Puerto Rico and Cybersecure Internet Resiliency�

Digital Cooperation and Diplomacy

Linton Wells II

Oct 25, 2022

The Problem: Unreliable, Non-Resilient Internet

• Even without natural disasters, Puerto Rico Internet is unreliable
• Contributing factors:
• Limited bandwidth
• Unstable power
• Outdated equipment
• Lack of resources
• Cybersecurity not a priority
• Significant funds flowing to upgrade Puerto Rico’s internet
• But many remote communities may not benefit fully
• Resilient Internet in remote communities could serve as a model
• Not just for Puerto Rico
• Also for other parts of Latin America and Caribbean

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Linton Wells II

2

10/25/2022

Three Interlocking Proposals

• Improve Internet-based Resiliency
• Enhance disaster readiness and responsiveness in underserved Puerto Rican communities
• Critical Point: “Nunca sobre nosotros sin nosotros” (“Nothing about us without us”)
• All solutions co-developed with community
• MUST include cyber security
• Power is key
• If broad grid not stable, go to microgrids with renewables: Babcock Ranch
• Ideally cooperatives
• Cost probably will require subsidies
• Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC) National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)
• Encourage smart city and Internet of Things (IoT) stakeholders to develop and deploy standard-based solutions
• Replicable, scalable, interoperable, and provide measurable benefits
• Proposal focuses on Cyber-Physical Resilience in Puerto Rico:
• Apply Digital Capabilities to Micro-Grids as a Model for Local Resilience and Global Change 
• Link to Department of Commerce's TOP (The Opportunity Project) approach
• 12-week development sprints
• PR project focuses on “improvement infrastructure” to implement resilient, sustainable solutions at local levels
• Possible Partner2Connect Digital Coalition opportunity
• ITU initiative to foster meaningful connectivity and digital transformation globally

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Linton Wells II

3

10/25/2022

Kaan Pala/WPTV

Linton Wells II

4

10/25/2022

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• Explore Opportunities – LISTEN to stakeholders (empathize phase); Co-develop solutions; Point out Benefits; Teach and Mentor
• Locate Resources – Where are funds? How to get them? What restrictions apply?
• Decide on Governance – Which Laws/ Policy /Regs apply – Federal/ State/ Local/Corporate? Where are conflicts? Build a management team.
• Choose Tech – Spectrum, Comms: last mile, middle mile, backhaul; Cyber Resilience, End user equipment.
• Implement Opportunity – Goals? Cost? Ability to use capabilities? Build bottom-up ability to sustain.

Layers for Creating Digital Opportunities

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Must think End-to-End! People ALWAYS top Technology!

Coordinate, Synchronize, Integrate across Silos

What is Resilience?

Definition:  Coping Capacity + Adaptability*

Phases: Anticipate, Withstand, Recover (=Coping Capacity) + Adapt**

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Essential

Capabilities:

absorptive adaptive restorative

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* Prof Elise Miller-Hooks, GMU                      ** National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

People are trained

Linton Wells II

6

10/25/2022

Selected

Resilient Internet Infrastructure in Disasters�(Internet Society Foundation)

• 1^st priority: understand community needs and build rapport to co-develop solutions
• One model: resilient community connectivity hub (CCH) in each municipality
• ID key anchor locations, prioritizing existing resilient facilities, both civilian and government
• Focus on robust situational awareness (SA) and comms for community leadership and emergency responders
• Integrate stable power into site design
• Prototype and tested
• Emphasize training, maintenance and capacity building at each stage

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• Next focus on community centers (satellite-hubs)
• Such as cooperative pharmacies (CooPharma) and supermarkets with commercial incentives to stay up
• Comms similar to CCH, but perhaps with less redundancy but more bandwidth for citizens who would gather there
• Then extend Internet capabilities throughout community as resources and time allow
• Perhaps through low-cost building-to-building mesh networks--options will be evaluated.

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Linton Wells II

7

10/25/2022

GCTC and TOP Project

GCTC Project (NIST): Cyber-Physical Resilience in Puerto Rico: 

• Apply Digital Capabilities to Micro-Grids as a Model for Local Resilience and Global Change 
• Link digital supply chain to physical power grid assets and related supply chains
• Address recurring power grid and comms problems
• Also encourages innovation in cybersecure manufacturing and entrepreneurship training

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• Leverages TOP (The Opportunity Project) approach of Census Open Innovation Lab
• 12-week development sprints--facilitate collaboration between technologists and community advocates
• Rapidly design digital solutions for the public good

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• Initially focus on developing cybersecure microgrids with distributed, renewable energy components
• First sprint: Design a reliable local power grid for a selected community
• Coordinate, synchronize, and integrate approaches across stovepipes
• e.g. link power development with interdependent communications and transport
• Second sprint could focus on additional communities, or promote entrepreneurship and education
• Such as NGO Echar Pa'lante’s “Enterprising Island” initiative
• Third could promote cybersecure manufacturing with Cybersecure Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CYMANII)

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Linton Wells II

8

10/25/2022

Partner2Connect Digital Coalition

• P2C Digital Coalition: multistakeholder alliance launched by International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
• To foster meaningful connectivity and digital transformation globally
• Focus on, but not limited, to hardest- to-connect
• Closely coordinated with UN Technology and Digital Cooperation initiatives
• Promotes: Access, Adoption, Value Creation, Acceleration
• Hundreds of Pledges, Billions of $
• 4 types: Programmatic, Policy, Advocacy, Financial
• Example: Conrad Foundation’s programmatic pledge to bring 100 youths together
• Ties Foundation and Microsoft into same database, with governments and other partners—great collaboration potential
• Advocacy could include research—bring in universities
• Evaluate across 206 indicators
• Closely tied to other ITU initiatives, like Giga (Connecting Every School to Internet)
• Puerto Rico not in initial list of P2C focus regions, but Partnership nature of P2C could include it

Linton Wells II

9

10/25/2022

Doreen Bogdan-Martin

ITU Secretary General elect

Cyber Resilience

Linton Wells II

10

10/25/2022

Integrated Approaches for Puerto Rico

• Sustainable Resilience for Puerto Rico
• Coordinate, Synchronize, Integrate across stovepipes
• Human capital central
• People, organizations, processes, technology
• Leverage digital supply chains and digital public goods
• Community-based approaches to resilient internet in emergencies
• Requires not only connectivity but also reliable power
• Consider cybersecure microgrids with renewable energy
• Interconnections among power, comms, transport
• GCTC and TOP project links cyber-physical systems and IoT to rapid development and cyber resilience
• P2C ties to UN, partners, and donors
• Cybersecurity can’t be an afterthought

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Linton Wells II

11

10/25/2022