Today, the City of Chicago announced a new bold plan for reducing digital inequalities and expanding Internet connectivity across every community in the city. The predecessor of the program is “Chicago Connected,” and the new version is “Chicago Connected 2.0.” it is a greatly expanded project and represents a major step forward in the city’s attempts to deliver fast internet connections and digital skills to the forgotten communities.
Standing with city officials and representatives of the technology industry, Mayor Brandon Johnson unveiled the $50 million plan at a community center on the South Side’s Englewood neighborhood. The goal of the program is to make additional 100,000 households with high-speed Internet access within the next three years, targeting low-income families, seniors, and households in the areas that traditionally use broadband Internet the least.
“In the modern world of internet and technology, having a good internet connection and proper IT skills is not a luxury but a necessity,” said Mayor Johnson. Chicago Connected 2.0 is not just about plugging in and getting connected; it’s about making sure our residents have access to what they need to succeed in this new economy.
It will be an effort financially supported by city, federal grant, as well as private partnership money. The leaders of major high-tech companies present in Chicago have expressed readiness to help the program financially, but also with hardware and professionals from big companies such as Google, Microsoft, and the locally born Groupon.
The major strategies that have been identified as part of Chicago Connected 2.0 are its priorities for DL training. The program will support the creation of “Digital Navigator” roles in community centers around the city for the purpose of helping individual residents across the city with devices, internet connectivity, device setup, education, and job training among other things.
The said announcement has received positive to high acclaim from many stakeholders in the community and in the field of education. Dr. Chicago Public Schools CEO, Janice Jackson also welcomed the initiative by stating that the program will be great for the students since it will help them get the equipment they need so they can succeed in a world that is going digital in classrooms.
Esteban’s Chicago Connected 2.0 also lays out plans for public Wi-Fi amenities across the city to increase Wi-Fi accessible points to install high-speed internet in parks, libraries, and other accessible areas of the city. Consequently, this aspect of the program is likely to help residents, tourists, and business travelers and strengthen the already strong image of Chicago as a technology-friendly city.
The initiative come at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus, the importance of connectivity to some of the most essential services in the society, such as learning, health, and employment. Data from the city shows that about 20 percent of Chicago homes do not have a high-speed internet connection and race remains a factor as the areas worst affected are those that residents of colour live in.
Laptop and computer industry officials have praised the city for pre-emptive measures against the digital divide. Google’s CEOSundar Pichai said “We are happy to assit the city of Chicago in their endeavor to make the future digital environment more Inclusive. I believe this initiative is in complete sync with our mission of making information available and relevant to everyone.
The program will provide employment for a number of people during its installation, and in subsequent years, the manufacturers of the tablets will also require service personnel, while the communities will require personnel for computer literacy. The officials of these cities state that most of the employment opportunities for these positions will be channeled towards residents of the specific regions where the companies are located, hence boosting the economy of underprivileged regions.
Chicago Connected 2.0 also embrace measures for funding local technology companies and innovators targeting to solve digital divide. The city has proposed to create an innovation fund which aims to give capital and support to startups developing technology solutions for the digital gap.
This paper seeks to focus on how the proposal by Chicago to supply Internet connection to all of its public buildings might serve as a model for addressing a large-scale issue that is ailing cities all over the nation: technological equity. Despite having many of the foundation components of a broad technology plan in place, the NYC program is a good template for how other municipalities could proceed to make an appropriate deployment of information technology.
With such an audacious vision, Chicago is taking the mantle to not only become the next shrinking violet on the tech scene but also become an example of how Americans of every stripe can access this technology. In the future over the next couple of months/ years after the program is implemented the success of the program could greatly impact the push for economic development, education and overall wellbeing of the city residents.
