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Skip-Descant

Skip Descant

Senior Writer

Skip Descant writes about smart cities, the Internet of Things, transportation and other areas. He spent more than 12 years reporting for daily newspapers in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and California. He lives in downtown Yreka, Calif.

In choosing its 14th cohort of seven companies, the New York-based urban tech accelerator is focused on advancing the use of electrified mobility, and two-wheeled transportation.
Despite electric vehicles’ lower operational costs, a lack of charging access and purchase incentives still creates obstacles for taxi and ride-hailing drivers. Advocacy groups and public agencies hope to stimulate improvements.
Contracts and federal grant monies aim to rapidly bring high-speed Internet to many of the state’s 67 counties. The developments follow last-mile broadband work paid for by more than $82 million in state funding.
The refreshed metrics dashboard offers more insights into vacation rental compliance and tourism metrics. It lets officials get a sense of where travelers hail from and how much they’re spending — but also which properties may not conform.
The Transportation Equity Index tool from the California Department of Transportation identifies key equity variables to aid in the evaluation of transportation projects. It's a web mapping application with several layers of data overlaid.
More than 160 e-bike purchase incentive programs currently exist in the United States and Canada. An author of a report on their effectiveness says cities and organizations may have better results if they put goals ahead of design.
Some small-scale AI use cases are already underway. But in a webinar, “The Local Imperative: Policy and Use of AI,” state and local officials in North Carolina urged caution before employing the new technology in wider applications.
Collaborations among transit agencies, research universities and big tech companies like Google are using AI and cloud computing to harness tech for operational efficiency. Projects aim for regional benefits.
Speakers Thursday at a webinar organized by the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association (NABSA) discussed how micromobility, including bike-share systems and e-bikes, is becoming part of larger transportation ecosystems — and securing public funding.
A new survey of Affordable Connectivity Program users detailed the financial hardships recipients face in affording broadband, and found more than half access government services online.