IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

High Noon für über 30 Zürcher Gemeinden am nächsten Montag. Switch, die Schweizer Registrierungsstelle für Internet-Domain-Namen, startet am 1. März punkt 12 Uhr 00 die Vergabe von Internet-Adressen mit Umlauten. Die Eingabe beispielsweise von www.zürich.ch führt also künftig nicht mehr in eine Sackgasse, sondern zu jenem Anbieter, der sich die prominente Adresse gesichert hat.

The cable has been landed received and commissioned by no less a person but President Ernest Bia Koroma. Since the landing of the cable many Sierra Leoneans both home and abroad are still asking why the landing of the cable is unable to improve the country’s ICT sector soonest.

More pointedly, a new “Speed Matters” study conducted by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) has revealed that Internet speeds in the U.S. leave the country trailing badly in the overall international standings.

Funded by the Export-Import bank of China and with technical support from Huawei, the project has faced a couple of delays over the last three years. The recent launch of the two phases will now see the cable head to upcountry places as demand for data services grows. The project is run by the National Information Technology Authority of Uganda, which is under the ministry of ICT.

Sometime this month, Uganda's Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), together with Chinese technology company Huawei, will launch the first phase of the national data backbone, which has cost some US$30 million. The fiber-optic cable interconnects government institutions and departments with the aim of reducing spending on public administration.

The second phase of the project comes more than four years after the first phase of a US$106 million National Data Transmission Backbone Infrastructure (NBI) and the Electronic Government Infrastructure (EGI) was commissioned in 2007.

The UK government is moving 150 of its departments to a more secure IT network and intranet in a bid to improve communication in the public sector.

Service provider Energis, which completed the first phase of the £60m contract last week, said the Government Secure Intranet (GSi) will allow civil servants to communicate over departments through peer-to peer technology and virtual private networks.

Mesa is taking the first steps to bring digital access to all its residents and businesses. The City launched a Request for Information (RFI) to learn more about companies that can install and operate an open-access fiber network across Mesa. The ambitious digital plan would connect 264,000 city premises and 2,470 street miles, providing citywide access to the fastest internet speeds. The project would take years to complete, but the City believes it is necessary to reduce the digital divide and propel Mesa into the future.

“In an increasingly virtual world, access to high-speed internet is a key to success for individuals, families and businesses,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles. “I’m thrilled we’re taking this step toward bridging the digital divide, ultimately creating greater access to education, career and social connection for all who call Mesa home.”

‘Double-burdened counties’ have both poor health outcomes and low broadband penetration, making connectivity a priority. High-speed Internet creates access to telehealth services for preventive and critical care.

“Social determinants of health” is a hot topic among government and health system executives. The phrase usually refers to basic food, housing and transportation disparities that can lead adjoining ZIP codes to have drastically different life expectancies. But could lack of broadband Internet access also be considered a social determinant of health? Many rural health advocates say yes, and they are trying to do something about it by pushing for the infrastructure to enable telehealth programs and remote patient monitoring.

The Wabash Heartland Innovation Network, a regional group that represents 10 counties in Indiana, has set in motion a plan to deliver rural broadband with an aerostat, a type of blimp.

Rural areas within 10 Indiana counties are expected to benefit from a broadband-providing blimp.

The blimp, or aerostat, will be deployed from a base called the AeroSite, which will be launched by company RTO Wireless. The 10 counties are represented by a consortium called the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN).

Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot recently announced the formation of the Chicago Digital Equity Council, a multi-sector, community-driven endeavour to better understand and address the nuances of digital equity and permanently close Chicago’s digital gap. “That’s why we have mobilised City funding to close the digital divide and improve internet access in our most vulnerable communities.”

She added that closing gaps in technology and learning tools will benefit their entire community and will help to assist the next generation of digitally empowered Chicagoans, adding that one of her top priorities is to provide residents with the tools they need to reach their full potential.

A year after the demise of its “smart city” plan, New Orleans has landed a $370,000 federal grant to spread the word about federal subsidies that can make high-speed internet free for low-income households.

That grant, which the city received last month, will help support employees of the nonprofit Resilience Force as they spread the word about the federal benefit and sign up residents, according to city officials.

Lynbrook, N.Y.'s Internet Outage Continuity Plan takes an in-depth look at how the local government can maintain critical services — even in the face of a six-month-long Internet outage.

A New York village is planning for the possibility of a major Internet outage — the kind that could last six months.

“There will be a time when an outage occurs due to a major solar flare, terrorism or human error, lasting weeks or months on a regional or national level,” Lynbrook Village Administrator John Giordano told Government Technology.

NTXIA has re-launched the Internet for North Texas Coalition to prioritise broadband infrastructure and access, supporting digital equity for all residents.

North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTXIA) has announced the re-launch of the “Internet for North Texas Coalition” (I4NTX) in partnership with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG).

Sugar Land plans to install hundreds of miles of infrastructure that will enable all residents and businesses to access fast, affordable and reliable internet.

During a recent meeting, the City of Sugar Land approved SiFi Networks’ 30-year plan to establish fiber optic infrastructure across the city.