Austin wins digital inclusion award

The city of Austin announced yesterday that it has won the Charles Benton Next Generation Engagement Award from Next Century Cities, an organization that helps cities ensure that citizens have equitable and reliable access to the internet. The award comes with $30,000 and technical assistance that will go toward the Smart Work, Learn, Play project, an initiative under the aegis of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin. According to a press statement from the city, the project involves “recruiting ‘mobility ambassadors’ from public housing communities. These ambassadors will receive training on digital tools for workforce, education, and quality of life applications that they will then pass on to their peers.” Austin joins Louisville, Kentucky, and Raleigh, North Carolina, as one of three cities to win the Charles Benton award. According to the press statement, the award is given to “municipal governments that are harnessing high-speed internet to enhance civic engagement and democratic participation.” More information is available here.