Community Solutions
In a connected society, broadband provides the digital link between people and innovative solutions that create real value and community transformation. The Knight Center can help you devise a digital strategy to support, enhance, and accelerate community-based services, and with it, your region’s economic standing. Some specific applications where broadband and cross-sector partnerships can drive civic opportunity include:
Broadband connectivity and educational applications enrich and individualize learning by bringing dynamic resources into the classroom and providing collaborative opportunities to students. Beyond enhancing student experience, a connected community’s educational program improves efficiencies and enables seamless communication and partnering among parents, teachers, and students.
Leading health care providers are using connectivity to create shared services that reduce operating costs. At the same time, patients in connected communities receive a broader spectrum of services. Remote diagnostics, wellness, basic administration and scheduling, and electronic patient records are just some areas of medicine enhanced and supported by connected community strategies.
Developing and retaining innovative businesses through an intelligent workforce helps revitalize a community. Connected communities facilitate career exploration and prepare students to enter the workforce to achieve and maintain meaningful and beneficial employment.
Rapidly connecting your community’s response teams with vital information allows a more coordinated, timely reaction to accidents and disasters. In crises, citizens have access to the information and tools they need to make decisions and seek support.
Information access is the foundation on which 21st-century society is built. Connected communities are better equipped to compete in the new global economy, seizing on new opportunities for citizens to work together to stimulate new business, innovation, and investment.
E-Government
Connected communities digitize government services, save valuable time and public money, and improve the overall efficiency of municipalities. From real-time updates on emergency situations to online utility bill payments, broadband access makes a plethora of government services available, streamlining processes and improving quality of life for both administrative agencies and citizens.
Community Engagement & Democratic Process
Through connectivity citizens receive information that helps manage important aspects of life while at the same time providing a platform to communicate and collaborate, creating a more engaged and invested populace.
Arts & Culture
By bringing new experiences in arts & culture to different community members and groups, connected communities create new possibilities to enhance culture, promote artistic expression, and improve education.
A connected community promotes digital inclusion, helping citizens underserved by technology build interest, skills and comfort with technology. This reduces cultural inequality created by the digital divide. Community-based organizations can be a great resource for providing digital inclusion programs and services while social agencies and nonprofits also can expand and enhance their services by improved, cost-effective connections to their constituents.
Journalism & New Media
Connecting your community and empowering citizens with broadband access enables everyone to be involved in social commentary and interaction.