the future is coming

New York City Government — Now With WiFi and More Social Media

At a press conference today, Mayor Bloomberg and Rachel Sterne, the city’s first ever chief digital officer, presented their “Road Map for a Digital City” today. The 60-page report, produced by Sterne and others during her first 90 days in office, solicited citizens’ advice to find out what the city thinks is working and what needs work (*cough* 311 *cough*). According to the report, “Chief among public interests were calls for expanded Internet access, a refreshed nyc.gov interface, real-time information, and more digital 311 tools.” What does that mean for you? The early initiatives include unlocking “important public information” via a new @nycgov Twitter page, Tumblrs for city agencies, and a streamlined Facebook page for you to rant and rave. Bloomberg also promised increased WiFi access in parks and other public areas.

It looks like tech-industry insiders, who were hoping for more concrete plans for building up broadband and closing the geek gap, will have to wait a little longer. So how far along before we catch up with Silicon Valley? “The premise of your questions is ridiculous,” said Bloomberg, adding:

Or perhaps it got born, but with the wrong strategy, and had to pivot to be born anew.

City Touts Digital Road Map: More Public WiFi, More Facebook Activity, .NYC Domain [Betabeat]
New York City’s Plan to Be ‘Top-Ranked Digital City’ [Adweek]
New York Reveals Plan To Become America’s Next Top Digital City [TechCrunch]
Earlier: The Geek Gap [NYM]

New York City Government — Now With WiFi and More Social Media