Technology & Society
Connectivity, automation, and everyday technology are changing how cities run, how people work, and how communities live. This section looks at the programs, policies, and tools putting technology to work for real people, and what those changes mean for daily life.
We cover topics such as broadband access, digital equity grants, public-sector AI tools, and community technology projects. Each article explains who is affected and what changes for them, and links to official sources so you can check the details and find help or funding where it is available.
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Douglas Fast Net Announces $42M Fiber Build in Rural Oregon
Douglas Fast Net, a cooperative subsidiary, says it will use a $31.6 million federal BEAD award and $10.4 million of its own money to bring fiber to 4,490 additional homes in Douglas, Coos, and Lane counties. Construction has not started.
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Colorado’s Mobile ID Now Works at TSA Checkpoints
Colorado’s mobile driver’s license in the myColorado app is now accepted at TSA checkpoints, including Denver International Airport. Officials still advise carrying a physical ID.
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Oklahoma Puts Private Internet Booths in Rural Libraries
Oklahoma’s $14.5 million Community Access Portal program will place up to 175 private booths for telehealth and job interviews in public libraries. The first two opened in Kingfisher.
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Easthampton Launches MyEasthampton App and New Alert System
Easthampton, Massachusetts released a city app for reports and bill payments and switched to a new CivicPlus alert system after the CodeRED outage. Here is what is confirmed and what is still coming.
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Nebraska DMV’s AI Assistant: Pilot Results and Limits
Nebraska’s “Ask the DMV” assistant answered more than 88,000 questions in a three-month pilot, and the state reports up to a 20% drop in some call volume. The baseline is not published.
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Rest-in-Red Signals in Albuquerque and Portland: Early Results
Albuquerque and Portland are testing traffic signals that stay red until a sensor detects a car, and reward drivers at or under the limit with an earlier green. Early evidence is limited and mostly local.
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Prince William County’s AI 311 Assistant: What the Data Shows
Prince William County, Virginia uses Citibot’s AI assistants, Will and Willow, for 311 questions. The vendor and county report a lower failure rate, but the figures are self-reported.
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DC Compass and Maricopa’s Mari: Two Government Data Chatbots
Washington, D.C. built DC Compass on Esri tools to make open data easier to query, and Maricopa County runs Mari for residents. Here is what each does and what is still unmeasured.
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Honolulu’s CivCheck: Faster Home Permits, With Caveats
Honolulu says AI screening cut review time on residential permits. An independent review found faster home permits overall but slower commercial ones.
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Frisco Maps 200+ Buildings for First Responders
Frisco, Texas has indoor maps of more than 200 facilities that police, fire and dispatch can pull up during an emergency. The city has not published response-time results.