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Anyone who has received feedback related to government initiatives is bound to eventually hear the phrases: It’s expensive! I don’t understand why we need this! It’ll be outdated soon! This isn’t the government’s job! The buy-in will always be a key issue for any government project. However, those working on government technology and smart city projects will be especially familiar with these phrases. Like many issues governments face, we can work through them with good planning, intentional work, and smart use of available resources.
Dallas has had the advantage of being at the center of fantastic growth in using the technology smart cities need. Many communications companies, including one of the largest telecommunications providers, are based in Dallas. The FCC’s national broadband map shows the city has 100% internet access coverage. We are also home to several of the most advanced transportation technology companies, with autonomous commercial vehicles successfully sharing the road with our residents daily, and we plan for more services to drive on Dallas streets soon. “Dallas has had the advantage of being at the center of fantastic growth in using the technology smart cities need. Many communications companies, including one of the largest telecommunications providers, are based in Dallas” These successes have not always given us the benefits we would hope to have seen, and the successes we have experienced have not always been experienced equitably. Many households still fall short of the 25/3 minimum standard for broadband access set by the FCC, and recent Census data shows that there are still households relying on dial-up internet access. Providing communities with broadband access is not just a call to provide benefits to the resident’s economic performance and quality but also to ensure equity across communities in accessing services. Without broadband access, many of the core components of smart cities, whether they are intended to be used by corporations, government, or residents, simply are not viable. The good news is that there has never been a better time for local government to improve broadband infrastructure. The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized improving broadband access, and federal grants have been an irreplaceable part of building the infrastructure needed to create a smart city. These range from grants specific to public safety to grants subsidizing internet connectivity for households nationwide. These federal grants are available to a range of entities, and by facilitating cooperation, not just between levels of government but between corporate and nonprofit partners, we can ensure that the cost is spread between those who benefit. When the City of Dallas began to test smart streetlight technology in 2021, COVID-19 recovery funding was leveraged to address the needed infrastructure across the city. Using a data-driven approach that prioritized addressing inequities such as internet connectivity, public safety, and road improvements, the Red Cloud Neighborhood was identified as a pilot neighborhood. In 2023, multifunction devices on LED streetlights were successfully launched and currently provide the neighborhood with free WiFi, environmental and traffic monitoring, and public safety monitoring. Approaches rooted in equity and inclusion are vital to smart cities because it is so easy to be distracted by new and shiny technology without consideration for the disproportionate impact on marginalized communities. Organizations that center this approach in their strategic priorities and programmatic work will find that when the time comes, they will be less likely to be on the defensive side and will have stakeholder buy-in.