Government

Harvard University recognizes KCMO digital inclusion map

By Tommy Felts / December 11, 2017

Kansas City’s geographic work to illustrate the area’s digital divide earned high praise from a prestigious university. Harvard University recently highlighted the City of Kansas City, Missouri’s Digital Inclusion map, a tool that — at a block-by-block scale — detail residents’ access to internet connectivity overlaid with poverty levels. “This visualization was chosen as Harvard’s…

Read More >

KCMO, Avis launch first-in-the-world test lab with 5,000 connected rental cars

By Tommy Felts / November 30, 2017

Accelerating the Smart City initiative’s focus on enabling autonomous vehicles, the Kansas City area is now serving as the laboratory for a large test of thousands of connected rental cars. Avis Budget Group and the City of Kansas City, Missouri, announced Thursday the launch of the “Mobility Lab,” featuring a fleet of 5,000 internet-connected vehicles…

Read More >
Ajit Pai Net Neutrality

FCC head: Repealing net neutrality will boost innovation, investment; startups disagree

By Tommy Felts / November 21, 2017

The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to eliminate regulatory rules that prohibit internet service providers from interfering with consumers’ access to web content. FCC chairman Ajit Pai announced in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the regulatory body will vote Dec. 14 to repeal 2015 Obama-era regulations. That regulatory model, referred to as Title II,…

Read More >
Jeff Colyer

Governor-in-waiting talks startup funding, Amazon and why entrepreneurism is bigger than KC

By Tommy Felts / November 20, 2017

The strongest person in the room isn’t necessarily the loudest, Jeff Colyer said. “Kansans are used to being overlooked,” he said. “My role as lieutenant governor was to be a little quieter. You give your best advice. And when decisions are made, you’re going to work to support them.” Soon, however, he’ll be the state’s…

Read More >
East Side investment zone

Councilman introduces east side investment proposal with $15/hour wage provision

By Tommy Felts / November 17, 2017

As economic development surges in pockets across Kansas City, residents and businesses on the east side shouldn’t be left behind, Scott Taylor said. “Our clock is ticking as a city on this, and we need to do more,” said Taylor, councilman for the sixth district, at-large. At a press conference Thursday, Taylor introduced a draft…

Read More >