Daily Archives: May 9, 2021

But its role was only ever to provide advice rather than making any decisions.

Power argues the crisis has renewed the focus on the ability of Australian businesses to be more opportunistic about domestic manufacturing.

We were able to input directly into the ears of government and represent issues from a business perspective and a community perspective, bypassing the normal filtering and information flow processes Power tells The Australian Financial Review.

We werent lobbying, we were just presenting information and facts and feedback. We had a very wide, well-connected network.

That included individual board members heading taskforces to report on particular issues, usually with assistance from people seconded from the Productivity Commission or the bureaucracy as well as various other businesses.

The heads of major departments, including Treasury, Prime Minister and Cabinet and Home Affairs, attended board meetings and Morrison dropped in regularly.

Paul Howes, now with KPMG and previously a national union leader, joined the commission as a board member last June, effectively replacing another ex-union official turned corporate player, Greg Combet.

Australia, Howes says, has been well served during COVID-19 by a capable and innovative federal public service. He argues it was still a smart approach to also have a group of individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds to dissect, challenge and advise on policy.

I think it actually does make a difference, he says. If I compare that with my time when the last Labor government was in power federally and we went through the GFC and associated issues around manufacturing, everything was done through traditional tri-partite style bodies with AI Group and the ACTU etc. But no one had conversations because everyone was representing their constituencies without the ability to think independently.

Thats what I thought was unique about this. Ultimately the achievements and the initiatives are those of governments. But it was one of the inputs into policy setting.

Initially, the focus was on providing advice on issues of urgent, practical crisis management such as keeping the ports open and supply chains operating as efficiently as possible while finding new domestic and global supplies of personal protective equipment. Over time, this role changed into advice on how best to cope with a recovering economy and the return to work, especially given the propensity for states to shut borders.

As for lasting impact, Power argues the crisis has renewed the focus on the ability of Australian businesses to be more opportunistic about domestic manufacturing. That, of course, fits neatly with the Morrison governments focus on gas, in part to assist manufacturing businesses with lower energy costs.

This approach has plenty of critics, not least on environmental grounds, as well as scepticism about the ability of a high-cost, resource-based economy to leverage a sophisticated domestic manufacturing strategy.

But it does translate in greater attention across governments and businesses towards building greater self-sufficiency as well as new export possibilities.

This is not about restarting car manufacturing lines and things like that, Power says. It is about flexible manufacturing and playing to our comparative advantage.

The endless policy argument is, of course, on how best to achieve this.

Power does not favour the common demand from big business for across-the-board corporate tax cuts as a way to grow the economy, jobs and wages.

Not that it is on the Morrison governments agenda anyway. Despite intensive lobbying of the crossbench, the Coalition could never get its package through the Senate, meaning it officially abandoned corporate tax cuts ahead of the 2019 election.

Since then the post-COVID-19 mood has also changed the global tax equation. Countries such as UK and the US which championed lower corporate rates are increasing them again although not to previous levels to pay for other spending.

But Power does favour more targeted investment tax incentives to encourage companies to invest in Australia.

I dont mind who owns those companies but its where they invest and where they create those assets and thats the sort of thing our manufacturing industry needs, he says.

Power looks certain to be disappointed by the absence of new incentives in this budget. It wont detract from his hopes for greater government funding of common use infrastructure in industrial precincts, ports and transport to encourage businesses to invest.

So was the ultimate private-sector guy frustrated working with government? Power chuckles. Lets say Ive come to appreciate government processes and the complexities of decision making.

Read more:

The end of the COVID-19 commission - The Australian Financial Review

Richard Heydarian is an Asia-based academic, columnist and author of "The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt Against Elite Democracy" and the "The Indo-Pacific: Trump, China and the New Struggle for Global Mastery."

When India's then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was asked in the 1950s why Southeast Asian nations were designated as Category C in his country's foreign policy, he reportedly replied: "Do you gentlemen wish to become friendly with Coca-Cola governments?"

More than half a century later, few powers -- including India -- would dare dismiss Southeast Asia. And yet, even in our hyper-globalized world, the region remains largely unknown to the outside world -- the international media's infatuation with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi notwithstanding.

Perhaps none more so than Indonesia. Home to almost 300 million and a trillion-dollar economy, Indonesia is arguably the world's largest invisible nation. Somehow, Indonesia's dynamic and divisive leaders, sumptuous and colorful cuisine, contentious and gripping politics, its prolific diplomats and writers, have never managed to truly capture the world's attention.

Over the coming years and decades, however, the world should begin to pay more attention to this rising global power that is already shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific order.

Indonesia was not always an invisible nation. Its vivacious founder, Sukarno, was a larger-than-life figure who played a central role in the establishment of the global Non-Aligned Movement. A true visionary, he tirelessly sought to unite the deeply fractious archipelago. Then came the 1965 coup and the bloody massacres that followed until the so-called New Order had established itself.

Indonesia was in the grip of Suharto -- a "mediocre tyrant" in the words of Indonesia scholar Benedict Anderson -- for three decades as the soft-spoken former general oversaw a period of economic stability and political calm. Compared to its troubled yet more colorful neighbors, Indonesia was suddenly humdrum.

From the 1970s onward, Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew and his Malaysian archrival Mahathir Mohamad became emblematic of an assertive, self-confident Southeast Asia, while decadent dictators such as the Philippines' Ferdinand Marcos and his spendthrift first lady, Imelda, became favorite international media targets.

"Southeast Asia has been a costly reminder," Stanford's Donald Emmerson lamented in the late-1980s, "that the significance of a country and the attention it receives are separate matters."

By the turn of the century, after B.J. Habibie succeeded Suharto, political reforms and a democratic opening turned Indonesia into a more exciting place, ending its brutal occupation of East Timor as well as the notorious dwi fungsi, or dual-function, system which institutionalized a role for the military in politics.

The political reform program, which became known as reformasi, reached an improbable peak under retired Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who in 2004 became the first directly elected Indonesian president. Achieving what neighboring Thailand and Myanmar have repeatedly failed to, SBY turned a deeply politicized military into a professional army. Democratization progressed without sacrificing economic growth, catapulting Indonesia into the ranks of the Group of 20.

By 2014, a robust grassroots movement backed by a youthful progressive middle class overcame Indonesia's deeply entrenched oligarchs to install former small-town Mayor Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, as the country's second directly elected president.

That does not mean Indonesia has come to terms with its bloody past, especially the mass atrocities of the 1960s. Neither can the disappointment of Jokowi's progressive base be denied.

In addition to endorsing a Duterte-style war on narcotics, Jokowi has embraced fundamentalist religious groups, appointed a notorious human rights violator to his cabinet, rolled back anti-corruption initiatives in the name of rapid infrastructure development and appointed far too many generals to oversee the response to COVID-19.

Still, it is hard to understate Indonesia's remarkable transformation within a single generation. Now a bastion of socio-economic dynamism, Indonesia's middle class is not only growing, but it is also better educated, producing a new generation of world-class writers such as Eka Kurniawan and entrepreneurs such as Gojek founder Nadiem Makarim.

With Jokowi's right-hand Luhut Pandjaitan coordinating a national development program that includes the construction of a new $31 billion capital city and an electric car battery production hub to serve the region, Indonesia is on track to go from a predominantly resource-exporting country to a knowledge-based economy. Crucially, Jokowi has sought to make economic growth more inclusive.

By 2050, Indonesia is poised to become the world's fourth-largest economy, behind China, India and the U.S., enabling it to play a far more constructive role on the global stage.

Indonesia's strategic ace is its coterie of skillful diplomats. Among them, foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who not only played a key role in resolving border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia but also contributed to the conceptualization of a stable and inclusive Indo-Pacific order.

Veteran ambassador Dino Djalal has contributed to the dramatic transformation in Indonesia's increasingly warm relations with the West, personally establishing the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, the largest foreign policy-focused nongovernment organization of its kind in the world.

Current Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has dramatically stepped up her country's global footprint, including direct involvement in peace process negotiations from Israel-Palestine conflict to post-war Afghanistan and, more recently, to post-coup Myanmar.

Not a Coca-Cola government by any measure, Indonesia is yet to receive the global recognition it deserves despite decades of democratic opening and sustained economic growth. Regardless, the world's greatest invisible nation will become a pivotal force in shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific order and beyond.

Link:

Steady progress will soon eclipse Indonesia's invisible-nation status - Nikkei Asia

2021-05-07

The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce will publish the following opening letter to the Ohio Congressional Delegation in the Dayton Daily News later this month. We're asking chamber member businesses to sign on to this letter in support of its message. If you'd like to add your business name to the list of member signatories, please email Amanda Bergmann, Business Program Manager, at abergmann@dacc.org.

Re: Economic Recovery Depends on Workforce: An Open Letter to the Ohio Congressional Delegation

Dear Ohio Congressional Delegation:

After a long and difficult pandemic year, the United States is opening up again. May 2021 is looking very different from May 2020. Businesses are returning to full-steam, goods are being produced and shipped, and colleagues who haven't sat together in a year are returning to workplaces eager to collaborate. The economic engine of the American economy is ready to charge forth. Mission #1 is to get the economy fully reopened and operating so we can position our region for an unprecedented recovery. But there is one challenge that threatens to derail this progress and is preventing businesses from reopening at the speed of demand, one challenge that impacts every industry sector of our economy. Workforce.

To be clear, many businesses across the country were struggling to find the talent they needed even before the pandemic. We understand that workforce challenges are multi-faceted, complex and vary widely based on geographic location and industry. But what was challenging pre-pandemic has now become untenable. During the month of April 2021, 78% of Dayton-area employers are struggling to recruit workers. Our economy cannot fully reopen when only of businesses are able to fill their job demands.

As business leaders we are struggling to recruit enough workers to meet the basic needs of our organizations, let alone enough workers to ramp up our business to the levels that the economy is truly demanding. This isn't just a problem for those of us who are manufacturers, it's a problem for the healthcare industry, construction companies, the logistics and transportation industry, service providers, the restaurant and hospitality industry, public sector, supply chains and the list goes on-and-on.

After 14 months of unprecedented financial assistance, workers now face a choice: return to work and lose the Covid-19 federal unemployment assistance that has been extended to September 6th, or remain out of the workforce and continue to draw those benefits.

These extended and increased unemployment benefits were a critical and necessary lifeline to displaced workers at the height of the pandemic. Now they are proving to be a disincentive to workers returning to jobs with steady paychecks and they are preventing our businesses from fully meeting our consumer demands. By the time the Covid-19 federal unemployment extensions expire in September, there will be fewer jobs for those workers to return to, as companies that can't find talent could shutter for good or find a new path.

Economic recovery and growth is possible only if companies are able to find the workforce they need. There is no doubt that federal aid was critical to our overcoming the worst days of the pandemic. However, we must stop dis-incentivizing workers to return to their jobs and careers.

Taking care of those in need is important to all of our businesses. This issue is not about ignoring those that are in need, but instead it is about helping the economy reopen and creating a pathway forward for our most important resource, our people.We call on you, our elected delegation in Washington D.C., to end the increased federal unemployment extension and help our economy fully reopen by allowing our businesses to employ Ohioans, fill jobs openings and meet the economic recovery demands of the Dayton region, Ohio and the nation.

Sincerely,

DACC signatories

This press release was produced by the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author's own.

More:

Dayton Area Chamber Of Commerce: Open Letter To Congress: Economic Recovery Depends On Workforce - Patch.com

AUSTIN (Nexstar) House members debated Senate Bill 7 starting Thursday and into the early morning hours on Friday. When they reconvened Friday, the controversial election regulation bill passed with a 78-64 vote.

Last week, SB7 was changed to make the language identical to House Bill 6. It would restrict counties ability to distribute vote-by-mail applications, relax restrictions on partisan poll watchers and tighten restrictions on people assisting voters.

I filed this bill to, you know, ensure that we have a equal and uniform application of our election code and to protect people from being taken advantage of, said the bills author, State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park.

Texas Democrats showed up on Thursday with masks saying Good Trouble ready to present over 100 amendments and hoped to derail the bill. House Elections Committee Vice Chair Rep. Jessica Gonzlez, D-Dallas, was among those against the bill.

Every single member on this floor believes that election fraud is a crime and should be prosecuted, Gonzlez said. Where we disagree is that we do not believe that legal voters should be rejected and disenfranchised because of extraordinarily rare crime of election fraud.

Now that the bill has passed the Texas Senate and House, it will go to a conference committee where they will iron out the differences in language before presenting it to the governor. Namely, the Senate bill restricts early voting hours and regulates how polling places are distributed where the House bill does not.

The vote came one day after lawmakers approved new measures to restrict access to abortions in Texas. Senate Bill 8, also known as the fetal heartbeat bill, passed the State House this week after passing the State Senate last month.

SB 8 would ban doctors from performing abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which may be as soon as six weeks into gestation, and allow anyone to sue the doctor who performs the abortion.

Rep. Shelby Slawson, R-Stephenville, supports the legislation because she relates to it. Doctors told her mother she would not develop normally in the womb, but she was carried to full term and is now a healthy adult.

That little baby girl is standing in this chamber, Slawson said. Her heart beating as strongly and as rapidly as it did all those years ago.

However some faith leaders, like Dallas Rev. Erica Forbes, stand against this legislation. Forbes is standing up for the mothers of unborn babies, including herself. As a teenager, Forbes did not have the resources to care for and raise a child.

I didnt find out I was pregnant until eight weeks in, and had I not had the opportunity to get the abortion that I deserve, that is my legal right, my life would have been decimated, Forbes said.

Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, used her medical background to point out that the bill is not scientifically correct.

The Doppler fetal monitor that has that sound that you gave us while ago, is not actually the sound of a heartbeat, but an amplified version of signals, Howard said.

Regardless, the bill passed its initial House vote after several amendments were added, including banning anyone who impregnated a woman by rape or incest from suing. The bill is heading to the Texas Senate for final approval on these changes.

A new poll from the Texas Politics Project and the Texas Tribune shows that voters are split on the idea of suing. While 44% support letting any individual sue an abortion provider, 37% of Texans polled oppose the idea. However, nearly one-in-five people polled were unsure.

Some local governments are taking a stand on abortion. Voters in Lubbock approved a measure to ban abortions in city limits last week. It will take affect on June 1 and allow family members to sue the abortion provider and anyone who helps someone get an abortion. However, its likely to face legal challenges as opponents call it an unconstitutional ban.

The Texas Senate passed a bill along party lines this week to allow people over 21 to carry handguns without a state-issued license or training. But, not without widespread objection from law enforcement.

The authors of House Bill 1927 had to make some changes before several Republican senators got on board, but Gov. Greg Abbott has indicated that he will sign the bill.

Among the several amendments added to the bill was a provision to prevent anyone who was convicted of crimes such as terroristic threat, deadly conduct or assault with bodily injury within the past five years from legally carrying a handgun. Another amendment increased penalties for felons and people with family violence convictions caught with firearms. Texas senators confirmed people cannot carry a handgun while intoxicated in a public space.

The bill will return to the Texas House for members to go over the amendments made in the Senate before it reaches the governors desk.

If it passes, Texas will be the fifth state to allow permitless carry, after Iowa, Tennessee, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. More than a dozen other states have introduced similar legislation this year.

President Joe Biden said hes willing to compromise with Republicans who say his new infrastructure plan costs too much.

Im willing to hear ideas from both sides. Im meeting with my Republican friends up and up in the Congress to see number one, how much theyre willing to go for what they think of their priorities, Biden said. And what compromises mean Im ready to compromise. What Im not ready to do Im not ready to do nothing.

The plan includes funding for mass transit, high-speed internet and improvements to the electrical grid.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the plan is to create millions of jobs through investing in transportation and infrastructure.

We think this is how we set up America to succeed for the long run. Its roads and bridges, its ports and airports, things like that, Buttigieg said. But also an expanded definition of infrastructure, because things like Internet access are as important as access to the interstate highway system, in todays times to be able to win in the economy.

Two grant programs are proposed, which Buttigieg says will protect Texans. Rebuilding American Infrastructure for Sustainability and Equity, or RAISE, and INFRA are available to local communities to encourage sustainability and modernization.

Buttigieg said Congress is looking at ways to improve transportation across the nation, and in Texas that means overseeing the proposed high-speed rail between Houston and Dallas and highway improvement.

Weve been in touch with the Texas Department of Transportation, about concerns with I-35, for example, and making sure that that unfolds in a way thats lawful but beneficial for everybody, Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg said hes been in conversations with mayors from around Texas and representatives in Washington, D.C. about shaping the infrastructure in Texas and growing the job market. A big concern is growth, which has a big effect on transportation.

So weve got to be smart about giving people alternatives so that cars can travel efficiently and safely, but also, so they have great transit resources and options that you might not need the car for certain kinds of trips. All of those things have to fit together. And what we want are solutions that are going to work for Texans in their day to day lives, getting to school, getting to work and getting around the community wherever you need to be, Buttigieg said.

The only roadblock to getting this infrastructure plan to the presidents desk, according to Buttigieg, is Congress.

We need Congress to act, Buttigieg said. Thats why Im speaking to members of Congress, literally every day, were talking to members from both parties in both chambers.

Buttigieg and Biden face the challenge of convincing skeptical Republicans, like Texas Senator John Cornyn, to back the infrastructure spending.

But if youre talking about roads and bridges, those are things that enjoy broad bipartisan support, Cornyn said. But the problem is, when you start asking, how do you intend to pay for it, it gets pretty quiet. And one of the ways the Biden administration wants to pay for their wish list is by raising taxes. And I dont think theres any support on my side of the aisle for raising taxes for this purpose.

In order to pay for the plan, Biden said he would like to raise the corporate tax rate to between 25% and 28%. The current rate is 21%.

The Texas legislative session is coming to an end soon, and deadlines are approaching lawmakers fast. Monday is the last day for House Committees to report House Bills and joint resolutions. Thursday is the last day for the House to take initial votes on measures that originated in that chamber. Friday is the final day for third readings of House bills except those on the local and consent calendar.

By the end of this week, many bills will die for this session. The following is an update on several bills we have been keeping up with on State of Texas.

The Texas House passed a plan to pay for the weatherization of power plants and equipment that failed in February in House Bill 2000. It asks voters to allocate $2 billion in loans and grants to power companies. The money would come from the states rainy day fund for one-time expenses.

State Rep. David Spiller, R-Jacksboro, was apprehensive about this plan.

I had concerns about this particular bill, because its basically a revolving line of credit, with no end in sight, Spiller said.

But HB 2000 sponsor State Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, defended it.

We are working through the system and trying to identify what should be done in the way of mandating those type of things, Paddie said. Understand theres a cost associated with that. So HB 2000, is our answer to creating a resource, if you will, for the cost associated with weatherization.

HB 2000 is going to the Texas Senate, and if it passes it will go to Texas voters in the November election.

Senate lawmakers heard emotional testimony from families advocating for John and Josephs Law, which requires the use of a national database to solve missing and unidentified persons cases. This was covered in KXANs Missing in Texas investigation, which discovered 10 other states have passed similar laws.

The law, named for two Houston men who were missing for years, passed out of committee unanimously. It would require law enforcement, medical examiners and justices of the peace to enter case details into NamUs, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. The information required would include dental records, fingerprints and clothing descriptions.

Alice Almendarez said in her testimony that NamUs helped her track down her fathers body more than a decade after he went missing.

My dads case was never taken seriously, Almendarez said. It was reopened by NamUs. Entered into the NamUs database. Our DNA was taken, and my father was linked to our DNA and he was eventually identified six months later.

The bill is now headed to the Texas Senate floor.

Texas House members passed a bill that would reinstate a health equity office for Texans. The previous office was stripped of its funding.

Bill author State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, said the pandemic has unequal effects on various populations based on race and socioeconomic status, which only highlights why this office is needed.

The bill now goes to a Senate committee for a vote.

Originally posted here:

State of Texas: Conflict at the Capitol and talking Texas transportation - KXAN.com

Introduction

COVID-19 pandemic has changed the image of our world with its circular impact on health, living tradition, economy, and politics. In particular, the tradition of the health industry has changed dramatically because of the unpredictable nature of the pandemic. Since the breakout of COVID-19, health care providers have faced multidimensional challenges in carrying out their professional duties and responsibilities. Studies have shown that frontline health professionals are challenged by a lack of pandemic preparedness, scarcity of clinical supplies, and implementation of social distancing.1,2

Amid the pandemic, health professionals were challenged to apply the four main principles of biomedical ethics in taking care of the clients, ie autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence. For instance, health workers who assigned on duty without personal protective equipment were at high risk of infection not only to themselves but also to their families and other clients. Thus, it violates no harm to others or non-maleficence ethical principle.3

Nurses are amongst the frontline health professionals in the health care setting, especially in taking care of COVID-19 patients. They were also actively involved in hospital leadership and management activities, such as in mobilizing hospital resources for the pandemic. Therefore, it is obvious that they are facing a lot of ethical challenges and difficulties as they are usually under the pressure of workloads. According to Turale et al, nurses have faced unpalatable and complex ethical challenges in practice, with moral conflicts, high levels of patient deaths, and long working hours.4

However, limited data are available on the ethical challenges that nurse professionals are facing through this time of global health crisis, ie COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this review will identify the ethical challenges of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An integrative review approach was adopted.5 This study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) checklist guidelines.6

The electronic databases searched were PubMed, Google Scholar, JURN, Cochrane Library E-Journals, MEDLINE, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL. Available resources were accessed through the University of Algarve EBSCO database. In addition, articles were also searched through a review of the grey literature available on local university shelves, and institutional repositories, and by reviewing the reference lists of already identified articles. Electronic database searches were conducted from November 1, 2020 to November 13, 2020.

The key terms used for the database searches were: ((((ethical issues) OR (ethical challenges)) OR (ethical barriers)) AND (nurse*)) AND (COVID-19 pandemic). These search terms were pre-defined to allow a comprehensive search strategy that included all fields within records and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH terms), to expand the search in an advanced PubMed search. An advanced PubMed search was run using the predefined search terms to allow a comprehensive and detailed search strategy. We combined keywords with the OR operator and then linked the search strategies for the two axes with the AND operator to search for studies.

All the studies that reported ethical challenges of nurses` during the COVID-19-pandemic from November 9, 2019 to November 9, 2020 were eligible for inclusion in the review. However, studies in languages other than English were excluded. Documents that were inaccessible after three email contacts with the principal investigator were also excluded. The eligibility criteria for each article were checked and decided on the consensus of two independent authors.

All database-search results were sent/exported to Mendeley reference manager software version 1.19.4. After putting all the search results in a single folder, duplicated articles were removed. Next, two independent reviewers screened the studies according to the preset inclusion criteria. Through title screening, the articles that clearly mentioned ethical issues, challenges, and/or barriers of nurses in COVID-19 were selected for abstract screening. Then, articles that fulfilled the eligibility criteria, based on their titles and abstracts, were retrieved for full-text screening. Eventually, fully eligible articles were selected for further analysis. The inclusion of articles was considered in the consensus of the reviewers (Figure 1).

Figure 1 PRISMA flow diagram showing study selection process. Adapted from Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med 6(7): e1000097.6

The primary outcome of this review was the ethical challenges faced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have classified them into three main themes of ethical challenges. The first category was focused on the main ethical issues of nurses safety, role, and moral distress. Second, the ethical challenges faced by nurse professionals on resources allocation and, third, the ethical aspects of the nurseclient relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data were extracted using an excel table. We extracted variables that were related to the ethical challenges of nurses during COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we recorded the study setting, author, year, aim/research question, and methods used in each article. Using content analysis technique, the ethical challenges of nurses were categorized into three areas, namely, nurses safety, role and moral distress, resource allocation, and the nurseclient relationship.

The methodological quality of the included articles was evaluated using the quality appraisal tools from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) 2020, namely the JBI quality appraisal checklists for analytical cross-sectional studies, the JBI quality appraisal checklists for text and opinion papers, and the JBI quality appraisal checklists for qualitative research.

The initial search for articles generated 2529 articles, of which 8 articles fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria set in this integrative review for further analysis and synthesis. Of these, seven articles4,712 has focused on the ethical issues of nurses working in hospitals while the remaining one13 have discussed school nurses ethical concerns. Six articles4,710,13 were discussion papers of authors whereas one was conducted in qualitative approach,12 and the other was employed in descriptive correlation design.11 The maximum sample size among the included articles was 231 registered nurses (Table 1).11

Table 1 Characteristics and Summary of the Articles Included in the Review

The JBI quality appraisal tools were used based on the consensus of two reviewers. We have included studies with explicitly stated objectives, clear source of opinion, pre-set eligibility criteria for inclusion in the sample, a detailed description of settings, reliable and valid measurement of exposure, and appropriate statistical analysis. Based on the consensus of reviewers, articles were classified into high, moderate, and low methodological quality. Accordingly, the one and only qualitative articles were scored 9/10 and classified as high-quality (810/10). The six opinion articles were also classified as high quality (56/6). The remaining, descriptive correlation study was also, similarly, scored 7/8 and lied within the range of high-quality paper (78/8).

A total of 8 articles have reported the ethical challenges faced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a full reading and conceptual understanding of the articles included in the review, a content analysis was carried out to figure out the ethical challenges of nurses during the pandemic. Accordingly, the ethical challenges of nurses were categorized into three areas, namely, nurses safety, role and moral distress, resource allocation, and the nurseclient relationship.

Under this theme, we have included five articles. Accordingly, in the fight against COVID-19, the safety of nurses is a pressing ethical issue, as they were asked to work under circumstances that put them at risk to their overall health and well-being. The lack of full protection for nurses across the health industry raises ethical questions about the extent of their duty, lack of personal protective equipment, and risk of failure of personal protective equipment.7,9,12 Significant numbers of nurses were also experiencing moral distress because they were under prolonged pressure to maintain the resources needed to provide safe and high-quality nursing care.4,8 Nurses were also subjected to run various roles in case such a question was raised, which duty belongs to whom.12

Another decision demanding concern is the fair allocation of scarce resources. Based on the findings from six articles, different views have been given on how resource allocation was an ethical issue during the outbreak. Health resources are limited, from the very beginning, let alone in COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, emergency nurses are usually engaged in prioritizing patients. They are passing through blurred decisions on issues, such as which patients are most likely to get into a scarce intensive care unit bed, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Similarly, the issue of scarce personnel protective equipment for nurses is another burning ethical topic as stated by different authors.4,811,13

Six articles have focused on the ethical challenges of the triangular relationship of nursepatient and family relationship. COVID-19 has also put the client-centred approach in question, which brings another ethical and professional crisis. During the pandemic, many people are dying in isolation and ICU separated from their families and even without getting the opportunities to have end-of-life-conversations. Unfortunately, families were also quarantined if they had any contact with the dying person.8,9 During the pandemic, in USA and Australia, some private hospital nurses were out of duty.4 Jia et al have also mentioned some ethical challenges including insufficient response to urgency requirements of the situation. Also, interviewees reported that some staff worked slowly while rescuing patients and delivering other nursing activities that reflected a low sense of moral responsibility.12

The devastating COVID-19 pandemic that has suffered the worldwide population resulted in an unprecedented admission of patients in ICU, sharpen ethical dilemma, and suffer of health-care professionals.

These elements are liable to shake up the ethical nursing principles and consequently raise ethical challenges for health professionals and, in our issue, nurses.14,15 To date, there are four basic principles of biomedical ethics in clinical practice: autonomy, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence.16 However, these basic biomedical ethical principles and other ethical guidelines used previously in managing infectious disease outbreaks do not fully apply to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

This integrative review has brought the findings of 8 articles, on ethical challenges of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, in three thematic areas. The ethical challenges were classified as nurses safety, role and moral distress, resource allocation, and the nurseclient relationship.

In this time of COVID-19 pandemic, nurses were not fully protected by personal protective equipment. Because of the contagious nature of the virus, failure in any personal protection does not only affect the nurses who are in charge but also clients being served by them. On top of this, they were subjected to work beyond their job description and duty that could induce moral distress.7,9,12 These incidences could lower the quality of care, and harm the clients and surrounding communities, which antagonizes one of the basic principles of bioethics, non-maleficence. Non-maleficence refers to the bioethical principles that any type of care harms neither the patient nor others in society.7

Another tangible ethical challenge for nurses during the pandemic was fair allocation of medical resources. The distribution of scarce resources and competing needs is a basic nursing ethical principle, justice, in the context of medical ethics that implies fairness in medical decisions.16 But, in reality, during the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses were making blurred decisions on various issues, such aswhich patients are most likely to get into a scarce intensive care unit bed and mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.4,811,13 In the middle of the pandemic, we were observing that COVID-19 patients lying on the floor and waiting for medical care and/or with substandard level of care because they were beyond the capacity of hospital resources.

Lastly, the tradition of nurseclient interaction was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses are the ones who support patients to have an even peaceful dying process and bereavement. On the contrary, many people were dying in isolation and ICU separated from their families and beloved others, even without getting the opportunities to have end-of-life-conversations.8,9 A patient would have the autonomy to decide who should be involved in taking care of him/her during a stay in the hospital. However, nurses were not capable of fulfilling patients will and wishes, which is against the biomedical ethical principle of autonomy. The overall consequences of such gaps have left a scar on the history of the modern nursing profession.

Limited research articles are available related to the ethical challenges of nurses in COVID-19 pandemic. Also, studies discussing under more general titles, such as healthcare professionals, providers, caregivers, and the like, were not included in this review.

Nurses have continued to experience the ethical challenges of COVID-19 pandemic. Primarily, the lack of full protection of nurses across the health industry has raised ethical questions such as the extent of their duty, scarce resources, and the failure of personal protective equipment. Second, a significant number of nurses were also facing moral distress because they were under prolonged pressure to keep up the resources needed to provide safe and high-quality nursing care. Furthermore, nurses were also challenged to restrict many COVID-19 patients from having end-of-life communication with their families.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

1. Nyashanu M, Pfende F, Ekpenyong M. Exploring the challenges faced by frontline workers in health and social care amid the COVID-19 pandemic: experiences of frontline workers in the English Midlands region, UK. J Interprof Care. 2020;34(5):655661. doi:10.1080/13561820.2020.1792425

2. Dudzinski DM, Hoisington BY, Brown CE. Ethics Lessons From Seattles Early Experience With COVID-19. Am J Bioeth. 2020;20(7):6774. doi:10.1080/15265161.2020.1764137

3. Shah A, Aacharya RP. Combating COVID-19 Pandemic in Nepal: ethical Challenges in an Outbreak. JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2020;58(224):276279. doi:10.31729/jnma.4959

4. Turale S, Meechamnan C, Kunaviktikul W. Challenging times: ethics, nursing and the COVID-19 pandemic. Int Nurs Rev. 2020;67(2):164167. doi:10.1111/inr.12598

5. Whittemore R, Knafl K. The integrative review: updated methodology. J Adv Nurs. 2005;52(5):546553. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2005.03621.x

6. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-AnalysesThe PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med: 6(7): e1000097.

7. Zhu J, Stone T, Petrini M. The ethics of refusing to care for patients during the coronavirus pandemic: a Chinese perspective. Nurs Inq. 2020;28(1):e12380. doi:10.1111/nin.12380

8. Nasser I, Abu-El-Noor M, Khalil A-E-N. Ethical issues in caring for COVID-patients: a view from Gaza. Nurs Ethics. 2020;27(8). doi:10.1177/0969733020956733

9. Morley G, Grady C, McCarthy J, Ulrich CM. Covid-19: ethical Challenges for Nurses. Hastings Cent Rep. 2020;50(3):3539. doi:10.1002/hast.1110

10. McKenna H. Covid-19: ethical issues for nurses. Int J Nurs Stud. 2020;110:103673. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103673

11. Sperling D. Ethical dilemmas, perceived risk, and motivation among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurs Ethics. 2020;28(1):969733020956376. doi:10.1177/0969733020956376

12. Jia Y, Chen O, Xiao Z, Xiao J, Bian J, Jia H. Nurses ethical challenges caring for people with COVID-19: a qualitative study. Nurs Ethics. 2020;28(1):969733020944453. doi:10.1177/0969733020944453

13. Combe LG. Reopening Schools During COVID-19: school Nurse Ethical Conflicts and Moral Dilemmas. NASN Sch Nurse. 2020;35(6):308312. doi:10.1177/1942602X20963522

14. Robert R, Kentish-Barnes N, Boyer A, Laurent A, Azoulay E, Reignier J. Ethical dilemmas due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ann Intensive Care. 2020;10(1). doi:10.1186/s13613-020-00702-7

15. Druml C. COVID-19 and ethical preparedness? Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2020;132(1314):400402. doi:10.1007/s00508-020-01709-7

16. Principles of Biomedical Ethics - Tom L. Beauchamp, Professor of Philosophy and Senior Research Scholar Tom L Beauchamp, James F. Childress, University Professor and Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics James F Childress - Google Books. Available from: https://books.google.es/books?hl=en&id=_14H7MOw1o4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Beauchamp,+T.+I.,+%26+Childress,+J.+F.+(2001).+Principles+of+biomedical+ethics+(5th+ed.).+Oxford,+UK:+Oxford+University+Press.&ots=1xSl0JDi-r&sig=m3IvFhcGy0RQt_TDxwna7n9GB7U&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false. Accessed March 20, 2021.

Originally posted here:

Ethical challenges of nurses in the COVID-19 pandemic | JMDH - Dove Medical Press

LUBBOCK, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) The following is a news release from Texas Tech University:

A COVID-19 diagnostic tool invented atTexas Tech Universityis getting a big push into global markets.

EviroTech LLCannounced Thursday (May 7) a $4 million investment into the company by 1701 Ventures GmbH of Gttingen, Germany, which will allow EviroTech to complete the final design, production startup and market introduction of its Ultra-Fast COVID-19 detection sensor.

The Ultra-Fast COVID-19 detection sensor is a rapid and portable tool for COVID-19 diagnosis with the ability to sense the presence or absence of the virus SARS-CoV-2 in a saliva sample within seconds. The portability and speed of results makes this sensor a transformational diagnostic tool for rapid initial screening and continuous monitoring of an individual.

This is a very exciting partnership that will accelerate access of the Ultra-Fast COVID-19 sensor worldwide, saidGerardine Gerri Botte, who invented the sensor and founded EviroTech to commercialize it. A professor and Whitacre Department Chair in theDepartment of Chemical Engineeringwithin theEdward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering, Botte also is EviroTechs chief technology officer.

She notes the presence of COVID-19 variants around the world will make the need for testing even more important going forward.

We are more than excited to accompany EviroTech on this amazing journey, said Felix Dossman, CEO of 1701 Ventures GmbH and a member of the EviroTech board of directors. It is a rare opportunity to not just invest but help bring a product to life that will have such a big, positive impact for so many people.

The entrepreneurial programs available through Texas TechsInnovation Hub at Research Parkaided in the early growth and development of EviroTech. An initial $13,000 awarded through thePrototype Fundhelped launch the startup. The company received $25,000 through thePresidents Innovation Awardthen became anInnovation Hub tenant. Participation in theNational Science Foundations I-Corps programprovided $50,000 and helped EviroTech focus on its market fit.

Texas Tech supports innovation and entrepreneurship of its faculty, staff, students and community, saidKimberly Gramm, associate vice president for innovation and entrepreneurship. EviroTech is a perfect example of how our West Texas innovation ecosystem helped reduce risk, validate the technology and ensure product-market fit, which resulted in its ability to quickly raise the necessary capital to enter the market. We have seen this team accelerate its growth and development over the past year, and we are extremely excited to see its growth and impact in the years to come.

EviroTech is dedicated to the development of transformational technologies to combat infections and viral transmitted diseases. Electrochemistry is its core technical competency, with an approach that integrates electrochemical technology and biomedical engineering.

The Ultra-Fast COVID-19 sensor is an antigen-based electrochemical device, meaning it can detect SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins at an early stage of infection, unlike its antibody-based testing counterparts. The technology has been patented and EviroTech is seeking Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Bottes innovative technology is a wonderful example of the impact higher education research has on global societal issues, said Texas TechPresident Lawrence Schovanec. This valuable diagnostic tool was born in the research labs of Texas Tech University and raised in our very own entrepreneurial system. We are proud of the example Dr. Botte sets for our students and the manner in which she represents the institution through her groundbreaking research.

About Gerardine Gerri BotteGerardine Gerri Botte joined the Texas Tech Department of Chemical Engineering in 2019. She has more than two decades of experience in the development of electrochemical processes and advanced water treatment systems, and is a visionary and recognized leader in electrochemical science and technology.

She has served in leadership roles for the International Society of Electrochemistry and currently serves as the third Vice President of the Electrochemical Society. She also is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Applied Electrochemistry. In 2014, she was named a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society for her contributions and innovation in electrochemical processes and engineering. She became a Chapter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2012. In 2010, she was named a Fellow of the World Technology Network for her contributions on the development of sustainable and environmental technologies.

Prior to Texas Tech, Botte was a University Distinguished Professor and Russ Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Ohio University, the founder and director of Ohio Universitys Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research, and the founder and director of the Consortium for Electrochemical Processes and Technology, an industry university cooperative research center. Botte also is an entrepreneur; she has been involved in the commercialization of technologies and has founded and co-founded companies.

About the Innovation Hub at Research ParkThis 40,000-square-foot facility is designed to be a resource for the faculty and students of both Texas Tech and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center as well as community members interested in launching new ventures. Texas Tech is a national research university, and the Innovation Hub at Research Park is critical to building the knowledge-based economy of West Texas through the development of innovators and entrepreneurs who solve societys problems and develop innovations to make impact.

(News release from Texas Tech University)

Originally posted here:

Ultra-fast COVID-19 sensor invented at Texas Tech gets boost into international markets - KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com

New GEM Research: 43% of Survey Respondents Know Someone Who Stopped a Business Due to the Pandemic

There was a total of 135,942 respondents with highly varying participation rates between economies. Among many examples of this, 72% of adults in Indonesia knew someone who had stopped a business due to the pandemic, compared to just 16% of adults in Taiwan. In all of the Latin America & Caribbean GEM participating countries except Uruguay, more than half of adults knew someone who started a business as a result of the pandemic, as they did in Indonesia, Angola, Oman and India. In the United States, 22% know someone who started business due to pandemic, while 42% know someone who stopped a business.

"Due to COVID-19, both the markets and the rules of the game have changed and entrepreneurs will increasingly come up with new solutions for the challenges the world faces," said Niels Bosma, Chair of the GEM Board. "These findings underscore why it is crucial for governments to not just focus on keeping existing businesses alive, but also nurture a fertile ground for new entrepreneurship that can safeguard the jobs of the future."

The state of entrepreneurial activity

One key GEM measure is the level of Total early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA): the percentage of adults actively engaged in starting or running a new business.

Until August 2020, rates of early-stage entrepreneurial activity had not changed significantly, compared to 2019 in most economies.

However, relative to 2019, there was a marked decrease in established business (businesses in operation for more than 42 months), indicating the pains experienced during the first six months of the pandemic. This finding is indicative of the difficulties new businesses experienced in moving to their next level of development during the first six months of the pandemic.

"Falls in the rate of established business ownership are worrying, and indicate a downward shift in employment opportunities," said Professor Stephen Hill, lead author of the global report. "Established businesses provide stable long-term jobs. New businesses are essential, since they will create sustainable jobs, but mostly in the future. However, because of the pandemic, economies need more jobs right here and now, as well as an assurance of jobs for down the road."

Entrepreneurship opportunities

The pandemic is leading to massive layoffs and closures in many countries. GEM survey data overwhelmingly indicates that household income has taken a substantial hit around the world.

Entrepreneurs are by nature good at spotting opportunities, and in turn, resilient in riding out bad times. Of the 43 economies studied, there are nine where more than half of those starting or running a new business agree that the pandemic led to new opportunities they could pursue.

Separately, GEM investigates what motivates entrepreneurs.

"We observed that most of the entrepreneurial population from Europe, North America, Latin-America and the Caribbean were motivated to create a business for making a difference in the world," explained Maribel Guerrero, Professor at Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile. "Most of the entrepreneurial population from Central, East Asia, Middle East and Africa were motivated to create a business for building wealth or higher income."

National Entrepreneurship ContextIndex and Economy Profiles

The report also features GEM's National Entrepreneurship Context Index (GEM NECI). The index measures the 12 entrepreneurial environment conditions (EFCs) that make up the context in which entrepreneurial activity takes place in a country. In its latest ranking, Indonesia, Netherlands and Taiwan are the top three.

In total, the report findings are based on interviews and surveys with nearly 140,000 adults from 46 economies, including both the APS and the National Expert Survey.

From Central and East Asia, the economies are India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea and Taiwan.

From the Middle East and Africa, the economies are Angola, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Togo and United Arab Emirates.

From the Latin American and Caribbean, the economies are Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and Uruguay.

From Europe & North America the economies are: Austria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

Researchers from participating economies are available for media interviews.

In addition, the Global Report addresses questions like:

Call to action

GEM has been actively and consistently measuring and evaluating levels of entrepreneurial activity since 1999. Over that period, more than 120 economies have been involved in the research, collectively interviewing well over three million individuals. Never has this ongoing research been more relevant than today in the midst of the global pandemic. While it is evident from GEM research that entrepreneurship has been riding a very turbulent wave all over the world owing to the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, the true value of the research is at regional or national level.

"The 2020/2021 GEM Global Report not only holds a mirror up to the state of the art of entrepreneurship, but also to the state of economies and policymaking around the world," said Smaiyra Million, Director of the Butler Institute for Free Enterprise through Entrepreneurship at Babson College.

GEM Executive Director Aileen Ionescu-Somers added: "We thank GEM National Teams and our sponsors Babson College and the School of Management Fribourg at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland. This report reflects the start of an unprecedented story that will likely play out for some years to come. We invite our stakeholders, particularly policymakers, to accompany us in that journey by reflecting on our results and using them as a benchmark and/or robust source of data and information for their own policy decision-making or activities to boost entrepreneurship."

On that note, GEM invites you to join its report launch webinaron Monday, May 10 at 9 am US EST, 15:00 CET, 21:00 China Standard Time. Report authors Niels Bosma, Stephen Hill, Maribel Guerrero, Donna Kelley and Thomas Schtt will share insights and analysis and answer your questions. The session will be moderated by Aileen Ionescu-Somers,. Sign up for the webinar.

About GEM

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is a consortium of national country teams, primarily associated with top academic institutions, that carries out survey-based research on entrepreneurship around the world. GEM is the only global research source that collects data on entrepreneurship directly from individual entrepreneurs! GEM's Adult Population Survey (APS) provides analysis on the characteristics, motivations and ambitions of individuals starting businesses, as well as social attitudes towards entrepreneurship. The National Expert Survey (NES) looks at the national context in which individuals start businesses.www.gemconsortium.org

In numbers, GEM is:

- 22 years of data- 150,000+ interviews a year- 100+ economies- 500+ specialists in entrepreneurship research- 300+ academic and research institutions- 200+ funding institutions

GEM began in 1999 as a joint project between Babson College (USA) and London Business School (UK). The consortium has become the richest resource of information on entrepreneurship, publishing a range of global, national and 'special topic' reports on an annual basis.

GEM Global Sponsor Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader ofEntrepreneurship of All Kinds. Thetop-rankedcollege for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advanceEntrepreneurial Thought & Action as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

GEM Report Sponsor TheSchool of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR)is a GEM Global Report sponsor.HEG-FR is a bilingual public business school located in Fribourg, Switzerland and member of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO). Its Institute of Small and Medium Enterprises houses the Swiss chapter of GEM research, which is headed by Professor Rico Baldegger, Ph.D, in collaboration with other colleagues from institutions such as SUPSI Manno in Ticino, Switzerland.

SOURCE Babson College

See the original post:

New Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Research: 43% of Survey Respondents Know Someone Who Stopped a Business Due to the Pandemic - PRNewswire

May 6, 2021

Five vendors have signed agreements to offer high-speed internet access for up to 30,000 residents in 13 NYCHA developments, a major milestone in the Citys implementation of the Internet Master Plan for Universal Broadband

NEW YORKMayor Bill de Blasio today announcedamajor milestone in the Citys effort to bring new internet connectivity options to residents of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and to create a shift in the local broadband market.As part of New York Citys implementation of the Internet Master Plan for Universal Broadband, the City has executed license agreements with five internet service providers to offer high-speed internet access for up to 30,000 residents in 13 NYCHA developments. NYCHA is currently in the process of finalizing an agreement with a sixth internet service provider.

The five vendors with executed license agreements -- Starry, Sky Packets, Silicon Harlem, Flume, and NYC Mesh -- are finalists selected from the Citys Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) issued in partnership with the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in June 2020. Three developments selected through this process will receive free WiFi on public grounds, while the remaining 10 developments will be wired for affordable in-unit internet access. This effort is part of the Mayor's commitment to extend broadband to New Yorkers in the hardest-hit communities identified by the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity.

In this day and age, high-quality internet service is a necessity, not a luxury, said Mayor Bill de Blasio. By investing in broadband infrastructure, we drive forward a recovery for all of usboth by delivering much needed resources to NYCHA families and making significant progress on our commitment to close the citys digital divide.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way we work, learn and connect to resources, and universal broadband access is essential for communities of color that were hardest-hit by COVID-19 to build back stronger," said First Lady Chirlane McCray. "This historic investment will open the door for industry leaders to deliver innovative technology solutions that end the digital divide and ensure a fair recovery for all."

"Affordable broadband is critical for 21st century life," saidDeputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin. "The Internet connects millions of New Yorkers to work, education, healthcare, family and more. I'm thrilled these partnerships will bring high-speed connectivity to 30,000 NYCHA residents as we implement our nation-leading Internet Master Plan."

"A 21st century recovery for all of us means increasing access to critical infrastructure like broadband," said Deputy Mayor Vicki Been. "For too long, the digital divide has prevented many New Yorkersincluding families, students, and seniorsfrom accessing the Internet where they live. The Internet Master Plan is our boldest investment in universal broadband to date, and I'm thrilled we've partnered with these providers to speed up access to this vital resource for 30,000 NYCHA residents."

We have witnessed how transformational internet connectivity can be to the lives of New Yorkers. Now, 30,000 more NYCHA residents are gaining affordable broadband options through the Citys bold and innovative approach. The Internet Master Plan is changing lives for the better by making education, opportunity, and healthcare more accessible. In addition, broadband creates opportunities to strengthen bonds with family, friends, and community, said New York City Chief Technology Officer John Paul Farmer.Building on this notable progress, the City will continue to facilitate partnerships with internet service providers that share the goal of affordable, high-speed internet for all New Yorkers.

"New York City is closer to achieving its goal of becoming a fairer and equitable city with launching the Internet Master Plan for Universal Broadband," saidNYCEDC Acting President Rachel Loeb. "Through this Master Plan, five vendors will provide access to affordable, high-speed internet options for 30,000 NYCHA residents. We're thrilled the City has reached a milestone to close the digital divide, which for too long has had a disproportionate impact in communities that need it the most.

The Authority is committed to expanding the quality of internet service options available to our residents by leveraging emerging technologies and identifying innovative partnership opportunities, said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ. We want to thank the City, MOCTO, and NYCEDC for working with us on this important milestone of making high-speed broadband service more accessible to public housing residents across New York City.

Digital equity must be a priority and this initiative demonstrates our commitment to ending the divide. Free and low cost broadband access is crucial for NYCHA residents and communities of color to have equitable access to work, learning, healthcare, government services and other essential resources, said Sideya Sherman, Executive Director of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity and EVP for Community Engagement and Partnerships, NYCHA. This gap existed before the pandemic and is even more critical now. This unprecedented investment, which accelerates the Internet Master Plan, demonstrates how the City can work creatively, across government, to meet the moment.

About the RFEI

This RFEI offered a unique opportunity for internet service providers, both large and small, to propose their plans and partnership ideas to use new access to NYCHA buildings and facilities to rapidly close the digital divide for this slice of New Yorkers. Respondents proved the Citys theory: that when the City offers new assets -- including building common areas, facades, rooftops, light poles, and other physical structures that can be used for broadband installation -- a diverse set of companies will enter the market with lower cost service options that present competition to the large companies offering limited high-quality service options to New Yorkers. These new companies prove that you can bring new connectivity options to public housing communities and to low-connectivity neighborhoods to close the digital divide.

In the target neighborhoods, internet service providers charge anywhere from $40/month to $110/month. With this RFEI, vendors will provide free or low-cost internet service residents can sign up for no more than $20/month.

"Today, broadband is an essential service. We at NYC Mesh are committed to working with the City and NYCHA to ensure universal and equitable internet access for all New Yorkers, said the NYC Mesh organizers. We believe every community should have the opportunity and resources to own and manage their connection online, and look forward to scaling this collaboration -- already benefiting NYCHA residents -- to ensure our citys digital future benefits all people."

Silicon Harlem applauds New York City for taking a bold Broadband commitment to ensure everyone is connected. We must continue to break down barriers to broadband access for lower income communities, knowing that doing so will enable multiple generations of all New Yorkers to become more fully engaged in the world," said Clayton Banks, Chief Executive Officer for Silicon Harlem. Silicon Harlem is thrilled to provide new and innovative ways to deliver the internet to every home without having cost being a barrier. The RFEI creates an unprecedented opportunity for New York City to be the gateway to greater opportunity for all.

Flume is honored to bring our fiber-to-the-home deployment to over 6,000 NYCHA homes as part of this RFEI, said Prashanth Vijay, CEO of Flume. We believe high quality, low cost fiber broadband should be a right enjoyed by all New Yorkers and our mission is to accelerate towards that goal. We hope this project serves as an inspiration to other private-public partnerships and connectivity investment in affordable housing.

Amid COVID-19, having broadband access that you can trust was a social determinant of good health and synonymous with economic stability, said Henry Quintin, CEO of Sky Packets. Sky Packets managed Wi-Fi solutions serve as a catalyst in closing the digital divide. From virtual learning, streaming, and remote work, we are proud to partner with local community advocates The Red Hook Initiative, NYCHA, NYCEDC, and the Mayor's Office of the Chief Technology Office to offer a much-needed utility to the residents of Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Starry is proud to partner with the City of New York and the Mayors Office of the Chief Technology Officer to bring our high-quality, affordable broadband service to NYCHA residents, said Virginia Lam Abrams, Head of Government Affairs and Strategic Advancement for Starry. Broadband is more essential than ever, and every New Yorker deserves the ability to fully participate and engage in digital life for work, for school and to connect with family and friends. But that cant happen if the cost of broadband access is out of reach. Were excited to bring our digital equity program, Starry Connect, to NYCHA and provide an ultra-low-cost broadband choice for residents, without credit checks or other eligibility strings attached. We thank Mayor de Blasio, CTO John Paul Farmer and the MOCTO staff for its work on this important pilot program and look forward to launching our service to NYCHA families.

About the Internet Master Plan

In January 2020, the City announced the New York City Internet Master Plan, a first-in-nation plan that provides the roadmap to universal broadband in New York City, and the steps the City will take to close the digital divide. Providing equitable broadband is vital to ensuring economic prosperity, digital inclusion, and full participation of all New Yorkers in the digital economy. Universal broadband will also pave the way for next generation technologies such as 5G to be fully accessible to all New Yorkers.

Ensuring high speed and affordable Internet access is a critical component in our ability to fully reopening our city and helping families and communities build back stronger than before, said Congressman Adriano Espaillat. I commend Mayor de Blasio and city leaders who worked to make this effort a reality to ensure free and affordable access for more than 30,000 NYCHA residents, and thus ensure that no child, senior or family has to forego reliable Internet access because of their economic situation or background.

In the 21st century economy, having access to high-speed broadband internet isnt frivolous: its an imperative. Delivering reliable internet service ensures that our children can access educational resources, that families and friends can stay connected to one another, that New Yorkers can receive healthcare resources and much more, said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. Without broadband access, New Yorkers are deprived of the tools they need to succeed. Thats why the investment promised by the Internet Master Planwhich will deliver that access to tens of thousands of NYCHA residentshas the potential to change lives. Im thrilled for the many New Yorkers who will receive high-quality internet service and equally excited for the benefits our city will reap as we take this bold step to end the digital divide.

I applaud the Administration for expanding broadband to more NYCHA residents. As the pandemic has shown in stark terms, access to the Internet is critical for learning, working, socializing, and so much more. A 21st century city deserves a 21st century infrastructure, and we must be laser-focused on delivering universal broadband to all five boroughs and closing the digital divide as soon as possible, saidBrooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

Broadband has been a significant lifeline for so many as we have seen during the pandemic, providing opportunities for education and job training and access to lifesaving information. While we have more to do to ensure universal broadband access, this is a big step and a significant investment towards filling the digital divide for NYCHA residents, making the Internet more accessible for all, and leading the way towards becoming a more connected city, said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer.

I am excited to see the city make progress to close the digital divide and advocate for digital inclusion with the Internet Master Plan for Universal Broadband. The pandemic has exposed many inequitiesone of them being access to a reliable internet connection. The Bronx has the lowest broadband adoption rate in the city with 38% of residents without a home internet connection. These disparities are especially evident in low-income areas where many people are still struggling with internet connectivity for work, school, or just to access important documents and applications often found online. I applaud the Mayor for this effort that will help many of my constituents in the Bronx and throughout New York City, said Senator Luis Sepulveda.

"Connectivity is required to fully participate in modern society. Especially during this COVID-19 crisis, education and life-saving information were best accessed via the internet. It is not too late to close the divide in this critical infrastructure and 30,000 residents is an exemplary start," said Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Chair of the Public Housing Committee.

"This is welcomed news, as the first tangible step in bridging the digital divide in the City of New York," said Council Member Robert Holden, Chair of the Council's Committee on Technology. "Connecting NYCHA residents to high-speed internet will help make many New Yorkers' lives easier and more productive, especially our children. Every student's potential should be based on how hard they work, not where they live. Our young people are our city's most precious resource, and they need all the help we can give them as we recover from this pandemic."

Go here to see the original:

New York City Announces Free and Low-Cost Broadband Access for 13 NYCHA Developments - nyc.gov