Digital Services

As the nation nears its 250th anniversary, a longtime broadcast journalist and historian calls for addressing economic inequities, corporate monopolies and restoring effective governance to grow stronger.

Jobs and Hope West Virginia, a state program created to respond to the substance use disorder crisis, uses technology to support residents in their paths to recovery, sustainable employment and re-entering society.

How Iowa was able to navigate the red tape involved with real-time child-care search, vacancy and supply and demand dashboards to help parents quickly find available child care in the state.

The nonprofit is expanding its state tax filing tool, which is integrated with the IRS’ current Direct File program, to Maryland and North Carolina in 2025. The move is estimated to reach more than 700,000 residents.

From expanding the role of state CIOs to building federal partnerships, Robinson shares his insights on how NASCIO has shaped the future of public-sector IT over the past two decades.

Relationships, state CIO Liana Bailey-Crimmins said at the State of Technology — California Industry Forum event, “need to be beyond transactional.” With emergent tech like generative AI evolving, she called for “innovative ideas.”

The state is poised to disperse nearly $827 million for broadband expansion in some of the state’s most hard-to-reach places. Gov. Jared Polis’ goal is to connect 99 percent of households to high-speed Internet by 2027.

Indiana is one of the first states to deploy a beta version generative AI chatbot on its official website. Conscientious of unintended consequences, Indiana is focusing on transparency, user feedback and iteration.

County commissioners allocated $6.7 million in 2022 to address recommendations from a study on broadband access. So far, work has included support for digital literacy instruction, including in health care and employment.

The Riverside Co.’s acquisition reflects a belief these types of software will continue a growth spurt, fueled in part by governments adopting better tools. Cloudpermit says it has worked with more than 850 agencies.

The Pulaski County Clerk’s Office will go live this week with a new mobile text alert system, TextMyGov, to send important election notifications to residents. The aim is to provide up-to-the-minute voting information.

An auditing proposal once on hold is moving forward, officials said, and a new contract will enable them to scan ballots cast with text-recognition software. Training and preparations for a post-election audit are underway.

The agency has reopened phone lines on Mondays and said it has made headway on matters that have held up jobless claims and paid leave benefits. The department went live earlier this year with a new $106 million computer system.

After a customer survey revealed 70 percent of respondents did not have broadband, the Lewis County Public Utility District recently made the first links in a grant-funded, fiber-to-the-premises broadband network.

One, in Red Oak, is a 480-megawatt data center campus on 292 acres. Construction is underway. A second, roughly $1 billion data center project on 60 acres near the Bush Turnpike got city economic incentives last week.

The utility ComEd is working with Illinois nonprofit QUILT to improve middle-mile broadband infrastructure across Chicago’s South and West sides while reducing costs. The initiative is enabled by a federal grant.

The Gopher State is finding Internet service providers are not applying for the grants because of regulations that would come along. These include having to provide low-cost services to low-income households.

A lawsuit filed against a property management software firm has elected officials in the Silicon Valley city considering how to protect renters. Three councilmembers have proposed an ordinance to ban rent or occupancy-setting tools.