Next Century Cities Makes Digital Inclusion Awards

Next Century Cities announced Digital Inclusion Leadership Awards to six city government initiatives aimed breaking down barriers to Internet adoption. Next Century Cities, launched in 2014, aims to further the deployment of high-speed broadband networks through city-led initiatives. Awards were made in two categories – Digital Inclusion Best Practices and Most Promising New Plan. Two overall winners were selected in each category and a third winner in each category was recognized for an innovative approach. Programs typically target seniors, school children, unemployed, female heads of household, low-income households, non-English speaking households and people with disabilities.

The winners for Digital Inclusion Best Practices were: The City of Seattle’s (WA) Technology Matching Fund (TMF); The City of Philadelphia’s KEYSPOT program; Davidson (NC) program Eliminate the Digital Divide (E2D). The winners for Digital Inclusion Leadership were: The Unlocking the Connection program created by the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (TX); Tech Goes Home Chattanooga (TN) (TGH CHA); and Washington's (DC) Mobile Tech Lab.