The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides more than $65 billion for broadband infrastructure. The bulk of these funds will be administered by state governments. With states finalizing Five-Year Action Plans for federal review, cities are preparing for these new opportunities to expand access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet service. This session will provide a deep dive into strategies cities can use to make the most of these funding opportunities: What kinds of broadband technologies and networks are eligible for funding, and what innovative approaches to future-proofing these investments are available? What data should cities invest to maximize access to and impact of broadband funds as state plans roll out? How can cities use these data to evaluate state investments? States seeking Digital Equity funds are required to develop digital equity plans. Do cities need their own digital equity plans? What opportunities exist for combining and layering multiple programs and sources of broadband funding to maximize impact? What innovative approaches to funding broadband investments for multi-family housing are available?  

The first of two Technology + Innovation Center webinars highlighting technology and innovation awards made through US DOT’s 2022 SMART Grants Program, this webinar will explore the solutions for urban freight management in U.S. cities. The pandemic dramatically accelerated the growth of goods moving on city streets as people shifted to online shopping. These freight flows, focused on rapid delivery within residential areas, are different from anything cities have encountered before. And they have created enormous challenges for cities’ efforts to improve safety, manage congestion, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Curbs are one of the most important, yet undervalued asset in the urban public realm. As cities confront new patterns of activity, new demands on the public right of way, and fiscal and environmental challenges, curbs are a critical platform for driving change. The second of two Technology + Innovation Center webinars highlighting awards from the 2022 Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program, this webinar looks at how cities are deploying a variety of approaches to developing curb data platforms. Questions to be answered include: What are the short- and long-term goals of curb coding efforts? What data do cities plan to collect? How will it be used, what value is created, and how will it be managed? What core technologies and data standards are available and what must be developed? How will cities incentivize various stakeholders to participate? Who does what? How are cities enlisting vendors and other partners to design, deploy and operate these solutions?

This session focuses on current and future funding opportunities from the U.S. DOE, aimed at helping cities update their building codes.