Kansas City Digital Equity Strategic Plan
About
The City of Kansas City, Missouri adopted the Digital Equity Strategic Plan, charting a “path from digital inclusion to economic mobility and entrepreneurship” as its central theme. This path includes the traditional Three-Legged Stool of Digital Inclusion (connectivity, computing device, digital life skills training) as step 1, enabling residents to first become consumers of the Internet. This traditional approach often sets a goal of enabling people to access the Internet for basic needs, such as signing up for healthcare, safety net services, online banking, and other basic services. We are expanding our focus to support residents also becoming Learners, Digital Citizens, Employees and Entrepreneurs through increased connectivity, low cost devices, and fostering opportunities for residents to learn and participate in the community and the digital economy. The Digital Equity Strategic Plan is also a guide to the City’s participation in the Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion and other local, state and national coalitions and advocacy to advance digital equity.
In
Kansas City, we are continuing to build a strong digital engagement
ecosystem that includes a multitude of stakeholders and partnerships
that are all benefiting from participation in this effort. The City has
taken a collaborative approach to obtaining digital equity in Kansas
City, serving as a founding member of the Kansas City Coalition for
Digital Inclusion – a community of stakeholders committed to narrowing
the digital divide.
The City’s activities in digital inclusion
ramped up as the City prepared its response to Google Fiber’s Fiber for
Communities Request for Information in 2010. The story of the City’s
success at attracting Google Fiber to the KC region is well documented
as is the existence of KC’s digital divide that was highlighted by
Google Fiber’s arrival. Today, KCMO is happy to say that Google Fiber
gigabit Internet services are available to over 210,861 households
across the city limits including over 440,375 of our City’s 464,000
residents including residents of economically distressed neighborhoods.
This project is making the KC region America’s first gigabit Internet
region and this plan seeks to ensure that all Kansas Citians have the
opportunity to benefit.
City staff committed to digital equity
has been key to making connections that have produced some amazing new
opportunities for residents to access the Internet. One serendipitous
example occurred during a tour of the recently completed Morningstar
Family Life Center with Pastor John Modest Miles. Upon arrival, staff
noticed there were no computers in the computer lab. Pastor Miles stated
he had not been able to work on that with all of the other activities
related to completing the center. City staff contacted Bob Akers at The
Surplus Exchange, who has been one of the strongest partners in bringing
refurbished computers to low income residents and non-profits. Within
two weeks, Bob’s team supplied the computers and rewired the center’s
Internet services to optimize connectivity. Pastor Miles sent this photo
showing the excitement of some of the kids using the new computers.
The
City’s digital inclusion efforts have led to participation in a number
of national initiatives. These relationships allow us to share,
implement, and advocate for digital inclusion ideas and best practices
from around the country. The City is involved in the following national
coalitions and programs.
Founding member of Next Century Cities
Founding affiliate of National Digital Inclusion Alliance
White House/HUD ConnectHome Initiative
White House TechHire Initiative
Collect Shift/Fossil Foundation LRNG Program
Kansas City, Mo. has ranked in the top 3 in the Center for Digital Government’s annual Digital Cities Survey since 2014
In
Kansas City, the future for digital inclusion and digital equity is
bright. The continued momentum of increased educational opportunities,
technological innovation, job and business creation requires us to
vigilantly pursue clear paths to economic mobility for all of our
residents. The City’s ongoing commitment to facilitating public-private
partnerships is critical to this success.
Services Provided
Broadband delivery technologies
- Legal or regulatory matters
Broadband focus/topic area
- Data analytics regarding broadband deployment or adoption
- E-commerce
- Internet of things
- Marketing/Adoption
- Online education for populations impacted by the “Digital Divide”
- Remote learning
- Smart government/smart infrastructure systems
- Social and economic impacts of broadband
- Technology-based entrepreneurship
- Telehealth/Telemedicine
Broadband providers
- Broadband access in my location
Broadband applications
- E-commerce
- Internet of things
- Remote learning
- Smart government/smart infrastructure systems
- Technology-based entrepreneurship
- Online education for populations impacted by the “Digital Divide”
- Telehealth/Telemedicine
Broadband utilization
- Digital training
- Social and economic impacts of broadband
- Marketing/Adoption
- Security/Privacy
- Data analytics regarding broadband deployment or adoption
Broadband experts/partners
- Operation
- Regulatory approval
Rick Usher
414 East 12th Street, 29th Flr
Office of the City Manager
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 719-0233
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