INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COMMISSION

ARLINGTON VIRG IN I A 2100 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 314, Arlington , VA 22201

January 31, 2013

The Honorable J. Walter Tejada, Chairman of the Arlington County Board and the Arlington County Board Members

Dear Chairman Tejada,

Commission Members Joseph N Pelton, Chair Frank R Jazzo, Vice Chair Mary Crannell Martha Moore Jenny Shu Ho Larry Mayer Anita Nolen Frank Reeder Brad Reese Kevin Robins Phil Caughran Sal d'itri Kenneth Cohn

The information Technology Advisory Commission is pleased to share its report for 2012 that indicates progress on a number of key items including the Connect Artlington Project and the future of I-Net, efforts to improve cable television services by both Comcast and Verizon, and settlement of the appropriate use of funds paid in by Verizon to support PEG programming under their franchise agreement.

With best W/Jj?~

oseph N. Pelton, PH.D. Chair, Information Technology Advisory Commission

1 Attch Annual Report to the Arlington County Board from the Information Technology Advisory Commission

cc: Jack Belcher, CIO

Annual Report to the County Board--Information Technology Advisory Commission (ITAC)

December 2012

During 20121 ITAC was involved in a wide range of activities consistent with its expanded terms of reference as approved by the Arlington County Board in 2007.

1. Arlington Cable Television Service-Results Concerns and Issues:

A. Verizon Implementation: The build-out of the Verizon infrastructure continues to be monitored by the Commission. We are concerned that the build out of the system seems to be slow and deliberate and that a number of connections of the FiOS network to the County and the Schools remain behind schedule and a number of Franchise commitments for connection have not yet been completed. Another on-going concern is the slow progress in introducing competitive infrastructure in Arlington's multi-dwelling units (MDUs) where more than two thirds of the County's residents reside. Because MDU management or owners must have separate agreements with Verizon for services, neither the County staff nor the Commission has any specific powers to compelthe installation of competitive cable television infrastructure in MDUs. The ITAC and MDU residents believe that there is benefit to having a choice of service providers. We continue to work with the Department of Technology Service (DTS) and Verizon to see how MDU owners can be encouraged to offer a competitive option and DTS periodically reviews buildout progress to bring competitive access to residents. Finally we are concerned with the closing ofVerizon service centers that makes it more and more difficult for citizens to access service center when needed. With these closing Arlington citizens must now travel up to 15 miles to access a service center.

We have been particularly concerned that regular Verizon representation at IT AC meetings fell off in 2011 as noted in our previous report and is now virtually non-existent. It is because of additional telecommunications and emergency communications services failures on the part of Verizon as noted below, that we have sought a high level meeting with Verizon to address problems with cable television access and telecommunications services. Concerns include not only the reliability of911 services, but there are also problems and concerns with the backup batteries that are supposed to provide power during outages. (See item 3 below.)

B. Comcast Franchise Requirements and the Future of I-NET:

During 2012, the Department of Technology Services has continued the formal process associated with renewal of the Comcast franchise agreement that will run out on June 30, 2013. The franchise renewal fact-finding process that began in 2011 continued to receive both citizen and specialized expert input as to Arlington's future broadband cable television service needs. A separate report that documents the input of thousands of people will be ultimately issued. This process has provided strong evidence of the desire of Arlington county citizens and businesses to continue to have access to broad band services via I-Net for educational purposes, for emergency communications, as well as to support County services, cultural activities, etc. There has been particularly strong support for the PEG channels and particularly for Arlington Independent Media (AIM) and public access programs, governmental services (i.e. ArlingtonTV), and for educational services (AETV).

The I-NET IT infrastructure has become increasingly important to the effective running of the County and Arlington Public School programs and the supply of entertainment, sports, news and public safety information via PEG channels.The hearing process has garnered a massive amount

of citizen input regarding improvements that could and should be achieved through the franchise renewal process, if possible. It is the opinion of IT AC that a clear joint strategy concerning the future ofI-NET--for the County, the Schools and PEG channel operators--is of urgent importance. This also implies the need for the County and the Schools to agree on the optimal approach for the design and implementation of the ConnectArlington system and a strategic plan for its optimum use within the community.

C. Mandated Verizon Franchise Agreement Payments to Support PEG Channel Programming

We are pleased that the distribution of the funds from the Verizon franchise agreement to support the PEG channel services has now been resolved and note the arrangements that support the ConnectArlington system that was put in place by the Arlington County Manager during 2012. This action was identified as a priority issue in our 2011 report.

2. Concerns about Verizon Emergency Communications Services and Operational Resiliency During the "storm derecho" in June 2012 Verizon failed to provide reliable 911 emergency communications services. Further it was unable to rapidly restore regular telecommunications services. This has been of concern to County officials, the Commission and to the entire community. During Hurricane Sandy better performance and communications was observed, but many of the battery powered land line services provided via FiOS led to community service interruptions and the Commission believes this issue also needs to be addressed.

The Commission has adopted a resolution as attached to seek answers to a number of questions related to Verizon services and is pursuing ways to prevent future service failures. (See Appendix A)

3. Strategic Planning for County IT services: Work on a new Telecommunications Master Plan (TMP), in coordination with the Arlington County Public Schools continues. The goals of the TMP process are: (a) robust and redundant public safety and emergency communications system; (b) integrated (and "intelligent") traffic signal and camera system; (c) increased broadband wireless capabilities; (d) enhanced data, voice and video capabilities among public facilities for the County to better meet community, economic development needs; and (e) improved energy efficiency through the expanded use of telecommunications and IT services. A new state-of- the-art joint County and Schools Network and Data Operations Center is now well along in implementation. One ofthe key objectives is to explore how the ConnectArlington facility can be used to best advantage in this respect for both the County and the Schools. As part of a further civic engagement exercise to gather information on the potential of broadband for Com cast renewal negotiations, DTS held a series of four special work sessions attended by people with special expertise the first week in October 2012 to seek innovative ways to use this new capability. The Joint County and Public Schools Working Group on Information Technology Systems (JWG for short) that met productively in 20 I 1 might be reconvened in 2013 to discuss how ConnectArlington might be used to better support County and Schools goals and objectives.

4. Enhancement of Security for County IT systems and related capabilities ITAC and EPAC have been working in tandem to address improved emergency communications and IT systems. This process has given rise to several initiatives. One initiative has been to review and upgrade the security of SCADA wireless systems on which much of the County vital infrastructure depends. A review indicated that security upgrades would be desirable and these have now been largely accomplished and an independent audit process has been implemented to ensure that these security systems are well protected.

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The IT Advisory Commission and the Emergency Preparedness in June 2012jointiy adopted a resolution noting the important emergency communications and IT services that the new ConnectArlington service can provide over and above the I-Net capabilities. We were pleased that the capital bond issue that supports the deployment of the next phase of the ConnectArlington system won passage in the November 2012 public referendum. Finally ITAC is monitoring the efforts to create a new national broadband wireless capability to support the efforts of first responders and responses to emergencies and terrorist attacks. This effort to implement Firstnet will likely lead to the need to support the deployment of a new wireless system to support greatly expanded wireless capabilities to meet these future needs. ConnectArlington will at a future date be capable of providing broadband backhaul among the cell sites.

It should be particularly noted that the implementation of Firstnet in the next few years as well as the plans to implement a text messaging capability for 911 Centers will likely entail major expenditures for both equipment and significant new staff costs beginning in the 2014-2015 budget-if not before. We would like to flag this as an important budgetary issue for the County Manager and the County Board.

5. Major Projects Completed by the Department of Technology Services: The Department of Technology Services has implemented a number of new systems and reached several key milestones in the past year. These are outlined in Appendix B to this report.

6. Telework, "Smart" LED Lighting, and New Energy Plan for Arlington County: IT, broad band services, and expert systems can upgrade County staff performance, enhance productivity, and reduce costs. The IT AC believes that expanded telework programs within the County could reduce direct costs to the County, reduce energy consumption and environmental pollution, and allow access in the case of inclement weather or various emergency conditions. The recent initiatives by Arlington County Human Resources [HR] to increase participation in telework, provide additional training, and provide more responsive web site information regarding telework are important steps forward. HR is now collecting more useful data on the extent oftelework to help managers make better informed decisions and exploit new opportunities. As we noted last year, we believe that the number of Arlington County employees who telework can be substantially increased from the current level of about 20% to at least 30% to 35% of Arlington County's 3500 employees based on the experience of other jurisdictions such as Fairfax County. The Commission has asked to formally review the Arlington Energy and Sustainability plan and this has now been scheduled for the January 30, 2013 meeting of the Commission. The Commission will seek to work with County staff to include some of the "Smart" technology elements to increase the overall effectiveness of the plan.

7. ITAC Terms of Reference & Updated and Expanded Web Site The ITAC Web site that supports the work of the Information Technology Advisory Commission is being upgraded and expanded to reflect these new duties and responsibilities and to offer citizens and business advice in these areas. As part of the Participation, Leadership and Community Engagement (PLACE) initiative we hope to create new ways for citizens to creatively make input into Arlington County planning and decision making processes.

8. Membership

The Information Technology Advisory Commission stands at its full membership of 13 members and a representative from the Arlington Public Schools is now invited to all meetings.

Submitted by,

Joseph N. Pelton, ITAC Chair on behalf of the Commission

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Appendix A

Resolution Unanimously Adopted by the Information Technology Advisorv Commission for Arlington County, Virginia -- November 18, 2012

The Information Technology Advisory Commission (IT AC) is quite concerned by a pattern of unresponsiveness from Verizon exhibited over the past year. The 911 outage and communications failures by Verizon during the "derecho" storm event in June of2012 brought into sharp relief the human consequences of a lack of responsiveness and performance by Verizon. Throughout 2012 the Corporation has responded slowly to requests for information, declined to attend Commission meetings, and has failed to resolve critical issues surfaced by Arlington County personnel and the IT Advisory Commission. We request on an urgent basis a high level meeting with Verizon and Arlington officials to see if the shortcomings and performance issues can be resolved.

Service Outages: The June 2012 failures brought to light two separate but related concerns. First, Verizon did not have in place and fully tested the requisite contingency capability to provide power to the 911 system, a problem that affected not just Arlington but the entire region. Second, even after service at the 911 center had notionally been restored, a substantial number of people in the community did not have telephone service restored for days and Arlington County itself suffered a major outage in telephone and IT services. Without phone service these members of the community were unable to reach the 911 service. Moreover, despite repeated requests, Arlington officials were unable to obtain authoritative information on the outages and when service might be fully restored. Not only did this endanger residents but it also required the County to redirect staff from other emergency duties to reach out to residents door to door. Verizon's failure to maintain the service and its lack of response during this crisis deeply concerns the Commission. Our County's first duty is to provide for public safety and, to do so reliably. Our residents must have the ability to contact police, fire or health emergency assistance on a reliable basis.

We understand that Arlington County is not Verizon's main profit center but we remember a time when Verizon was committed to our community and was interested in building a long-term partnership to ensure the safety of our residents and to deliver quality communications to the County.

Looking ahead the IT Advisory Commission (ITAC) is concerned at multiple levels. First, and foremost the 911 emergency services cannot be out of service for extended periods of time. Second, the failure on the part ofVerizon to monitor this service and test critical equipment at appropriate intervals has damaged the corporation's reputation as a trusted provider of critical emergency services. Third, other ongoing concerns, as spelled out below, all combine to create serious reservations about communication resiliency and viability in the future. IfVerizon is unreliable in addressing 911 services how can the Commission be assured that Verizon will respond appropriately in future emergencies or to other less critical but still important communication matters .In short we are noting on the record that Verizon has performance and service issues compounded by communications deficiencies ..

Support Level In Case of Terrorist Attack: In addition to weather-related crises there are other emergencies where Arlington personnel need to know the communication infrastructure will function appropriately. Arlington has already endured one of the nation's gravest terrorist attacks and it is imperative that Arlington County personnel be confident of our communication providers. At the moment Verizon is viewed as less than a reliable partner in a crisis.

Deteriorating Service Center Access: Arlington resident access to Verizon Service Centers has continued to deteriorate as more and more of the Verizon centers are closed. Arlington citizens now have to travel distances on the order of 15 to 20 miles to visit such a center. Again this seems to show a pattern of service deterioration.

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Franchise Milestones for County and School Connections and FiOS Deployment: We feel there is a need to review with Verizon its deployment of fiber optic cable throughout the Arlington community, the rate of connection of FiOS at County and School locations as specified in the Franchise agreement, and the perceived inadequacy of battery power supply to sustain land line service on FiOS connections during electrical power outages. (This latter issue was exposed during the recent Hurricane Sandy extreme weather conditions.)

Inadequacy of Representation and Direct Communications with Verizon: In the past Verizon provided direct and responsive representation at Commission Meetings and when there were problems we knew where to go for answers. Com cast has provided quality representation at our monthly meetings and we find it difficult to understand why a Corporation ofVerizon's size and economic interest in Arlington is not able to restore quality representation.

In short, the Commission has found it challenging to discuss and to resolve issues with Verizon. Mechanisms to ensure a viable working relationship between Arlington County and Verizon do not appear to be working. We note Verizon's attempt to be more responsive to County Staff during Hurricane Sandy and efforts toward keeping the community and County informed, but remain concerned that communications and representation still need substantial improvement in a number of areas.

We close by noting that the above issues and the desire to resolve them are not intended to be quarrelsome, but rather to allow Verizon to improve its commercial standing and reputation in the Arlington Community which we believe will assist you to develop or retain business in the future. We are thus requesting a meeting as soon as possible to discuss all of the points raised in this letter:

• First, it would be taken as a gesture of good faith, ifVerizon were to commission on a voluntary basis an independent audit that provides the County with evidence that the 911 service for Arlington County, Virginia has sufficient power redundancy and overall resilience.

• Second, we would appreciate a written report from Verizon, to the Arlington County Board and the Arlington County Manager within 60 days that addresses the other issues referenced above after a meeting to review our concerns and complaints is held ...

• Third, regular and effective participation (i.e. attendance in person) at the monthly Information Technology Advisory Commission meetings. This would entail a Verizon representative who is able to carry issues back to Verizon and monitor the issues until there is satisfactory resolution and also keep the Commission well informed of relevant developments at Verizon. Comcast has managed to fulfill this request for representation at IT AC meetings for some years.

• Fourth, the designation by Verizon of a point of contact at a senior level when major issues, such as those enumerated above, arise.

Sincerely,

Joseph N. Pelton, Chair ITAC

cc: Mary Hynes, Chair, Arlington County Board Jay Fisette, Member, Arlington County Board Barbara Donellan, Arlington County Manager Jack Belcher and Rob Billingsley, Department of Technology Services Jack Brown, Director 911 Emergency Communications Services Members of Arlington County IT Advisory Commission Chris Essig, Chair, Arlington Emergency Preparedness Commission James Schroll, President, Arlington County Civic Federation

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Appendix B

Arlington County

Department of Technology Services

2012 Accomplishments

While the Department of Technology Services has completed vital projects and efforts in a number of areas, the following are just a few examples that illustrate how each of the major goals of the e-Government III strategic plan has been addressed in 2012.

Sustainability - Securing Broadband Connectivity

In anticipation of the need to begin paying commercial rates for communications services in 2013, the County is constructing ConnectArlington. This fiber-optic network will link County

and Schools buildings, ensuring that the government, the schools and the community will benefit in a cost-effective manner as demand for digital services continually increases over the long term. This year, construction was focused on upgrading traffic lights in major intersections to enable control of traffic flow during peak hours and during emergencies. There are now 54 traffic lights on the new network and, at certain intersections, there is network access for public safety responders to collect information or report on incidents during major events.

Workforce Empowerment - Extending the Workforce

Arlington has expanded the use of smartphones, iPads and other mobile devices in the workplace to enable staff to be more efficient in field operations, while working with and supporting the community. Staff can work with clients, collect data on facilities and operations, and receive, respond and report on projects without having to go back and forth between the office and the field, saving time and conserving energy.

Extending Customer Service Delivery - Redefining Customer Service Delivery

This fall the County updated and enhanced the real estate assessment systems used for the annual inventory and assessment of all properties in the County. The improvements will result in significant time-savings through streamlined and more efficient processes. Owners can expect access to real property information that is both enhanced and available sooner. Development of an updated assessment appeals system is also underway with delivery anticipated in 2013.