New York

States are investing in ways to incorporate the end user's experience into digital services, looking at how people truly use platforms and how to improve them. Some say it’s what government should have been doing all along.

New York's project to expand broadband access is moving into a new phase, as the federal government has approved its plan to use $664 million from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program.

Across the state, voters in five districts nixed buying electric school buses and instead approved buying traditional ones. Even voters in progressive-leaning Ithaca agreed to buy just two.

After KIPP NYC College Prep restricted smartphone use in class, AP test scores increased, grades bounced back to pre-pandemic averages, and attendance at sporting events and other activities jumped by 50 percent.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul inched toward a statewide ban on smartphones in schools, launching a “listening tour” that would span the state, aiming to hear from teachers and parents.

The New York State Office for the Aging is giving older adults more options to connect with each another and the world by providing them with a variety of technologies — and the skills they need to use them.

The city network is offline, though other services are available, after the IT department was alerted late Tuesday a police officer was unable to access his account on the city computer system. Ransomware is not believed to be to blame.

The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board is seeking help from Cayuga and two other counties in its pursuit of a $29.5 million state grant to bring broadband to unserved areas.

TechBuffalo's summer program aims to keep tech-focused college students and graduates in the region by helping them develop professional skills and network with employers in Western New York's tech community.

As ridership continues to lag amid a stubbornly slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, cities experiment with free rides and micromobility to prove public transit’s worth in worsening financial conditions.

Plus, Indiana is getting more than $81 million in broadband funding, new research suggests AI is directly related to digital equity, and more.

One bill will prohibit social media companies from providing "addictive" content feeds to minors without parent consent, and the other will prohibit websites from processing a minor's personal data without consent.

Chief administrator of Indian River Central School District in New York said he welcomes the idea of a statewide policy restricting the use of smartphones during class, which have become controversial and distracting.

Endorsing potential legislative action for the next session, Gov. Kathy Hochul suggested banning smartphones from schools, but possibly allowing cell phones that can send text messages and not access the Internet.

A new mobile-responsive web page from the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation lets the public more easily report harmful algal blooms. Features include an updated map and reporting system.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently released the Senate's long-promised bipartisan "road map" for the coming age of artificial intelligence, pointing to Western New York as a hub.

New York state set a deadline that all new school bus purchases must be zero-emission vehicles by 2027, but school officials and politicians have questions about costs, charging infrastructure and weather functionality.

Plus, $204 million is made available for Internet expansion in Pennsylvania, New York’s ConnectALL launches its County Partnerships program, and more.