Chris Teale

Now: Managing Editor @RouteFifty | Then: @MorningConsult (RIP), @SmartCitiesDive, @arlnowdotcom, @alextimesnews and more | @uniofeastanglia grad | Views own

Articles

Senate votes to repeal rule allowing Wi-Fi hotspot loans

6 days ago | route-fifty.com | Chris Teale

The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to repeal a Federal Communications Commission rule that allows schools and libraries to use federal funds to loan out Wi-Fi hotspots to students and educators. Senators voted 50-38 on a joint disapproval resolution that would bar public schools and libraries that participate in the FCC’s E-Rate program from buying Wi-Fi hotspots for use away from their premises. E-Rate provides discounts to help schools and libraries buy affordable devices and internet access.
Data centers defend environmental record amid AI push

1 week ago | route-fifty.com | Chris Teale

Two recent announcements from two different states highlight the growing importance of data centers, especially as they are crucial to providing more computing power for the expanded use of artificial intelligence. Stillwater, Oklahoma, announced in March that Google had purchased land on which it intends to build a data center, part of the company’s planned $75 billion investment in data centers and other infrastructure.
Building a pipeline of state and local tech workers

1 week ago | route-fifty.com | Chris Teale

PHILADELPHIA — More than 250 CEOs from companies across various sectors came together this week on a joint letter urging computer science and artificial intelligence to be made required parts of every school’s curriculum.
REAL ID enforcement deadline looms for states

1 week ago | route-fifty.com | Chris Teale

After years of delays and blown deadlines, as of Wednesday, May 7, domestic travelers in the United States and those wishing to enter federal buildings will need their identification card to be REAL ID-compliant. The Transportation Security Administration announced earlier this month it would begin full REAL ID enforcement.
Minneapolis automates food permitting, removes ‘two-feet high’ paper stack

1 week ago | route-fifty.com | Chris Teale

Over the course of a typical year, Minneapolis hosts around 500 events involving food in some form, often accompanied by amplified music. All those events need permitting and inspection, a task that used to be daunting for the department responsible. In the past, the Minneapolis Health Department had to deal with permit applications that were handwritten and so could be hard to decipher.
Nevada turns to AI to speed up unemployment appeals

2 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Chris Teale

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, every state struggled under a massive influx of unemployment insurance claims, but few were hit harder in that area than Nevada. In a state reliant on hospitality and entertainment, the shutdown of public spaces and events led to the state being faced with 200,000 unemployment insurance claims a week, up from a normal weekly average of 20,000.
States used cyber grants for ‘hundreds’ of key projects, report finds

2 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Chris Teale

A cybersecurity grant program has helped fund hundreds of projects in state and local government, but leaders are concerned about sustained funding for those projects and worried about the future, according to a report from a federal agency. The Government Accountability Office found this week that the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program has helped fund 839 state and local cybersecurity projects as of Aug.
Chattanooga to establish nation’s first quantum tech center

2 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Chris Teale

Chattanooga, Tennessee, will host the nation’s first quantum technology center to provide commercial access to quantum computing and networking, its public utility announced late last week. EPB, the power utility that has already backed the city’s fiber network and has been a key player in Chattanooga’s push towards quantum technology, said it will jointly develop the center alongside quantum company IonQ to provide commercial access to quantum computing and quantum networking.
How Maryland’s social media team responded to Baltimore bridge collapse

2 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Chris Teale

Just over a year ago, the world’s attention shifted to Baltimore as the 47-year-old Key Bridge collapsed early one morning after a container ship collided with a pier that supported it. The collapse led to the death of six road construction workers, disrupted operations at the Port of Baltimore and set off a scramble as agencies from the federal, state and local governments moved quickly to respond then set in motion the bridge’s rebuilding.
Cyber info-sharing looks to ‘weather this storm’ of lost federal funding

3 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Chris Teale

Uncertainty continues to swirl around two popular cybersecurity and election threat sharing centers after they had their federal funding cut in March, but one senior figure said the work will continue, at least for now.