Digital Cities Benefit from Broadband Investments

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) congratulates the winners of the 2013 Digital Cities awards, which recognize cities for the innovative use of technology to expand access to government services, promote citizen engagement, increase transparency, reduce costs and improve the lives of residents.

The Center for Digital Government, a research and advisory firm focused on technology in state and local government, gave out the awards at the National League of Cities annual conference in Seattle in November 2013. NTIA is particularly pleased to note that a number of winning cities were lauded for projects and activities funded by our Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). Boston, which received two separate BTOP grants, took first-place honors in the Digital Cities “large population” category. The Digital Cities survey specifically recognized a BTOP-funded program in Boston called Technology Goes Home, which provides digital literacy training, subsidized netbooks and low-cost Internet access to low-income middle and high school students. Another big city that made the Digital Cities list was Chicago. Chicago used BTOP funds to install or upgrade more than 3,000 computers and offer digital literacy training at over 150 locations, including libraries, community colleges, public housing sites, workforce centers and senior centers.