Government Technology
For Gonzales (CA), a Unique Path to High-Speed Internet
For many Americans during the height of the COVID-19 crisis, gaining access to high-speed Internet hinged on the temporary charity of private service providers, or perhaps required a family to drive to a more connected area.
Uncertain Times Fueling a Shift in State Broadband Efforts
Just as COVID-19 has made the Internet a necessity for the vast majority of Americans, it has impacted the short- and long-term plans of state broadband initiatives:
How Santa Fe, New Mexico Adopted Remote Learning During Crisis
Like many schools throughout the US, when the coronavirus forced Santa Fe (NM) Public Schools (SFPS) to go online, this 12,000-student district quickly put together an implementation plan and went to work. Though Santa Fe has pockets of wealth, New Mexico is one of the poorest states in the country, and the Santa Fe school district’s free and reduced lunch rate is 75 percent. But the district has received significant community support through a property tax-funded Educational Technology Note.
Partnerships Can Close the Digital Divide
It’s unfortunate that it took a pandemic to reveal that the Internet is a basic human right. Yet in California, home to Silicon Valley, 20 percent of students are not connected in their homes. The solution is clear — build an infrastructure with public-private partnerships to enable systems-level change that addresses the root causes of the issue, creates coordination and empowers various groups across communities. Tech companies, state and local governments, school districts, ISPs, and community organizations all need to invest in a coordinated manner.
State, Local Government Groups Call for Cybersecurity Funding (Government Technology)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Wed, 05/06/2020 - 17:18State, Local Government Face New Reality for 2020 U.S. Census
Stakeholders at all levels of government — federal, state, and local — are pivoting to stay flexible and get creative around the Census amid an unprecedented set of new challenges. While increasing online outreach is helpful to some, it’s also problematic in a place like Detroit, where many residents are on the challenging side of the digital divide, without access to technology or a reliable high-speed Internet connection at home.
National Digital Inclusion Alliance Monitors Digital Inclusion Efforts Amid COVID-19 with Trackers for State and Local Action (Government Technology)
Submitted by Jon Sallet on Tue, 04/28/2020 - 16:33COVID-19 Disinformation Is a Growing, Dangerous Problem (Government Technology)
Submitted by benton on Sat, 04/25/2020 - 07:29Cities Deploy Rapid Digital Inclusion Efforts Amid Crisis
Angelina Panettieri, the legislative manager for information technology and communications with the National League of Cities, is involved with efforts to connect cities with each other so they can share lessons learned during the crisis, and she, too, pointed to digital inclusion as one of the more pressing matters currently facing local leadership. It’s a challenge that faces both the public and private sector as well as city hall itself — how can organizations get devices into people’s hands so they can conduct all their business online?