October 6, 2009 By News Report
The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced that it has awarded the first four ARRA grants under NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program to fund activities in California, Indiana, North Carolina and Vermont. The program will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning. The data will be displayed in NTIA's national broadband map, a tool that will inform policymakers' efforts and provide consumers with improved information on the broadband Internet services available to them.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is awarded approximately $1.8 million, plus $500,000 for the cost of broadband planning activities in California over four years; the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT) is awarded approximately $1.3 million; the Rural Economic Development Center Inc. (e-NC Authority) is awarded approximately $1.6 million, plus approximately $435,000 for the cost of broadband planning activities in North Carolina over five years; and the Vermont Center for Geographic Information (VCGI) is awarded approximately $1.2 million to collect and verify the availability, speed and location of broadband across the state. This activity is to be conducted on a semi-annual basis between 2009 and 2011, with initial data coming available in November 2009 to inform broadband policy efforts. Awardees are to present the data in a clear and accessible format to the public, government, and the research community.
This Digital Communities white paper highlights discussions with IT officials in four counties that have adopted shared services models. Our aim was to learn about the obstacles these governments have faced when it comes to shared services and what it takes to overcome those roadblocks. We also spoke with several members of the IT industry who have thought long and hard about these issues. The paper offers some best practices for shared government-to-government services, but also points out challenges that government and industry still must overcome before this model gains widespread adoption.
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Digital Communities (DC) is e.Republic‘s local government program. The particular strength of DC is its focus on encouraging collaboration and creating productive relationships between and among cities, counties, regions and select private sector companies uniquely positioned to help improve the delivery of public services.
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