundreds

19:57.764 --> 19:59.987
and hundreds of meetings with our state

19:59.987 --> 20:02.153
lawmakers and we worked really hard to

20:02.153 --> 20:04.376
elevate the voices of our students that

20:04.376 --> 20:06.487
are escaped advocacy data there . The

20:06.487 --> 20:06.480
people I work with are impressive ,

20:06.480 --> 20:08.536
diverse and inspirational to say the

20:08.536 --> 20:10.536
least through lead . Um , and I was

20:10.536 --> 20:12.591
able to become a student fellow with

20:12.591 --> 20:14.924
the national college attainment network .

20:14.924 --> 20:16.813
We had a really successful double

20:16.813 --> 20:18.813
health campaign that we did . Being

20:18.813 --> 20:20.813
able to share with our stories with

20:20.813 --> 20:22.860
people on the hill was an amazing

20:22.860 --> 20:25.020
experience for myself and for our

20:25.020 --> 20:27.242
fellow students . Of course , however ,

20:27.242 --> 20:29.409
none of this would have been able , it

20:29.409 --> 20:31.353
would have been possible Excuse me

20:31.353 --> 20:33.353
without technology . So lead on the

20:33.353 --> 20:35.520
ends of the office is actually located

20:35.520 --> 20:37.687
uh in Saint Paul . So that's over four

20:37.687 --> 20:39.909
ourselves from my home and that's not a

20:39.909 --> 20:41.900
good traffic it . So they have

20:41.900 --> 20:43.789
graciously offered to allow me to

20:43.789 --> 20:45.956
continue working virtually despite our

20:45.956 --> 20:48.178
restrictions being lifted . Um , I have

20:48.178 --> 20:50.400
accepted a fellowship to take our state

20:50.400 --> 20:52.678
state advocacy work to a federal level .

20:52.678 --> 20:54.789
So this would have never happened had

20:54.789 --> 20:56.956
it not been for technology ? Of course

20:56.956 --> 20:58.733
being a student , parents split

20:58.733 --> 21:00.789
Children , it's a delicate balancing

21:00.789 --> 21:02.789
act . Before the pandemic . I found

21:02.789 --> 21:04.789
myself staying up until midnight to

21:04.789 --> 21:06.956
meet deadlines over the past year . It

21:06.956 --> 21:08.900
was not uncommon for me to wake up

21:08.900 --> 21:10.844
before four am to ensure I have my

21:10.844 --> 21:13.011
class work done before I would have to

21:13.011 --> 21:12.470
wake up . My Children tell them that

21:12.470 --> 21:15.080
there's not only was either tutor , I

21:15.080 --> 21:16.969
was physical therapist , a speech

21:16.969 --> 21:19.191
therapist and an occupational therapist

21:19.191 --> 21:21.413
as well , but many of those services my

21:21.413 --> 21:23.413
youngest received at school . So of

21:23.413 --> 21:25.747
course those were cut off . At the time .

21:25.747 --> 21:28.170
I found myself hiding in my car on my

21:28.170 --> 21:30.470
mobile hotspot often trying to do my

21:30.470 --> 21:32.692
work while my kids were on . There's no

21:32.692 --> 21:34.803
classes or even in the parking lot of

21:34.803 --> 21:36.803
my clothes . College campus . Uh we

21:36.803 --> 21:38.859
extended wifi to the parking lot for

21:38.859 --> 21:41.081
those that may not have had internet at

21:41.081 --> 21:43.248
home at the time . The cares act grant

21:43.248 --> 21:45.650
allowed me to receive a new laptop . My

21:45.650 --> 21:47.872
last one was over four years old . So I

21:47.872 --> 21:50.206
was getting a little little slow . So O .

21:50.206 --> 21:52.261
K . Through 12 students at that time

21:52.261 --> 21:54.317
didn't have the options . And I know

21:54.317 --> 21:56.483
some classes already shared devices at

21:56.483 --> 21:58.650
our schools . Our rural location means

21:58.650 --> 22:00.817
we don't have access to that . We uh ,

22:00.817 --> 22:02.650
we don't have fiber optic cables

22:02.650 --> 22:04.650
running to our home . Um , they run

22:04.650 --> 22:06.594
under the road near our home , but

22:06.594 --> 22:08.872
that's nearly two football fields away .

22:08.872 --> 22:08.640
It would cost us thousands and were

22:08.640 --> 22:10.696
renters . So it's just not something

22:10.696 --> 22:12.807
that we can do . However , our family

22:12.807 --> 22:14.973
persisted . We have two Children going

22:14.973 --> 22:17.029
into high school . Our daughter made

22:17.029 --> 22:19.362
the honourable . Congratulations . Yeah .

22:19.362 --> 22:21.473
Another is going to middle school and

22:21.473 --> 22:23.696
the youngest moves on to second grade .

22:23.696 --> 22:25.862
I graduated with high honors this year

22:25.862 --> 22:28.029
and was inducted into phi beta kappa .

22:28.029 --> 22:29.973
And here I am speaking to the vice

22:29.973 --> 22:32.140
president I mentioned before we got on

22:32.140 --> 22:34.490
this was actually uh the first half to

22:34.490 --> 22:36.980
one of my biggest goal . Uh I said I

22:36.980 --> 22:39.091
wanted to meet Vice President and the

22:39.091 --> 22:41.258
president . So imagine my shock when I

22:41.258 --> 22:43.313
got to call on thursday . So again ,

22:43.313 --> 22:45.369
thank you so much for having us . Oh

22:45.369 --> 22:47.900
well , what an incredible story . And

22:47.900 --> 22:51.520
I'm so inspired by you . Um it's

22:51.530 --> 22:54.400
what , that's just congratulations on

22:54.410 --> 22:56.354
everything that you have worked to

22:56.354 --> 22:58.810
achieve and that your family has worked

22:58.810 --> 23:01.940
to achieve . Where do I start ? There's

23:01.940 --> 23:03.996
so much to say about everything that

23:03.996 --> 23:06.218
you've mentioned , but but I'm going to

23:06.218 --> 23:08.384
focus on the high speed internet piece

23:08.384 --> 23:11.730
of it because to your point ,

23:11.740 --> 23:14.190
everything that you have shared with us ,

23:14.200 --> 23:17.860
almost all of it required access

23:18.730 --> 23:21.630
and affordable access and you have a

23:21.630 --> 23:25.380
family of six people and in all of

23:25.380 --> 23:28.060
those people required access . And

23:28.940 --> 23:31.250
um you know I think about it in the

23:31.250 --> 23:33.472
context of you having to go to your car

23:33.472 --> 23:35.790
or go to a parking lot to actually have

23:35.790 --> 23:37.901
access . So let's let's talk a little

23:37.901 --> 23:40.830
bit about that and what that meant in

23:40.830 --> 23:44.200
terms of what you wanted for your

23:44.200 --> 23:46.367
family during that period of time that

23:46.367 --> 23:49.600
you just couldn't do because you didn't

23:49.600 --> 23:52.870
have the access that you needed . Of

23:52.870 --> 23:55.380
course I wanted to be there for them as

23:55.380 --> 23:58.220
much as they as I could be as much of a

23:58.220 --> 24:00.660
support to them in their class work as

24:00.660 --> 24:03.080
I am sure I was already online . So it

24:03.080 --> 24:05.310
wasn't as difficult as a transition for

24:05.310 --> 24:08.420
myself but helping all my Children to

24:08.420 --> 24:11.700
adjust to that was difficult . So I

24:11.700 --> 24:14.580
think that um not being able to be here

24:14.580 --> 24:16.747
for some of it with the older kids was

24:16.747 --> 24:18.802
really stressful but then also I did

24:18.802 --> 24:21.420
not want to quit . Um because I wanted

24:21.420 --> 24:23.780
my kids to see that , you know , when

24:23.780 --> 24:25.891
we , when we have struggles , we just

24:25.891 --> 24:27.947
did , I always say no pressure don't

24:27.947 --> 24:30.430
damage , so we just gotta keep good for

24:30.430 --> 24:33.470
you did . Um And so during that period

24:33.470 --> 24:36.560
of time , did , how did you all , did

24:36.560 --> 24:39.030
everyone take turns in terms of when

24:39.040 --> 24:41.262
they were online or how did that work ?

24:41.262 --> 24:43.429
I'm assuming everyone who needed to be

24:43.429 --> 24:45.540
online couldn't be online at the same

24:45.540 --> 24:47.596
time . Yeah , at first , um we had a

24:47.596 --> 24:49.790
few of uh the twins were sharing a

24:49.790 --> 24:51.957
device , so they would take turns . Um

24:51.957 --> 24:54.012
fortunately at that point in time it

24:54.012 --> 24:56.580
wasn't as structured , it was more of

24:56.590 --> 24:58.812
being , they were in middle school , it

24:58.812 --> 25:00.923
was , they could sign on and do their

25:00.923 --> 25:02.868
work as needed . But then with the

25:02.868 --> 25:02.550
younger kids that got to be a little

25:02.550 --> 25:04.450
more difficult . And then also my

25:04.460 --> 25:06.571
youngest richard with his oxygen , he

25:06.571 --> 25:08.682
needs a lot of therapy and speech and

25:08.682 --> 25:10.904
stuff like that . So being able to help

25:10.904 --> 25:13.016
him with that while helping the other

25:13.016 --> 25:14.904
Children with their classwork was

25:14.904 --> 25:16.793
difficult . I'm going to tell the

25:16.793 --> 25:19.680
president that I talk to you today and

25:19.690 --> 25:22.690
um and how inspiring your story is and

25:22.690 --> 25:24.912
thank you for that and all that you are

25:24.912 --> 25:27.023
doing and just keep keep at it , keep

25:27.023 --> 25:30.970
at it and thank you . Thank

25:30.970 --> 25:33.480
you Amanda . I'm now very pleased to

25:33.480 --> 25:36.630
introduce Dr Aaron payment . Doctor

25:36.630 --> 25:39.830
payment is the chairman of the Sault

25:39.830 --> 25:42.380
Sainte Marie tribe of Chippewa Indians

25:42.390 --> 25:46.360
in michigan . Mr . Chairman police I

25:46.360 --> 25:48.527
need the usual Vice president Harris .

25:48.527 --> 25:50.360
I'm so grateful to be invited to

25:50.360 --> 25:52.527
advocate any countries broadband needs

25:52.527 --> 25:54.416
appreciate travel engagement as a

25:54.416 --> 25:56.582
matter of equity to redress the impact

25:56.582 --> 25:58.693
the federal indian policy on outcomes

25:58.693 --> 26:00.416
as demonstrated in the U . S .

26:00.416 --> 26:02.416
Commission on Civil Rights , Broken

26:02.416 --> 26:04.193
promises report , but also as a

26:04.193 --> 26:06.027
reminder of the treaty and trust

26:06.027 --> 26:08.027
obligation for health education and

26:08.027 --> 26:10.138
social welfare , Which tribes prepaid

26:10.138 --> 26:12.249
with over 500 million acres of land .

26:12.249 --> 26:14.416
As a result , tribes have checkerboard

26:14.416 --> 26:16.360
reservations across rural Internet

26:16.360 --> 26:18.471
deserts and my tribe's service area .

26:18.471 --> 26:20.810
Nearly 40% have no access to broadband

26:20.820 --> 26:23.170
with some counties with less than 2%

26:23.340 --> 26:25.340
reliability is a continuing issue ,

26:25.340 --> 26:27.396
especially during peak times , which

26:27.396 --> 26:29.618
leaves tribes behind in terms of health

26:29.618 --> 26:31.840
education , social welfare and economic

26:31.840 --> 26:34.860
development . According to the 2019 FCC

26:34.860 --> 26:36.960
report , Souls on travel lands are

26:36.960 --> 26:39.470
nearly 4.5 times as likely to black

26:39.480 --> 26:42.070
broadband internet access . That's what

26:42.070 --> 26:44.292
we address to meet for telemedicine and

26:44.292 --> 26:46.403
tele behavioral health as they depend

26:46.403 --> 26:48.348
on reliable broadband access . For

26:48.348 --> 26:50.403
example , we had a critical need for

26:50.403 --> 26:52.237
enhanced telemedicine to support

26:52.237 --> 26:54.348
biometric checks for diabetics during

26:54.348 --> 26:56.348
the shutdown of our health center .

26:56.348 --> 26:58.459
While the pandemic forge new pathways

26:58.459 --> 27:00.681
for using technology and providing real

27:00.681 --> 27:02.848
time biofeedback optimization requires

27:02.848 --> 27:04.860
reliable broadband infrastructure

27:05.240 --> 27:07.407
regarding behavioral health . The need

27:07.407 --> 27:09.407
for virtual therapeutic connections

27:09.407 --> 27:11.462
became obvious during the pandemic ,

27:11.462 --> 27:13.407
especially with an enduring opiate

27:13.407 --> 27:15.462
crisis . My needs , for example , is

27:15.462 --> 27:17.684
flying under the radar but their opiate

27:17.684 --> 27:19.907
addiction , reliable therapeutic access

27:19.907 --> 27:21.796
is dependent on reliable internet

27:21.796 --> 27:24.110
access . As a high school dropout who

27:24.110 --> 27:26.332
went on to earn a doctor in education .

27:26.332 --> 27:29.050
I have to comment regarding education

27:29.060 --> 27:31.360
equity with the digital divide . Whole

27:31.360 --> 27:32.916
populations of students are

27:32.916 --> 27:34.916
disadvantaged . Our first americans

27:34.916 --> 27:37.082
continue to have the worst educational

27:37.082 --> 27:39.138
outcomes . The pandemic has left all

27:39.138 --> 27:41.138
schools with the challenge of still

27:41.138 --> 27:43.304
having to meet assessment benchmarks .

27:43.304 --> 27:45.360
Remedial diagnostics and response to

27:45.360 --> 27:47.416
intervention are needed . High speed

27:47.416 --> 27:49.638
internet of supplemental instruction is

27:49.638 --> 27:51.870
essential to catch up . Please include

27:51.870 --> 27:54.020
these in any infrastructure package

27:54.020 --> 27:56.360
discussions and negotiations . And so

27:56.360 --> 27:58.582
again thank you , Vice president of the

27:58.582 --> 28:00.749
honor of presenting to you today . And

28:00.749 --> 28:02.971
I hope they have an exciting question .

28:02.971 --> 28:05.138
Well thank you Chairperson . It's good

28:05.138 --> 28:08.210
to see you again uh And and you know I

28:08.220 --> 28:10.600
cannot reiterate enough the importance

28:10.600 --> 28:12.378
of our government to government

28:12.378 --> 28:15.240
relationship . Um You talked about the

28:15.250 --> 28:18.150
patchwork and can you just talk a

28:18.150 --> 28:20.206
little bit more ? I thought what you

28:20.206 --> 28:22.550
said about basically reliable . If we

28:22.550 --> 28:24.550
don't have reliable access we can't

28:24.550 --> 28:26.661
have reliable services is essentially

28:26.661 --> 28:28.772
what I hear you saying right in terms

28:28.772 --> 28:30.939
of having access , making sure that it

28:30.939 --> 28:33.190
is consistent so that people can get

28:33.190 --> 28:35.370
the basic needs like the needs of your

28:35.370 --> 28:38.620
niece . Um In terms of telemedicine

28:38.620 --> 28:41.360
that maybe about uh substance , it may

28:41.360 --> 28:44.430
be about mental health um diabetes .

28:44.440 --> 28:46.607
Can you talk a little bit about how it

28:46.607 --> 28:50.170
has been working um for you in terms of

28:50.170 --> 28:52.530
the patchwork and what has not happened

28:52.530 --> 28:54.820
as a result of that ? Like what what

28:54.820 --> 28:58.020
what do we need to fix ? Absolutely .

28:58.030 --> 29:01.280
So my tribe has an mou with the V . A .

29:01.280 --> 29:03.280
To be able to also reach out to our

29:03.280 --> 29:05.570
veterans uh made of people have served

29:05.570 --> 29:07.403
at the highest rate in our armed

29:07.403 --> 29:09.070
services of any racial ethnic

29:09.070 --> 29:11.110
population . And so we were already

29:11.110 --> 29:14.900
moving in the direction of uh bringing

29:14.900 --> 29:16.789
health care to people rather than

29:16.789 --> 29:18.844
waiting to have them come to us . So

29:18.844 --> 29:21.011
we're already making those strides for

29:21.011 --> 29:23.011
telemedicine . And the new area was

29:23.011 --> 29:25.067
telling behavior how especially with

29:25.067 --> 29:27.990
the opiate crisis . And unfortunately

29:27.990 --> 29:30.157
with the pandemic , we weren't able to

29:30.157 --> 29:32.760
see people on a face to face basis .

29:32.940 --> 29:35.610
And there was a leg in getting this new

29:35.610 --> 29:37.610
level of services , new approach to

29:37.610 --> 29:39.950
bringing services to people . And so ,

29:39.950 --> 29:42.970
and then uh when a rural community ,

29:42.980 --> 29:45.160
very real community , all of the upper

29:45.160 --> 29:47.450
peninsula of michigan and this much of

29:47.450 --> 29:48.950
the lower peninsula is one

29:48.950 --> 29:51.117
congressional district , so we're very

29:51.117 --> 29:53.750
rural and access to internet is very

29:53.750 --> 29:57.330
limited . And um and so for us to

29:57.340 --> 29:59.562
continue to move in that direction , to

29:59.562 --> 30:01.673
bring services to people to meet them

30:01.673 --> 30:03.673
where their needs are , rather than

30:03.673 --> 30:05.673
having them have to come to us , we

30:05.673 --> 30:07.118
have to really build that

30:07.118 --> 30:09.229
infrastructure for broadband and also

30:09.229 --> 30:11.396
not be so dependent . I loved what you

30:11.396 --> 30:13.396
said about the competitiveness , so

30:13.396 --> 30:15.460
that um we don't have a monopoly and

30:15.460 --> 30:17.293
that we actually facilitate that

30:17.293 --> 30:19.460
competitiveness that will drive prices

30:19.460 --> 30:22.750
down , so that's right . Um

30:22.760 --> 30:25.870
also , you know , we have in the

30:25.880 --> 30:28.610
there's a there there's there's work

30:28.610 --> 30:31.120
that we need to do also around as we

30:31.120 --> 30:33.342
were saying actually , um with reverend

30:33.342 --> 30:35.509
ross earlier about not only access and

30:35.509 --> 30:37.630
affordability , but the digital

30:37.630 --> 30:40.380
literacy piece of it , teaching people

30:40.380 --> 30:43.980
how to use the internet in a way that

30:43.980 --> 30:46.820
is helpful to them . Um when she was

30:46.820 --> 30:49.940
talking about having the elders getting

30:49.940 --> 30:53.870
them access to apps that help them live

30:53.880 --> 30:56.047
with a higher quality of life , do you

30:56.047 --> 30:58.213
have thoughts about that as it relates

30:58.213 --> 31:00.600
to indian country ? I do , because I

31:00.600 --> 31:02.767
will tell you , and I'm not even going

31:02.767 --> 31:04.989
to just say the others , but before the

31:04.989 --> 31:07.156
pandemic , I've never done a zoom call

31:07.156 --> 31:09.630
and remembering to get off of mute is

31:09.640 --> 31:13.290
uh so yes ,

31:13.290 --> 31:16.360
I think that , you know , the pandemic

31:16.360 --> 31:20.140
has enhanced or reliance on technology

31:20.140 --> 31:22.362
and so now we have to be able to depend

31:22.362 --> 31:24.540
on that technology and I think that I

31:24.540 --> 31:26.762
don't want to go backwards , you know ,

31:26.762 --> 31:28.707
we have , we can reach people like

31:28.707 --> 31:30.818
never before , so when we are able to

31:30.818 --> 31:32.707
come face to face and back to our

31:32.707 --> 31:34.596
paolo's and get togethers and our

31:34.596 --> 31:36.429
travel summit that we're looking

31:36.429 --> 31:38.762
forward to uh with you guys in december ,

31:38.762 --> 31:40.762
I don't want to go backwards and it

31:40.762 --> 31:42.484
does necessitate us to do that

31:42.484 --> 31:44.651
remediation to be able to say it's not

31:44.651 --> 31:46.850
that scary , it's really easy to use

31:46.940 --> 31:49.130
and we can connect like never before

31:49.140 --> 31:51.600
and we're excited about that And also I

31:51.600 --> 31:53.933
just want to say we are so proud of you ,

31:53.933 --> 31:56.044
I haven't seen you since the election

31:56.044 --> 31:58.211
in Indian country is 100% behind you .

31:58.211 --> 32:00.211
Thank you , thank you , thank you ,

32:00.211 --> 32:02.544
thank you for all your work , thank you .

32:02.544 --> 32:04.680
Yeah let's turn now to dr William

32:04.680 --> 32:06.760
Gonzalez , He's a primary care

32:06.760 --> 32:09.740
physician and an assistant professor at

32:09.740 --> 32:11.880
the university , the central florida

32:11.880 --> 32:14.047
College of Medicine in the great state

32:14.047 --> 32:15.769
of florida . Doctor Gonzalez .

32:17.640 --> 32:20.500
Sorry I need to a mute of course

32:20.510 --> 32:24.260
uh Madam Vice President is

32:24.260 --> 32:26.316
such an honor to be able to share my

32:26.316 --> 32:28.371
experience with you . Thank you very

32:28.371 --> 32:32.080
much . Um There's so much I want to say

32:32.090 --> 32:35.450
you know last year was it was

32:35.460 --> 32:37.680
tremendous . But I want to start by

32:37.680 --> 32:40.930
saying that as our country health care

32:40.930 --> 32:43.360
services go virtual via telemedicine .

32:43.740 --> 32:46.260
Those individuals in those communities

32:46.640 --> 32:49.530
that lack access to adequate broadband

32:49.540 --> 32:52.070
infrastructure and adequate internet

32:52.070 --> 32:54.470
connection will continue to suffer

32:54.470 --> 32:56.750
discrimination because of the digital

32:56.750 --> 32:59.920
divide as we saw last year . Um I'm a

32:59.920 --> 33:02.870
husband and a father of three Children .

33:02.880 --> 33:05.910
Um and I know how important it is to be

33:05.910 --> 33:08.021
able to take care of the family of my

33:08.021 --> 33:10.077
family , especially when it comes to

33:10.077 --> 33:13.220
health care issues . Um professionally

33:13.220 --> 33:15.331
I'm a board certified family medicine

33:15.331 --> 33:17.760
physician and I practice primary care

33:17.770 --> 33:20.550
via telemedicine which is the delivery

33:20.550 --> 33:23.550
of health care services remotely via in

33:23.560 --> 33:25.227
information and communication

33:25.227 --> 33:29.010
technologies . Uh Very telling .

33:29.010 --> 33:31.600
The COVID-19 public health emergency

33:31.600 --> 33:35.170
last year demonstrated the importance

33:35.180 --> 33:37.810
of telemedicine and telehealth to our

33:37.810 --> 33:40.930
health care system . Um uh in the

33:40.930 --> 33:44.170
journal Health Affairs an article

33:44.180 --> 33:47.920
showed that up to 30.1% of

33:47.930 --> 33:50.050
all health care visits last year ,

33:50.060 --> 33:53.520
especially during january to june 30.1%

33:53.520 --> 33:55.353
of our visits were completed via

33:55.353 --> 33:57.930
telemedicine . And the c . d . c . says

33:57.940 --> 34:01.360
that this was a 154%

34:01.360 --> 34:03.820
increase in all telehealth and

34:03.820 --> 34:06.030
telemedicine visits as compared to the

34:06.030 --> 34:08.670
same period in 2019 . That's

34:08.670 --> 34:12.250
significant . You work people needed it .

34:12.740 --> 34:15.270
Sick americans were able to access

34:15.270 --> 34:18.670
healthcare because of telemedicine . Um

34:19.240 --> 34:22.130
and telehealth and telemedicine is

34:22.140 --> 34:25.300
important because it increases access

34:25.300 --> 34:28.640
to healthcare services , especially to

34:28.640 --> 34:31.330
roll and underserved regions of this

34:31.330 --> 34:33.930
country really needed for the same

34:33.930 --> 34:36.980
reasons you mentioned uh physician

34:36.990 --> 34:40.270
uh mild distribution . Most physicians

34:40.280 --> 34:42.390
including myself practicing urban

34:42.390 --> 34:44.870
centers . So rural areas underserved

34:44.870 --> 34:48.140
communities lack local health care

34:48.140 --> 34:50.560
providers . So telemedicine helps to

34:50.570 --> 34:53.560
bring virtually these professionals .

34:53.940 --> 34:57.410
However , there are many barriers to

34:57.410 --> 34:59.410
the success of telehealth and

34:59.410 --> 35:02.590
telemedicine uh including uh

35:02.600 --> 35:04.822
interstate medical licensing . That's a

35:04.822 --> 35:07.360
big problem . Reimbursement for

35:07.360 --> 35:11.270
telehealth services uh And and

35:11.280 --> 35:13.391
last but not least . And I think most

35:13.391 --> 35:15.560
importantly is the issue at hand is

35:15.940 --> 35:19.260
access to broadband infrastructure and

35:19.270 --> 35:22.450
access to high speed internet . If we

35:22.450 --> 35:24.900
don't have a good internet connection ,

35:24.910 --> 35:27.243
we can't have good health care services .

35:27.243 --> 35:30.550
And yet our health . Um Let me tell you ,

35:30.560 --> 35:34.300
I live in Orlando florida but you might

35:34.300 --> 35:36.600
be surprised all of my patients . All

35:36.600 --> 35:39.970
of my clients live in Missouri . I've

35:39.980 --> 35:42.970
been practicing telehealth since 2016

35:43.540 --> 35:46.050
exclusively digital health and I've

35:46.050 --> 35:47.939
been seeing patients in different

35:47.939 --> 35:49.606
states such as texas michigan

35:49.606 --> 35:52.900
pennsylvania indiana florida .

35:52.910 --> 35:56.470
Obviously in a Missouri uh

35:56.480 --> 36:00.300
and it's no secret that lack

36:00.300 --> 36:03.440
of broadband infrastructure and lack of

36:03.440 --> 36:05.384
access to high speed internet is a

36:05.384 --> 36:07.920
problem in the state of Missouri . Some

36:07.920 --> 36:10.840
telling statistics that in the state of

36:10.840 --> 36:14.680
Missouri 20% of all Missourians

36:14.680 --> 36:17.160
lack access through high speed internet .

36:17.730 --> 36:20.660
And when you look at rural Missouri ,

36:21.030 --> 36:23.880
That number goes to 2/3 a little bit ,

36:23.880 --> 36:25.991
about two thirds of the population in

36:25.991 --> 36:29.120
rural Missouri lack access to high

36:29.120 --> 36:32.070
speed internet . And this

36:32.080 --> 36:34.880
tremendously limits my ability to

36:34.880 --> 36:38.390
expand my expertise to these

36:38.390 --> 36:40.790
areas . I mainly I work in the boot

36:40.790 --> 36:44.200
heel region of Missouri , which you

36:44.200 --> 36:46.311
know there's a lot of need for health

36:46.311 --> 36:48.600
care services . Uh so let me tell you

36:48.610 --> 36:51.470
some stories that I run into last year

36:51.480 --> 36:53.647
to give an example of the challenges .

36:53.647 --> 36:57.210
Um you know , a mother actually , a

36:57.220 --> 37:00.620
family with a two year old child were

37:00.620 --> 37:03.100
cooking and the child dropped a heavy

37:03.100 --> 37:05.267
kind of food and onto his right foot .

37:06.610 --> 37:08.610
And so the mom wants it , wanted to

37:08.610 --> 37:11.870
connect to talk to me about it . I

37:11.880 --> 37:14.560
could hear them very well , but because

37:14.560 --> 37:17.130
their internet connection was poor , I

37:17.130 --> 37:19.920
couldn't see . So you know , the mom

37:19.920 --> 37:22.590
wanted me to tell her whether the food

37:22.590 --> 37:25.620
was okay , You know the right victor

37:25.620 --> 37:27.676
was all swollen and red , she said ,

37:27.676 --> 37:29.710
but I couldn't see it . So

37:29.720 --> 37:32.800
unfortunately I had to send her to the

37:32.800 --> 37:35.280
hospital , which is exactly what she

37:35.280 --> 37:37.550
wanted to avoid , but I didn't know

37:37.550 --> 37:39.661
what to do because I couldn't provide

37:39.661 --> 37:43.170
the quality care that she deserves . Um

37:43.180 --> 37:46.490
Another example was a young adolescent ,

37:46.490 --> 37:48.460
The woman that was with her father

37:49.320 --> 37:51.042
sitting in their car next to a

37:51.042 --> 37:53.830
restaurant because they didn't have

37:53.830 --> 37:56.690
access to internet at home . She wanted

37:56.690 --> 37:59.210
to talk to me about acne care and how

37:59.210 --> 38:02.540
to treat her acne . That is so unfair .

38:03.220 --> 38:05.770
That is so unfair that she has to talk

38:05.780 --> 38:08.280
about her health care sitting in a car

38:08.280 --> 38:11.440
next to a restaurant , there's no need

38:11.440 --> 38:14.860
for that . Uh Madam , Vice president of

38:14.870 --> 38:17.540
the lack of broadband infrastructure

38:17.550 --> 38:19.606
and the lack of access to high speed

38:19.606 --> 38:22.550
internet . It is important for the

38:22.560 --> 38:25.280
realization and for the delivery of

38:25.280 --> 38:27.450
quality healthcare via telemedicine .

38:28.120 --> 38:31.180
Yeah , and addressing this issue is an

38:31.180 --> 38:33.180
important issue for all americans .

38:33.180 --> 38:35.570
Thank you very much for listening to my

38:35.570 --> 38:37.710
stories . Thank you Doctor Gonzalez .

38:37.710 --> 38:39.932
And these stories are great to hear . I

38:39.932 --> 38:42.154
will share these stories as examples of

38:42.154 --> 38:46.010
the point . Can you explain a bit about

38:46.090 --> 38:49.440
the use of telemedicine as it relates

38:49.440 --> 38:52.800
to mental health treatment compared to

38:52.810 --> 38:55.940
the use of telemedicine for physical

38:55.940 --> 38:58.930
health treatment or ? Yeah ,

39:00.320 --> 39:04.120
absolutely . Um you should not

39:04.460 --> 39:07.250
mental health care and tell a

39:07.620 --> 39:11.100
uh tele behavioral tele

39:11.100 --> 39:13.340
psychiatry . It was one of the first

39:13.340 --> 39:15.396
applications of telemetry in because

39:15.396 --> 39:18.320
it's so successful as long as you have

39:18.320 --> 39:21.070
a good connection , so you need , you

39:21.070 --> 39:24.430
know , um so it's

39:24.430 --> 39:27.640
really , really important that

39:28.020 --> 39:30.100
mental health and behavioral health

39:30.110 --> 39:33.020
patients have access to telemedicine .

39:33.030 --> 39:36.420
For example , here in florida , I work

39:36.430 --> 39:39.470
uh for a provider called in power

39:39.470 --> 39:42.770
florida . They are the largest mental

39:42.770 --> 39:44.603
health providers in the state of

39:44.603 --> 39:46.437
Florida using telemedicine . And

39:46.437 --> 39:48.492
they've been doing this since 2012 .

39:48.620 --> 39:52.060
The beauty of this is that uh all of

39:52.070 --> 39:55.860
our patients and empower florida . They

39:55.870 --> 39:58.148
don't , they keep their own psychiatry .

39:58.148 --> 40:00.259
It doesn't matter if they're in Miami

40:00.259 --> 40:02.481
or if they're in Tallahassee or if they

40:02.481 --> 40:04.537
moved to Jacksonville Orlando , they

40:04.537 --> 40:07.540
keep their doctor because the location

40:07.540 --> 40:09.484
doesn't matter . Geography doesn't

40:09.484 --> 40:11.870
matter . That's the beauty of

40:11.950 --> 40:14.020
telemedicine . Especially for mental

40:14.020 --> 40:17.140
health patients . Uh huh . And now when

40:17.140 --> 40:20.660
it comes to physical medicine , the

40:20.660 --> 40:22.660
things are a little bit different .

40:22.660 --> 40:24.827
Because now for example , if I'm going

40:24.827 --> 40:24.690
to treat someone who has high blood

40:24.690 --> 40:27.910
pressure or has heart disease or has

40:27.910 --> 40:31.190
diabetes more than a conversation , I

40:31.190 --> 40:34.000
also need to know things like uh you

40:34.000 --> 40:36.278
know , how is your heart doing ? Can I ,

40:36.278 --> 40:38.500
can I hear your heart ? Can I listen to

40:38.500 --> 40:40.833
your heart ? Can I listen to your lungs ?

40:40.833 --> 40:42.944
Can I you know if a child has a fever

40:42.944 --> 40:45.750
and an ear pain , can I look into your

40:45.760 --> 40:48.093
ears and see if there's a new infection ?

40:48.410 --> 40:51.700
I can do that via telemedicine . And I

40:51.710 --> 40:55.580
do it every single day . But I need to

40:55.580 --> 40:57.870
have a reliable connection because if

40:57.870 --> 41:01.780
not uh the technology doesn't work

41:01.780 --> 41:03.613
and I will not be able to do the

41:03.613 --> 41:05.391
assessment that I need . So the

41:05.391 --> 41:07.447
technology exists when you have high

41:07.447 --> 41:09.350
speed internet to hear someone's

41:09.350 --> 41:11.440
heartbeat . How does that work ?

41:13.010 --> 41:16.530
Very simple . There are so the same

41:16.530 --> 41:18.830
stethoscope that I used in the office

41:19.210 --> 41:21.960
and I played in my client's chest to

41:21.960 --> 41:24.016
hear there , listen to the heart and

41:24.016 --> 41:26.180
their lungs . Those same status cops

41:26.190 --> 41:30.140
come now in a digital version which

41:30.140 --> 41:32.500
can be connected via bluetooth or

41:32.500 --> 41:35.300
directly the U . S . B . To any

41:35.300 --> 41:38.390
computer . And that sound can be

41:38.390 --> 41:41.220
transmitted easily over the internet to

41:41.220 --> 41:45.060
a doctor across the country . And it's

41:45.070 --> 41:48.080
as good as in terms of the sound and

41:48.080 --> 41:50.460
the quality and then back to mental

41:50.460 --> 41:54.340
health . One last question , I'm under

41:54.340 --> 41:56.330
the understanding and belief that

41:57.010 --> 41:59.121
people are more likely to seek mental

41:59.121 --> 42:01.288
health treatment if they don't have to

42:01.288 --> 42:04.350
physically go to a therapist or a

42:04.350 --> 42:06.710
psychologist or psychiatrist office .

42:06.720 --> 42:10.520
Do you ? Does does evidence support

42:10.520 --> 42:14.270
that belief ? Yes , absolutely .

42:14.280 --> 42:17.700
So , so many uh , articles and

42:17.700 --> 42:20.120
reviews have been done specifically on

42:20.120 --> 42:23.910
that , on that issue . Uh , much of

42:23.920 --> 42:26.142
mental health in this country has to do

42:26.142 --> 42:29.020
with stress , anxiety and trauma . Um ,

42:29.800 --> 42:32.490
and many of these patients that suffer

42:32.490 --> 42:34.601
from these illnesses , they feel safe

42:34.601 --> 42:37.120
at home , they feel safe within their ,

42:37.500 --> 42:39.930
their environment . So when they're

42:39.930 --> 42:42.050
forced to live and go to places and

42:42.050 --> 42:44.930
meet new people and retell their story

42:44.930 --> 42:48.670
or relive those experiences

42:48.670 --> 42:52.230
or trauma that they have , um , you

42:52.230 --> 42:54.286
know , they choose not to , uh , you

42:54.286 --> 42:56.397
know , I'm just going to avoid that .

42:56.397 --> 42:58.452
But there's something about being at

42:58.452 --> 43:00.940
home or being in your safe ,

43:00.950 --> 43:04.510
comfortable space and then just click

43:04.510 --> 43:07.130
in your mouth or clicking your computer

43:07.320 --> 43:10.410
and just meeting someone you know

43:10.410 --> 43:13.130
across the state or across the country

43:13.440 --> 43:15.384
and talk to them about your issues

43:15.700 --> 43:18.240
while you're at the safety of your home .

43:18.250 --> 43:20.900
So , absolutely . Most reviews and

43:20.900 --> 43:23.470
studies done about this show exactly

43:23.470 --> 43:26.510
that , that , uh , health , mental

43:26.510 --> 43:28.890
health and the hero health patients are

43:28.890 --> 43:31.670
more likely to follow up and continue

43:31.680 --> 43:35.590
healthcare , uh , if the services are

43:35.600 --> 43:37.767
able to be provided via telemedicine .

43:38.000 --> 43:40.000
Thank you . Dr Gonzalez . Thank you

43:40.000 --> 43:42.111
very much . My pleasure . Thank you .

43:42.600 --> 43:45.140
We now turn to Kimberly , vast quest .

43:45.140 --> 43:47.150
Kimberly is a senior in high school

43:47.150 --> 43:50.010
senior at Baltimore City College and

43:50.010 --> 43:52.960
she is one of the lead organizers for a

43:52.960 --> 43:54.738
student led organization called

43:54.738 --> 43:57.340
Students organizing a multicultural and

43:57.340 --> 43:59.410
open society . It's almost , it's

43:59.410 --> 44:01.170
almost it's almost

44:01.180 --> 44:04.940
I read about your work .

44:04.940 --> 44:08.160
Hi . Oh , that's amazing . Well , good

44:08.160 --> 44:09.882
afternoon , thank you for this

44:09.882 --> 44:12.150
opportunity to speak with you . Um , as

44:12.160 --> 44:14.216
uh , Mr Evans said , I am from early

44:14.216 --> 44:16.549
Vasquez that you see her pronounce . Um ,

44:16.549 --> 44:19.200
and so almost is made up of most

44:19.200 --> 44:21.300
hardworking , um , immigrants and

44:21.300 --> 44:23.420
Children of immigrants . Um , and

44:23.420 --> 44:25.420
personally as a student who heavily

44:25.420 --> 44:27.531
relies on Comcast Internet essentials

44:27.531 --> 44:29.531
program , which is a $9.95 plan for

44:29.531 --> 44:31.642
low-income families , it's a constant

44:31.642 --> 44:33.864
battle for me and my younger sisters to

44:33.864 --> 44:36.250
enter and stay connected to our classes ,

44:36.260 --> 44:38.371
like , like this call right now . And

44:38.371 --> 44:40.482
so many others . I depend on my phone

44:40.482 --> 44:42.538
and cellular data so that my sisters

44:42.538 --> 44:45.220
and I can have faster speeds and get

44:45.230 --> 44:48.040
kicked off of our classes less many

44:48.040 --> 44:50.207
mornings throughout this pandemic . My

44:50.207 --> 44:52.151
family and I had to decide who got

44:52.151 --> 44:54.373
priority to use the internet . Um , was

44:54.373 --> 44:56.207
it going to be me and my sisters

44:56.207 --> 44:58.151
education or was it going to be my

44:58.151 --> 45:00.096
parents work that puts food on the

45:00.096 --> 45:01.873
table and I hope this gives you

45:01.873 --> 45:03.873
perspective on a day in the life of

45:03.873 --> 45:05.873
students across the country and the

45:05.873 --> 45:08.040
importance of adopting functional high

45:08.040 --> 45:10.380
speed internet . But when it comes to

45:10.390 --> 45:12.690
closing the digital divide , adoption

45:12.690 --> 45:15.130
is often overlooked . You could have an

45:15.130 --> 45:17.620
exceptional program like the emergency

45:17.620 --> 45:19.509
broadband benefit , but if people

45:19.509 --> 45:21.676
aren't using it or know how to or even

45:21.676 --> 45:23.898
know it exists , it essentially becomes

45:23.898 --> 45:26.370
useless in Baltimore . We the youth

45:26.370 --> 45:28.650
have taken the lead in digital equity

45:28.660 --> 45:31.840
and first we want $3 million in city

45:31.840 --> 45:34.130
funding for computers and hotspots for

45:34.130 --> 45:36.450
students . Then we successfully pushed

45:36.450 --> 45:38.283
Comcast to double their internet

45:38.283 --> 45:40.061
essential speeds for low income

45:40.061 --> 45:42.283
customers . Now , alongside a coalition

45:42.283 --> 45:44.061
of advocates , were encouraging

45:44.061 --> 45:46.090
Baltimore officials to invest $1

45:46.090 --> 45:48.201
million from the american Rescue Plan

45:48.201 --> 45:50.257
towards creating a sustainable youth

45:50.257 --> 45:52.480
jobs program of digital navigators .

45:52.490 --> 45:54.870
This program would connect you to

45:54.870 --> 45:57.090
technology and further develop their

45:57.090 --> 45:59.300
digital literacy skills . Just as my

45:59.300 --> 46:01.520
peers already helped their families ,

46:01.530 --> 46:03.697
they would guide residents of all ages

46:03.697 --> 46:06.100
on how to effectively adopt technology

46:06.110 --> 46:08.054
and internet benefits . This would

46:08.054 --> 46:09.999
bring youth voice to the table and

46:09.999 --> 46:12.150
provide a pathway for marginalized

46:12.150 --> 46:14.550
students to high quality jobs . Madam

46:14.550 --> 46:16.840
Vice President You've talked about how

46:16.840 --> 46:18.896
important school busing was when you

46:18.896 --> 46:21.062
were a student . Like those buses . We

46:21.062 --> 46:23.118
need high speed Internet to exercise

46:23.118 --> 46:25.007
our own constitutional right to a

46:25.007 --> 46:28.020
quality education . This is a critical

46:28.030 --> 46:30.590
civil rights issue of the 21st century .

46:31.280 --> 46:33.740
Some most believes we need these youth

46:33.740 --> 46:35.820
jobs , not just in Baltimore the

46:35.820 --> 46:38.200
nationwide , similar to programs like

46:38.200 --> 46:40.200
AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps , we

46:40.200 --> 46:42.256
need a digit core , a national youth

46:42.256 --> 46:44.200
jobs program that solves issues of

46:44.200 --> 46:46.256
digital illiteracy and access across

46:46.256 --> 46:48.590
all our communities . This adoption

46:48.600 --> 46:50.656
strategy would dramatically increase

46:50.656 --> 46:52.433
how many community members will

46:52.433 --> 46:54.190
actually take advantage of the

46:54.190 --> 46:56.301
emergency broadband benefit and other

46:56.301 --> 46:58.523
services . This program would help with

46:58.523 --> 47:00.850
covid response , the economy and racial

47:00.850 --> 47:02.906
justice . Three out of the four core

47:02.906 --> 47:04.350
values your administrator

47:04.350 --> 47:07.320
administration holds also the emergency

47:07.320 --> 47:09.487
broadband benefit needs to be extended

47:09.487 --> 47:11.264
beyond the pandemic . Just like

47:11.264 --> 47:13.153
Medicaid for health care and snap

47:13.153 --> 47:15.370
benefits , food access . We deserve

47:15.380 --> 47:17.602
reliable access to quality , functional

47:17.602 --> 47:20.320
internet . And uh finally , we can't

47:20.320 --> 47:22.560
solve the divide by giving more money

47:22.560 --> 47:24.950
to the corporations who helps create it .

47:24.960 --> 47:27.060
As the administration works on the

47:27.060 --> 47:29.116
american jobs plan , please keep the

47:29.116 --> 47:31.171
sections that protect the ability of

47:31.171 --> 47:33.060
cities and states to build public

47:33.060 --> 47:36.750
internet . Thank you brava .

47:36.760 --> 47:40.690
Well done . So let's talk a little

47:40.690 --> 47:44.470
bit about , okay , you

47:44.470 --> 47:46.470
covered a lot and I was frantically

47:46.470 --> 47:49.910
taking notes as you spoke . Um students ,

47:50.580 --> 47:52.858
what makes it , I don't want to always ,

47:52.858 --> 47:54.913
I think your point about adoption is

47:54.913 --> 47:57.490
very is very critical one . And so I

47:57.490 --> 48:01.440
don't want to assume that a

48:01.450 --> 48:05.060
certain age cohort uh just

48:05.070 --> 48:07.980
automatically gets it in terms of how

48:07.980 --> 48:10.550
to get online , how to maximize

48:10.560 --> 48:12.671
resources online . Tell me how you're

48:12.671 --> 48:16.150
thinking about that piece of it . Yeah .

48:16.160 --> 48:20.130
So um I think we training

48:20.140 --> 48:22.290
these individuals would be critical .

48:22.300 --> 48:24.990
Um So we're not just helping youth but

48:24.990 --> 48:26.990
as well they would be helping other

48:26.990 --> 48:29.157
people . And I think that's the beauty

48:29.157 --> 48:31.268
of it . Um I think we need to look at

48:31.268 --> 48:33.330
our young people as resources and

48:33.340 --> 48:36.600
solving this issue . Um And as well if

48:36.600 --> 48:39.300
I might add , um you know , I think

48:39.300 --> 48:41.633
they should be , if a program like this ,

48:41.633 --> 48:44.850
they should be paid $15 an hour minimum .

48:44.860 --> 48:47.460
Um A lot of the youth that I'm friends

48:47.460 --> 48:50.090
with , they provide and support the

48:50.090 --> 48:52.090
financial needs of their families ,

48:52.090 --> 48:54.050
paying bills , groceries , medical

48:54.050 --> 48:56.161
attention and other needs and as well

48:56.161 --> 48:58.910
as college costs continue to rise uh We

48:58.910 --> 49:02.020
need to save for college um and also

49:02.020 --> 49:05.080
ensuring that are undocumented students ,

49:05.090 --> 49:07.330
undocumented students can access job

49:07.340 --> 49:10.030
opportunities um since they're fairly

49:10.030 --> 49:12.900
often behind . But um yeah , I think

49:13.270 --> 49:15.326
yeah , I think it's it's a brilliant

49:15.326 --> 49:18.410
idea . Um And I think um in doing this

49:18.410 --> 49:20.521
we are going to connect more families

49:20.521 --> 49:23.080
to the services that they need since

49:23.080 --> 49:25.290
everything's going virtual . And just

49:25.670 --> 49:27.940
if you had to guess what percentage of

49:27.940 --> 49:30.670
students that you know or that you are

49:30.680 --> 49:33.700
going to school with have a

49:34.070 --> 49:36.580
computer or a desktop as opposed to a

49:36.580 --> 49:39.790
cell phone . Um

49:40.270 --> 49:43.620
I well my my school Baltimore City

49:43.620 --> 49:46.460
College high school um we are like 80%

49:46.460 --> 49:49.530
black . And so uh in my classes , I see

49:49.530 --> 49:51.390
a lot of times that a lot of the

49:51.390 --> 49:53.500
students , usually black and brown

49:53.500 --> 49:55.960
students have their cameras off . And

49:55.970 --> 49:58.192
for me that's the same thing because if

49:58.192 --> 50:01.380
I don't have it off , then the Audio

50:01.380 --> 50:03.269
puts out and I just have a lot of

50:03.269 --> 50:06.360
complications . Um so I would say ,

50:06.360 --> 50:09.540
well in Baltimore , 40.7% of households

50:09.540 --> 50:11.830
have no broadband Internet access . Um

50:11.830 --> 50:14.450
and so when we were looking at my race ,

50:14.460 --> 50:16.920
really , one out of every two black and

50:16.920 --> 50:19.190
Latino kids could not access their

50:19.190 --> 50:21.750
online education . Um And you know , my

50:21.750 --> 50:24.550
story isn't unique . Um That's the

50:24.560 --> 50:26.560
that's the big point . I just had a

50:26.560 --> 50:29.490
platform to put it on there . Um But

50:29.490 --> 50:32.330
how about laptops and and desktops ? Do

50:32.330 --> 50:35.030
you have a sense of what percentage of

50:35.030 --> 50:37.440
the high school students in Baltimore

50:37.440 --> 50:41.390
have laptops or desktops ? Um I

50:41.400 --> 50:44.170
believe 80.7% of white households have

50:44.180 --> 50:47.310
these devices , while 60% of african

50:47.310 --> 50:49.477
americans , one Sue and the figure for

50:49.477 --> 50:52.870
hispanic households is 47.5% . Yeah ,

50:53.960 --> 50:57.210
thank you . Thank you . Keep doing what

50:57.210 --> 51:00.930
you're doing . Thank you Kimberly .

51:00.940 --> 51:03.273
I'm pleased to introduce Megan . Kaiser .

51:03.273 --> 51:06.420
Megan is a soybean farmer and soil

51:06.420 --> 51:08.670
scientists in Bowling green Missouri ,

51:08.680 --> 51:11.290
where she's the chief operating officer

51:11.300 --> 51:13.930
of Perry Agricultural Laboratory ,

51:13.930 --> 51:17.420
Incorporated Megan . Good afternoon

51:17.420 --> 51:19.531
madam vice President . I just want to

51:19.531 --> 51:21.698
thank you so much for holding this and

51:21.698 --> 51:24.010
um just listening to all the panelists .

51:24.010 --> 51:27.630
I feel so in such a good company and I

51:27.630 --> 51:29.741
actually have hope about this for the

51:29.741 --> 51:32.940
first time . Well really ever , um I

51:32.950 --> 51:35.117
really thought that this was kind of a

51:35.117 --> 51:37.339
rural struggle and that not many people

51:37.339 --> 51:39.506
knew or cared about it and as I listen

51:39.506 --> 51:41.570
to Kimberly , I mean when we were in

51:41.570 --> 51:44.410
the pandemic about 1/4 of our high

51:44.410 --> 51:48.050
school had no access to internet and so

51:48.060 --> 51:49.893
you know the teachers had to put

51:49.893 --> 51:52.410
together packets to go pick up um And

51:52.410 --> 51:56.010
so they're doing it very remotely as in

51:56.010 --> 51:58.177
nobody to talk to while they're trying

51:58.177 --> 52:00.399
to get their education . And as a mom I

52:00.399 --> 52:03.590
have I share that concern . I live in

52:03.590 --> 52:06.270
Missouri and dr Gonzalez is exactly

52:06.270 --> 52:08.492
correct . I mean tele health care would

52:08.492 --> 52:10.714
be a huge asset when we're an hour from

52:10.850 --> 52:13.790
a major hospital . So you know kind of

52:13.790 --> 52:15.901
note should we go or should we stay ?

52:15.901 --> 52:18.650
Um That kind of indicator is hugely

52:18.650 --> 52:20.780
helpful and really as a farmer and a

52:20.780 --> 52:23.290
business owner um I worry about these

52:23.290 --> 52:25.179
community issues because we can't

52:25.179 --> 52:27.490
attract the best and brightest to come

52:27.490 --> 52:29.990
work in agriculture if we can't connect

52:29.990 --> 52:32.080
to the rest of the world . Um Our

52:32.080 --> 52:34.302
business here Agricultural laboratory ,

52:34.302 --> 52:36.358
we do soil and agricultural nutrient

52:36.358 --> 52:38.524
testing for farmers all over the world

52:38.524 --> 52:42.060
and in every state in the US . And we

52:42.070 --> 52:45.260
we use our our science um to help

52:45.270 --> 52:48.060
farmers make science based data driven

52:48.060 --> 52:50.760
decisions to be more Economically and

52:50.760 --> 52:52.990
environmentally sustainable . And until

52:52.990 --> 52:55.740
2019 we only had access to satellite

52:55.750 --> 52:58.550
Internet so we installed to to try to

52:58.550 --> 53:01.360
support our office operations but we

53:01.360 --> 53:03.960
still couldn't support the seeds that

53:03.960 --> 53:06.040
we needed . And often times we would

53:06.040 --> 53:07.984
have clients call and say we never

53:07.984 --> 53:10.207
received our reports after we worked so

53:10.207 --> 53:12.373
hard to give them timely information .

53:12.373 --> 53:14.429
Our email wouldn't go out because we

53:14.429 --> 53:16.596
just didn't have enough upload speed .

53:16.596 --> 53:18.840
And when you have to explain that to an

53:18.840 --> 53:21.220
international client , it really makes

53:21.220 --> 53:23.220
you feel that your business is less

53:23.220 --> 53:26.090
than world class . We spent years

53:26.100 --> 53:28.750
calling every fiber provider in our

53:28.750 --> 53:32.440
area um asking what do we have to do ,

53:32.440 --> 53:34.830
what can we do to connect our business ?

53:34.840 --> 53:36.951
And the answer was that it would cost

53:36.951 --> 53:40.310
upwards of $40,000 just to connect ,

53:40.320 --> 53:42.590
not including our monthly fees . And

53:42.590 --> 53:44.880
right there is a barrier of access that

53:44.880 --> 53:46.991
if we were a new business we couldn't

53:46.991 --> 53:49.760
possibly justify locating in a rural

53:49.760 --> 53:52.220
area . We finally got the connection in

53:52.220 --> 53:56.210
2019 . Um and the really this made

53:56.210 --> 53:58.266
this such a difference of taking our

53:58.266 --> 54:01.230
upload speed from 0.5 to three . Now

54:01.230 --> 54:03.452
I'm not asking for the world here , but

54:03.452 --> 54:05.452
three megabytes per second . Upload

54:05.452 --> 54:07.619
speed was the difference of what would

54:07.619 --> 54:09.980
take me one day uh now used to take me

54:09.980 --> 54:12.220
three days just waiting , I would click

54:12.230 --> 54:15.980
wait . And so it's the

54:15.990 --> 54:18.570
rural development aspect but on top of

54:18.570 --> 54:20.890
that the upload speed is so important

54:20.890 --> 54:24.020
for us as farmers . Um we still don't

54:24.020 --> 54:26.076
have this connectivity at our at our

54:26.076 --> 54:28.600
home or farm . We often rely on

54:28.600 --> 54:30.990
cellular hotspots , but in rural areas

54:31.000 --> 54:33.290
even cellular data is very difficult to

54:33.290 --> 54:35.490
come by . Um We've come so far with

54:35.490 --> 54:37.712
precision agriculture , we can test our

54:37.712 --> 54:39.768
nutrient content , learn our air and

54:39.768 --> 54:41.823
water holding capacity , we know how

54:41.823 --> 54:43.990
much fertilizer we applied and exactly

54:43.990 --> 54:46.310
how much crop we gained from those

54:46.310 --> 54:49.910
applications down to the acre but we

54:49.910 --> 54:53.150
can't utilize any of that data and

54:53.150 --> 54:55.317
overlay it and make better data driven

54:55.317 --> 54:57.150
decisions if we can't upload the

54:57.150 --> 55:00.800
information to a central source . And I

55:00.810 --> 55:02.588
strongly believe the future for

55:02.588 --> 55:04.620
agriculture to play a large role in

55:04.620 --> 55:06.787
green alternatives for everything from

55:06.787 --> 55:09.170
plastics to fuel and less in our own

55:09.170 --> 55:11.337
carbon footprint while producing these

55:11.337 --> 55:13.860
goods is very real . But the only way

55:13.860 --> 55:15.804
for us to get there is to have the

55:15.804 --> 55:17.749
ability to make better data driven

55:17.749 --> 55:20.030
decisions and that completely relies on

55:20.040 --> 55:22.318
our ability to connect to the Internet .

55:24.440 --> 55:28.260
Um , it's such a big point

55:28.260 --> 55:30.427
that you're making and the solution is

55:30.427 --> 55:34.330
so obviously simple . If

55:34.330 --> 55:37.160
we get our act together . Yeah ,

55:37.640 --> 55:40.760
really , you're , you know , the

55:40.760 --> 55:42.982
scientists , the farmers , you guys are

55:42.982 --> 55:45.093
doing the hard work of coming up with

55:45.093 --> 55:46.816
all of all of these innovative

55:46.816 --> 55:50.040
practices right around figuring out ,

55:50.040 --> 55:52.470
you know water and how much and when

55:52.470 --> 55:55.310
and predicting and projecting and and

55:55.310 --> 55:57.670
doing it in a way that is just smart

55:58.240 --> 56:00.850
and in efficient and effective

56:01.530 --> 56:04.360
and you can't even upload the

56:04.360 --> 56:07.280
information to do anything with it .

56:07.290 --> 56:10.680
And , and so the solution is so

56:10.680 --> 56:14.080
simple and and in that way profound .

56:14.080 --> 56:16.136
And I wonder if you can just share a

56:16.136 --> 56:18.720
bit about what it has meant to rural

56:18.720 --> 56:22.540
farmers in terms of their ability to

56:22.540 --> 56:25.010
stay in business , their productivity

56:25.530 --> 56:27.752
without access to high speed internet .

56:27.752 --> 56:29.863
What what does it mean ? What does it

56:29.863 --> 56:31.919
mean to them and to their livelihood

56:31.919 --> 56:33.919
and to , you know , to the american

56:33.919 --> 56:36.760
farmer , what does this mean ? Well my

56:36.760 --> 56:39.093
dad always said if you can't measure it ,

56:39.093 --> 56:41.540
you can't manage it if you don't know

56:41.540 --> 56:43.651
what you're working with . Um we have

56:43.651 --> 56:45.873
tight margins , you know , we are um in

56:45.873 --> 56:48.950
large cases a commodity business in all

56:48.950 --> 56:51.540
of that culture and um

56:52.030 --> 56:55.940
we if we can't look at down to

56:55.940 --> 56:58.218
the t of exactly what we're putting in ,

56:58.218 --> 57:00.273
what we're getting out , um we can't

57:00.273 --> 57:02.320
survive if we can't be financially

57:02.320 --> 57:04.487
sustainable , but now we're looking at

57:04.487 --> 57:08.460
it and even greater um role in that

57:08.470 --> 57:11.560
the more that we are able to do with

57:11.560 --> 57:13.990
less , um we're feeding people were

57:13.990 --> 57:16.420
clothing , people were fueling people

57:16.430 --> 57:20.380
and um we're replacing products that

57:20.380 --> 57:22.380
are not as sustainable , you know ,

57:22.380 --> 57:24.602
with the soybean oil that comes from my

57:24.602 --> 57:26.713
farm . I can make a Iot so I can make

57:26.713 --> 57:29.070
plastics . These are things that are

57:29.080 --> 57:31.640
better for the earth . Yeah .

57:34.830 --> 57:38.580
Um let's talk just

57:38.580 --> 57:41.540
briefly about what it has meant . Also

57:41.550 --> 57:44.070
going back to an earlier conversation

57:44.080 --> 57:46.136
about , and I'm thinking of Amanda ,

57:46.136 --> 57:48.410
I'm thinking of everyone um what it has

57:48.410 --> 57:51.550
meant in terms of rural America and and

57:51.930 --> 57:54.041
Children and education . What are you

57:54.041 --> 57:56.400
saying there ? Oh my gosh , Well , I

57:56.400 --> 57:58.456
have a six year old and a nine month

57:58.456 --> 58:00.622
old and I mean the first thing I think

58:00.622 --> 58:02.640
of is um my baby monitor means wifi

58:02.640 --> 58:04.862
access , you know , how scary it is for

58:04.862 --> 58:07.140
your baby monitor to go out , you know ,

58:07.140 --> 58:09.251
as a young mother . Um so that that's

58:09.251 --> 58:12.260
like the first , you know thing . Um my

58:12.270 --> 58:15.730
son , um the idea that we can

58:15.740 --> 58:18.140
access classes or teachers or

58:18.140 --> 58:21.090
specialties um in education or health

58:21.090 --> 58:24.650
care or just arts even um

58:24.660 --> 58:26.880
with a connection to the internet , it

58:26.880 --> 58:29.100
just makes literally the world his

58:29.100 --> 58:32.020
oyster and for him to be able to then

58:32.030 --> 58:33.660
learn all from all different

58:33.660 --> 58:35.771
perspectives , all different walks of

58:35.771 --> 58:37.938
life on the internet and bring that to

58:37.938 --> 58:40.720
our farm will do nothing but benefit

58:40.730 --> 58:43.220
our community , our state and our

58:43.220 --> 58:46.650
nation . Thank you Megan . Thank you .

58:46.650 --> 58:49.540
Thank you . Thank you . This is such an

58:49.540 --> 58:51.660
important perspective . Thank you .

58:51.670 --> 58:54.720
Thank you for listening and for for

58:54.730 --> 58:57.320
spearheading this because we just

58:57.320 --> 58:59.600
haven't felt heard out here on this

58:59.600 --> 59:01.656
issue . So thank you so much . Thank

59:01.656 --> 59:04.670
you . I want to thank all of our

59:04.670 --> 59:07.240
participants for your very impactful

59:07.240 --> 59:09.840
stories um and for your advocation and

59:09.840 --> 59:12.540
vocation around this important issue of

59:12.540 --> 59:14.707
high speed internet access . And as we

59:14.707 --> 59:16.707
close , I want to yield to the Vice

59:16.707 --> 59:18.980
president for final thoughts . Thank

59:18.980 --> 59:22.640
you Vincent . Well , listen , um , each

59:22.640 --> 59:24.710
of you thank you for sharing your

59:24.710 --> 59:28.090
stories . Um yours is the american

59:28.090 --> 59:31.560
story and while we have so much to be

59:31.560 --> 59:33.680
proud of , um there's still a lot of

59:33.680 --> 59:36.530
work we have to do . I will , I'm going

59:36.530 --> 59:39.330
to talk about you guys , not behind

59:39.330 --> 59:41.386
your back , but I'm gonna be talking

59:41.386 --> 59:43.940
about you and what you shared today ,

59:43.950 --> 59:46.061
because I think it's really important

59:46.061 --> 59:48.350
to to help people understand how

59:48.350 --> 59:50.580
fundamental this is . It's just it's

59:50.580 --> 59:54.010
just basic stuff . And you know , let's

59:54.010 --> 59:56.840
take away the kind of grand gestures

59:56.840 --> 59:59.040
about it . Let's just realize that ,

59:59.820 --> 01:00:02.770
You know , in in the 21st century to do

01:00:02.770 --> 01:00:06.460
the work that needs to be done to to to

01:00:06.460 --> 01:00:08.571
take care of a community , to raise a

01:00:08.571 --> 01:00:11.910
family to to bring health care , mental

01:00:11.910 --> 01:00:15.040
health care to to grow things on a farm .

01:00:15.050 --> 01:00:18.370
American industry to to think about

01:00:18.370 --> 01:00:20.537
who's been left out or left behind and

01:00:20.537 --> 01:00:22.759
make sure that they're connected . It's

01:00:22.759 --> 01:00:24.981
all of this , it's all of this and it's

01:00:24.981 --> 01:00:28.320
very basic and um and I do believe this

01:00:28.320 --> 01:00:31.560
is very doable and so you know I'm in D .

01:00:31.560 --> 01:00:35.440
C . Right now and um this is gonna be

01:00:35.450 --> 01:00:37.617
a conversation that I'm gonna continue

01:00:37.617 --> 01:00:39.783
to have with the folks here and around

01:00:39.783 --> 01:00:41.783
the country and it's gonna be about

01:00:41.783 --> 01:00:43.894
telling your stories and then getting

01:00:43.894 --> 01:00:46.690
something done because it really is

01:00:46.690 --> 01:00:48.746
pretty basic and it really is pretty

01:00:48.746 --> 01:00:50.801
simple . We just need to get it done

01:00:50.801 --> 01:00:53.023
like there's no We know what we need to

01:00:53.023 --> 01:00:55.190
get done , we need to connect people ,

01:00:55.190 --> 01:00:57.134
we need to do what they did in the

01:00:57.134 --> 01:00:59.246
1930s with the electrification plan .

01:00:59.246 --> 01:01:01.468
Um it's been done before . We can do it

01:01:01.468 --> 01:01:04.330
again and um it is imperative that we

01:01:04.330 --> 01:01:07.280
do um to the well being of of all

01:01:07.280 --> 01:01:09.336
people in our communities and in our

01:01:09.336 --> 01:01:12.190
country and um for the sake of what we

01:01:12.190 --> 01:01:14.940
need to do to compete um in a world

01:01:14.940 --> 01:01:17.530
market and just what is , you know , I

01:01:17.530 --> 01:01:19.586
I appreciate also Kimberly's point .

01:01:19.586 --> 01:01:22.050
This is also a civil rights issue and

01:01:22.050 --> 01:01:25.000
it is about equity and fairness . So I

01:01:25.000 --> 01:01:27.222
thank you all very much for your time .

01:01:27.222 --> 01:01:29.389
I look forward to staying in touch and

01:01:29.389 --> 01:01:31.500
Vincent . Thank you for moderating us

01:01:31.500 --> 01:01:33.611
today . Thank you . Thank you madam .

01:01:33.611 --> 01:01:33.240
Vice President . Thank you everyone .

01:01:35.610 --> 01:01:35.940
Thanks