Government Technology
Government Technology: State & Local Government News Articles

ConnectKentucky Named Winner of National Economic Development Excellence Award



Print
Comment

Jun 4, 2006, News Report

ConnectKentucky -- which last month was named a finalist in the Economic Development Excellence Award -- and Kentucky's Prescription for Innovation, have been named winner of the United States Economic Development Administration's 2006 Excellence in Innovation Award. Announced by Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, Sandy K. Baruah, the award recognizes Kentucky's Prescription for Innovation as a national leader in innovative strategies for economic development.

According to Governor Ernie Fletcher, "ConnectKentucky's implementation of the Prescription for Innovation has established the Commonwealth as a national model for technology-based economic development. Over the last two years, technology in Kentucky has grown like never before and communities statewide are realizing the benefits. I appreciate EDA's recognition of this important work and commend ConnectKentucky for this accomplishment."

Kentucky's Prescription for Innovation is a comprehensive plan to accelerate technology growth, particularly in the areas of broadband deployment and technology literacy and usage. The initiative maintains four key tenets for impacting statewide economic development:
  • Full broadband deployment by the end of 2007
  • Dramatically improved use of computers and the Internet by all Kentuckians
  • A meaningful online presence for all Kentucky communities, to improve citizen services and promote economic development through e-government, virtual education, online healthcare
  • Local technology leadership teams in every community to develop and implement technology growth strategies for local government, business and industry, education, healthcare, agriculture, libraries, tourism, and community-based organizations.
Over the course of implementation of the Prescription for Innovation, statewide broadband availability and usage have increased by 33 percent and 45 percent respectively. An estimated 300,000 previously unserved households can now access broadband as private sector investment in telecommunications infrastructure has reached an unprecedented level in Kentucky. Currently, 82 percent of Kentucky homes can access broadband, on track to reach 100 percent availability in 2007. Home computer ownership has grown by 17 percent, and more than 100 counties are actively engaged in the eCommunity Leadership process to establish a nine sector technology growth plan for accelerating technology locally. Moreover, the rate of Kentucky's high-tech job growth is outpacing the national average.

"The winners of EDA's Excellence Awards represent the best and brightest economic development methods and practices in use today. Their commitment to sound, research-based, market driven economic development is helping America's communities grow their economies and create jobs. I am grateful for their participation in our national awards program," said Baruah.

ConnectKentucky is chaired by John R. Hall, retired chairman and CEO of Ashland Inc., who noted the significance of the public-private collaboration at the core of the partnership. "As government and the private sector work together towards shared goals for a brighter future for Kentucky, great things are happening and unprecedented progress is being realized. The ConnectKentucky partnership embodies that promise and the staff of the organization work hard to ensure that every community in the Commonwealth is the beneficiary of that progress. It is an honor for ConnectKentucky to be recognized as a national leader in economic development by the U.S. EDA." KW

If You Liked This Article, You May Also Like...


Latest Government Technology News


Industry Solutions for Government

Read real world deployments of technology in government from our sponsors.

View All Industry Solutions

Related Products and Services

Marketplace



This section
brought to you by:


Mobile Communications Survey Executive Summary

More than 200 responses were captured to help gauge the effectiveness and types of communications and situational awareness capabilities currently deployed for emergency response. View the Executive Summary Now!

Dispatch Operations and Interoperability

A New Era in Public Safety BlackBerry® smartphones running on Sprint networks deliver a wide range of applications that are transforming public safety operations.


Hurricane Preparedness Tips When a hurricane hits, are you prepared to keep in touch?


Case Study - Morris County, New Jersey The Morris County Communications Center upgraded to a new trunked radio system with the benefits of a cellular network, extending coverage beyond county lines


Case Study - Iredell County, North Carolina Spanning over 570 sq miles, it became imperative that the Iredell County Emergency Communications, Operations and Management extend it's communications systems to enhance reliability, security, and coverage.


Case Study - City of Anaheim, California The City of Anaheim saw an opportunity to leverage existing GST and partner with nearby cities to enhance safety operations through data interoperability.


Case Study - Charlottesville, Virginia Fire Department Taking advantage of a range of interoperability solution, the Charlottesville Fire Department has achieved a network that can serve as backup to their existing public safety network.


Sprint ERT Go-Kit with GST Optima Rapid, interoperable communications for emergencies, drills and field exercises.


Optimal Interoperability Until recently it was not possible to cost effectively connect commercial networks to LMR systems. Improvements in communications technology have resulted in greatly enhanced operational capability and have reduced the log-term cost of communications system ownership.


Multi-agency interoperability for Public Safety Establishing cross-agency, real-time situational awareness is critical to effective incident management as well as daily resource management.


Video


DHS Grant Links

DHS Grants and Assistance Programs Link to overview of available grants administered by The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)


Fact Sheet: Fiscal Year 2008 Preparedness Grants Major changes in funding and focus for 2008 DHS grant programs


Remarks on 2008 Homeland Security Grant Guidance DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and FEMA Administrator David Paulison


$1.8 billion in DHS Homeland Security Grant Program Awards


Funding Public Safety Communications Whether you are a law enforcement agency, looking for funding to support an interoperable communications solution or a school, seeking to improve communications between building administrators, grants may provide the funding you need to implement a robust, scalable communication system.


Yes! I would like more information about Sprint's dispatch operations and interoperability solutions.