IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

Die USF-Mittel werden nun umgewidmet und bis 2017 in einen neuen Connect America Fund fließen. Rund 4 Milliarden US-Dollar jährlich sollen der Aufrüstung des Festnetzes dienen, die restlichen 500 Millionen Dollar sind für mobile Breitbandanbindungen gedacht. Als Mindestanforderung hierfür sind 3 Mbit/s im Downstream und 768 kbit/s im Upstream festgelegt. Nach dieser Definition müssen derzeit laut FCC rund 18 Millionen US-Bürgern ohne Breitbandzugang ins Internet auskommen.

Mary Reid, an elected representative from Great Britain, showed two photos of rooms where public hearings are held in that country. One picture displayed a typical layout where councilors sit at wide desks facing a central desk and another offered a fisheye view from the chairman's position.

"And the question is, 'Where is the public?' " she said. "Well, they're actually sitting up in that gallery behind the green barrier that's really there above the council members. And my question is: What message is this giving to the citizen about public participation?"

It is refreshing to see the Federal Communications Commission concentrating on a comprehensive plan to ensure Americans have access to high-speed Internet as opposed to, say, policing "wardrobe malfunctions" and celebrities with potty mouths.

The FCC's new blueprint to expand broadband connections envisions a vast new digital platform for American commerce, government and social interaction. It is an ambitious plan, and one that contains elements we support and others we have questions about.

Just over half of U.S. households currently subscribe to broadband Internet services, but Gartner predicts that that percentage will grow by more than 20 points by 2012. Amanda Sabia, a Gartner principal research analyst, says one of the biggest factors in the spread of broadband will be the advent of such 4G wireless services as WiMAX and Long Term Evolution that are expected to be launched in various markets over the next four years.

Fifty kilometres east of Tokyo we built a model community. A 1,000 home neighbourhood where everything looks pretty normal but where everyday life is infused with technology that makes it one of the most sustainable and resilient places to live on this planet — truly a smart city.

Fujisawa is powered by a solar smart grid, giving the neighbourhood the ability to run off-grid for up to seven days and the town’s carbon emissions are 70 per cent lower than the average community of its size. The roof of the community centre is a public space that sits above the tsunami flood line and, in the event of a natural disaster, the park benches convert to barbecue grills. The entire town is a virtual gated community with blanket 24-7 video surveillance coverage, allowing children to play safely, while their parents watch from their smart phones.

eleven-x tapped for wireless, real-time monitoring of 5,000 parking spaces in Arlington VA.

Arlington County in Virginia has selected the Waterloo-based startup eleven-x for one of the biggest deployments of smart-parking technology in North America.

Eleven-x will embed 5,000 sensors in the pavement of on-street parking spaces in Arlington’s commercial district. The sensors will communicate with the eleven-x software platform, eXactpark, that provides real-time information on whether a spot is vacant or not.

By 2050, it is estimated that 70% of the global population will reside in urban areas. This shift signifies a transition to a predominantly urban economy. Cities will need to evolve and adapt to cater to their expanding populations.

Urbanization presents opportunities for economic growth, enhanced living standards, and increased cultural diversity. Historical data underscores this trend: since 1950, the world’s urban population has surged from 751 million to 4.4 billion. This trajectory is expected to continue, potentially doubling the current urban population by 2050.

• Region is at the heart of the geopolitical rivalry between the two economic giants, experts say
• Both have committed to regional partnerships but US is struggling to make its mark

The task to connect innovative tech startups with governments has been mired for decades. Typical procurement methods are exclusionary, ineffective and, for the first time in a long while, ripe for change.

Managed charging, battery storage and other technologies are helping to build electric grid resiliency and stability as electric vehicle use grows. Those working in the space are optimistic about the grid's ability to handle the load.

The nation’s electric grid is ready for electric-powered cars, say utility officials, dispelling an oft-heard talking point questioning the soundness of an electric delivery system burdened by new loads and demands.

Cryptocurrencies — and blockchain, the decentralized distributed-ledger technology that powers them — are more popular than ever in mayor’s offices around the country. But technology officials, in cities like Miami, Philadelphia and San Jose, California, still have unanswered questions about how the technology applies to their local governments.

Though public blockchains — which provide a mostly tamper-proof method of keeping records without the need for a trusted third party — have existed for more than a decade, Miami Chief Information Officer Mike Sarasti said he only recently began taking them seriously. Sarasti told StateScoop that until 2021, he had mentally cast aside the technology as a “generic smart-city” sales pitch, most often encountered through cold emails or events held by blockchain enthusiasts within Miami’s budding technology sector.

Recent developments in Estonia and the US highlight the transformative potential of smart transportation solutions in benefiting communities worldwide.

Smart transportation initiatives are revolutionising urban mobility by harnessing technology to enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability in transportation systems.

This week on SmartCitiesWorld, we’ve reported on two recent developments in Estonia and the United States that highlight the transformative potential of smart transportation solutions in benefiting communities worldwide.

A study the university released on Monday ranked San Antonio's "e-government" portal 12th among the country's 70 largest metropolitan areas, 45 places better than what the Web site earned in the school's inaugural study last year.