Next Generation Washington: An update - Microsoft on the Issues
You can feel the full post above.
You can feel the full post above.
Criminal justice system Improvements
A new area for Microsoft engagement this year has been to support improvements in the criminal justice system. This has become an important priority for our company. The growing diversity of our employees is one of Microsoft’s greatest strengths. We believe that, as a community, we must come together to address the fact that diverse segments of our population can have widely divergent experiences in their interactions with law enforcement, and therefore widely divergent perceptions of the relationship between law enforcement professionals and the communities they serve. It’s important to recognize that those who serve in law enforcement put their lives on the line to ensure public safety. Yet recent tragic events in our region or elsewhere in the nation have accentuated the continuing need for an expanded discussion across our state on this issue.
That’s why we supported, and were pleased to see the legislature approve, $1.2 million in additional funding for the state’s Criminal Justice Training Center to improve situational de-escalation capabilities and build stronger trust between law enforcement and communities. To aid in this effort, Microsoft is partnering with the CJTC and investing $400,000 over the next two years to pilot the Center’s 21st Century Police Leadership program — a new curriculum designed to build a culture of modern, evidence-based approaches to the reduction of crime and recidivism, with an emphasis on procedural justice and fairness in outcomes through the interruption of implicit bias and the restoration of community trust.
We’re pleased that CJTC Executive Director Sue Rahr — a nationally recognized expert in policing and a long-time law enforcement leader in our state — will be leading this effort. Relying on the expertise and recommendations of those who know law enforcement training needs and methodology the best, we are hopeful this effort will provide some of the tools necessary to build enduring trust between our valued law enforcement professionals and the communities they serve all over this state.
We also believe that Washington state should have a criminal justice system that not only provides strong public safety protections but also creates new opportunities for offenders to reform and have an opportunity for successful, productive lives upon release. The legislature made an important step in that direction when it passed a bill to allow the offering of associate’s degrees in institutional settings. With that authorization now established, we at Microsoft will engage with corrections officials to determine how our technology expertise and philanthropic resources can help in offering digital literacy and coding training to some inmates in the corrections system setting.
Equal opportunity and inclusion in the workplace
Our focus on diversity was also reflected in other issues this session. It helps explain why we believe that one of the legislature’s greatest accomplishments this session was the passage of a measure that established a statewide system for paid family medical leave.
We teamed up with the Association of Washington Business, the Washington Hospitality Association and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce in leading the business community’s engagement with labor representatives to find a balanced solution that provides important new benefits support for employees while recognizing employers’ legitimate needs to manage staffing and control costs.
When other issues like minimum wage have been addressed through ballot measures that may not have the input of all stakeholders, it’s encouraging to see the concerted effort of all parties result in a negotiated solution on the family leave issue.
A Cascadia Innovation Corridor
Vancouver and Seattle have many things in common and many complementary strengths. The Cascadia Innovation Corridor linking the two cities and connecting all the way to Portland will create a region that is stronger than its individual parts.
The region already boasts world-renowned research organizations and global corporate leaders in a diverse array of existing and emerging technology disciplines, including aviation and aeronautics; software development; cloud computing; online retailing; big data transmission, storage and analysis; the Internet of Things; mobile communications; biotechnology; the life sciences and global health. Our goal is to leverage those assets to create new economic opportunities across the region while promoting environmental sustainability and a diverse and inclusive culture.
The state’s new transportation budget includes a $300,000 appropriation to study the potential for high-speed rail linking the two cities. We applaud the governor and the legislature for this step. Efforts are also underway to establish fast and convenient float plane service between Lake Union and the Coal Harbour in Vancouver. And the University of British Columbia and University of Washington have launched, with seed funding from Microsoft, a new, cooperative urban analytics institute to apply the latest data analysis techniques to help solve vexing urban challenges, like transit and homelessness.
When the best minds in our region work together on research, economic development, and transportation, the Cascadia Innovation Corridor will drive greater connectivity, productivity and innovation for the nearly 12 million people living in British Columbia and Washington state.
Our cloud for global good policy roadmap
Cloud computing innovations coming from local companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Zillow, and Tableau, among many others, are driving the transformation of businesses and industries around the world. They are helping our customers create new capabilities, connect with their own customers in deeper ways, solve problems, gain insights and access new markets. We are committed to building a cloud that is trusted, responsible and available to more communities, promising economic and social benefits for all.
One of the great opportunities inherent in the proliferation of cloud computing is the creation of new economic opportunities in rural communities. But these rural Americans can’t take advantage of the opportunities cloud computing presents if they don’t have a fast internet connection – a problem for the more than 23 million Americans who reside in rural counties.
Earlier this month, we launched Microsoft’s Rural Airband Initiative, which aims to help close this rural connectivity gap in the U.S by bringing broadband connectivity to 2 million people in rural America by 2022. Through our direct work with partners, we will launch at least 12 projects, in 12 states in the next 12 months. You can read more about this initiative here.
One of our first projects will benefit residents of the small community of Almira, in rural eastern Washington. Working with CenturyLink, the third-largest fixed-line operator in the U.S., the Almira project will use TV white spaces, essentially unused broadcast spectrum, to deliver broadband access and Microsoft productivity tools to residents.
In addition to providing broadband access, we expect the program to provide local farmers with access to low-cost tools like soil sensors, drones and sophisticated data analysis tools to help farmers optimize delivery of water, fertilizers and pesticides. Our goal is to help farmers improve the management of their land and resources with data-driven tools that reduce costs and increase productivity. It’s just one example of Microsoft’s research to apply the Internet of Things to agriculture and bring economic opportunities to more people through cloud computing.
While we believe the private sector can play the leading role in closing the rural broadband gap, the public sector also has a vital role to play, including the investment of matching funds to support capital equipment projects. Today, 11 states have earmarked funds to extend broadband service to their rural citizens. We hope state lawmakers will consider similar measures to ensure all Washingtonians, no matter where they live, can prosper from our state’s vibrant digital economy.
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The year began with significant challenges and we set some important goals to help advocate for addressing them. So far, employers, nonprofit organizations and the public sector have come together and scored some impressive wins for students, families and the future of our state. The legislature, in particular, deserves credit for six months of hard work to serve all the residents of our state. Microsoft is proud to call Washington state our home, and we look forward to continuing to work with legislators to advance these priorities.