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GovTech Extra

Highlights from govtech.com as they appeared in our January/February 2023 magazine.

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PURCHASING POWER


Recent restrictions on five Chinese telecom companies by the Federal Communications Commission could potentially impact state and local governments more than previous similar bans. A report from CSET found that between 2015 and 2021, at least 1,681 state and local agencies purchased now-prohibited services from the named companies: Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Hytera and Dahua. Education accounted for three-quarters of those.

BIZ BEAT


stacks of coins and a jar with coins in it and a plant growing out of the top
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Beam, whose platform aims to help public agencies administer benefits applications and rent relief programs, among other tasks, raised $6.4 million in a Series A funding round in November. The news was released amid growing concerns of a coming recession and other economic anxieties as governments work to upgrade benefits systems. Beam reports that since the pandemic began in 2020, it has administered more than $180 million to about 300,000 households nationwide.

STREAMLINED


Arizona Business One Stop launched in fall 2022, designed to make creating and operating businesses in the state more efficient. The all-in-one digital platform for tasks like licensing and tax documents reflects a broader trend in government to combine similar applications in a centralized location. Arizona CIO J.R. Sloan anticipated the portal would see 500 to 1,000 daily users and said the next phase of the project will include adding local agency services.

TECH/BYTES


47%
The percentage of Gen Z who say they trust government leaders, according to a 2021 survey from global communications firm Edelman.

80K
The estimated number of electric vehicles on the road in Texas.

$73M
The total amount of federal grants awarded to nine recipients as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.

135K
The number of private tech company layoffs last year through November.

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WHO SAYS?


“The question is, how do you get ahead of a narrative that hasn’t happened yet? It’s the predictability of the misinformation that can be its undoing.”

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