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September 8, 2020 <br /> <br />20-212: <br />I support the re-appropriation of the unexpended sum in the amount $2,805,011 from the <br />FY 2020 Portsmouth Public Schools General Fund Budget to the FY 2021 PPS General <br />Fund Budget. <br /> <br />Mark Geduldig-Yatrofsky <br />PO Box 50141 <br /> <br />20-213: <br />Regarding the matter at hand, I support the establishment of a community broadband <br />network authority, but as a stepping stone to creation of a regional authority. The <br />construction of this "ring of fiber" that is in progress is, after all, proceeding concurrently <br />in our neighboring localities and is of maximum benefit to us Portsmouth residents as an <br />integral part of a larger whole. We need an authority that leverages our human capital as <br />a region to make optimal use of the communication infrastructure that we are assembling. <br />Our focus needs to be global as well as local. <br /> <br />Additionally, I strongly oppose the appointment of the mayor and council as the initial <br />board of directors of the Portsmouth Community Broadband Network Authority. In the first <br />place, I consider the idea of self-appointment as a worst, rather than best, practice. <br />Unimpressed as I already am with your collective commitment to accountability, I see this <br />approach as only insulating you further from answering to the public. Additionally, from <br />what I know of your prior or current "day jobs", only one of you has any substantive <br />experience or training related to large-scale digital communication. As a policy board, <br />council should be focused on goal setting and oversight for the city rather than <br />micromanaging. Consequently, you should be using the establishment of the PCBNA as <br />a talent recruitment opportunity, affording residents with backgrounds in information <br />technology, data communication, distance learning, and human services (the latter <br />because our goal should be bridging the "digital divide" rather than widening it) to help <br />move our city forward. I urge you, therefore, to eliminate that provision of Article V in the <br />resolution and appoint citizen board members in accordance with established practice for <br />boards and commissions generally. <br /> <br />Mark Geduldig-Yatrofsky <br />PO Box 50141 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />