Civic Tech

The Michigan Department of Corrections is expanding the learning management system it first evaluated last year to broaden education opportunities for offenders and better prepare them for their re-entry transition.

Gov. JB Pritzker has proclaimed April as “Innovation and Technology Month” in the state as part of an effort to highlight technological achievements in quantum computing and support education and workforce growth.

When it comes to accessibility and inclusion, there are steps local and state agencies can take — and others that should be avoided — to provide an equitable government service experience across populations.

Plus, the FCC authorizes $313 million more through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, Maine creates a web page to track broadband work in the state, government agencies look to hire digital inclusion staff, and more.

Those wishing to view the inner workings of the elected Governor’s Council will have to trek to the Statehouse again, as a motion to restore the livestreams cut earlier this month died without a second.

Thirty years ago, a group of women in Georgia launched Women in Technology because they didn’t see other women in leadership roles, and in recent years their organization has continued to evolve and grow.

Local officials, voting rights supporters and the election security community have spoken against Georgia’s latest voting bill. Multiple officials said the bill would create needless “security theater” busywork.

A report released last week by the American Library Association underscores the role of public libraries in expanding digital equity during the COVID-19 pandemic through partnerships with government entities and other efforts.

The Google information technology certification course provides training in computer software and maintenance, as well as a $4,500 stipend and child care to help lower-income workers improve job skills and income.

Jersey City, N.J., is working to bring more citizens' voices into city funding decisions with the launch of a participatory budget pilot program that allows citizens to submit and vote on their ideas online.

Tucson Connected, a public-private partnership, hopes to combine the digital inclusion efforts at play across the region to connect a range of stakeholders to the subsidies and all residents to more equitable Internet.

Plus, a rural broadband association has launched a new digital inclusion series; New York is hiring its first-ever digital equity director at the state level; ConnectMaine has won a $28 million grant; and much more.

While seniors have long been a population on the wrong side of the digital divide, the evolution of tech like video chatting and telehealth makes digital inclusion for older adults more important than ever.

The Coleridge Initiative’s Democratizing Our Data Challenge will fund the efforts of 10 winning teams from 21 government agencies and seven universities to expand projects related to education and employment outcomes.

By the end of 2022, the city of Seattle will have spent $333,000 on the Find It, Fix It app and other related technologies, which takes a request for service from users and funnels it to the appropriate city department.

Plus, the FCC has opened an inquiry seeking public comment on what constitutes digital discrimination, New York state undertakes major effort to enroll eligible families in federal broadband programs, and more.

In a joint release Wednesday, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and councilmembers outlined a dozen initiatives they plan to fund this year using the county’s American Rescue Plan money.

The group, which was formed as a volunteer response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, is celebrating its second anniversary today, as it continues to expand the scope and focus of its work.