infrastructure

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY

The Keys To Smart Cities That Work For Everyone – Infrastructure Law’s Digital Equity Goals

Gregory Porumbescu, Rutgers University - Newark The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Joe Biden on Nov. 15, 2021, differs from past infrastructure investments not only in its size but also its emphasis on addressing long-standing and persistent racial injustice. This major investment comes at a time when smart-city initiatives, which aim to use technology to make cities more responsive to their residents’ needs, are growing more common around the world. Smart cities are made possible by high-speed internet connections. They rely on big data, algorithms and the internet of things to better serve their increasingly diverse communities. For example, smart cities might use data collected from wireless sensors to predict the number of buses that need to be i...

Congress Infrastructure Bill Promises Billions For Bridge Repair

8Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

ENVIRONMENT

Congress Infrastructure Bill Promises Billions For Bridge Repair

Guangqing Chi, Penn State; Davin Holen, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Heather Randell, Penn State; Megan Mucioki, Penn State, and Rebecca Napolitano, Penn State America’s bridges are in rough shape. Of the nearly 620,000 bridges over roads, rivers and other waterways across the U.S., more than 43,500 of them, about 7%, are considered “structurally deficient.” In Alaska, bridges face a unique and growing set of problems as the planet warms. Permafrost, the frozen ground beneath large parts of the state, is thawing with the changing climate, and that’s shifting the soil and everything on it. Bridges are also increasingly crucial for rural residents who can no longer trust the stability of the rivers’ ice in spring and fall. The infrastructure bill passed by Congress on Nov. 5 and heade...

Infrastructure Spending Into Trillions Of Dollars Could Mean Hundreds Of Billions In Fraud

28Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

Infrastructure Spending Into Trillions Of Dollars Could Mean Hundreds Of Billions In Fraud

Jetson Leder-Luis, Boston University The U.S. government may be on the verge of spending as much as US$4.5 trillion in what could be one of the biggest investments in infrastructure and the social safety net in decades. The House plans to vote on a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill on Sept. 30, 2021 – which was already approved by the Senate – and may soon follow that with up to $3.5 trillion in other investments. The measures’ passage – and the total to be spent – are still up in the air. But if either or both bills do become law, they would not only reflect massive new government spending that lawmakers see as investment, but also a serious target for fraud. Most government spending does reach the intended targets – like mass transit, clean energy and broadband internet – but...

Many Infrastructure Projects China Is Financing Around The World Could Harm Nature And Indigenous Communities

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

ENVIRONMENT, VIDEO REELS

Many Infrastructure Projects China Is Financing Around The World Could Harm Nature And Indigenous Communities

Blake Alexander Simmons, Boston University; Kevin P. Gallagher, Boston University, and Rebecca Ray, Boston University China is shaping the future of economic development through its Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious multi-billion-dollar international push to better connect itself to the rest of the world through trade and infrastructure. Through this venture, China is providing over 100 countries with funding they have long sought for roads, railways, power plants, ports and other infrastructure projects. This mammoth effort could generate broad economic growth for the countries involved and the global economy. The World Bank estimates that recipient countries’ gross domestic product could rise by up to 3.4% thanks to Belt and Road financing. But development often expands human mov...

Infrastructure That Has Long Been Devalued – Women-Dominated Child And Home Care Work Is Critical

10May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE

Infrastructure That Has Long Been Devalued – Women-Dominated Child And Home Care Work Is Critical

A fiery debate has erupted over the definition of “infrastructure.” Does it mean roads, broadband and other physical structures included in the traditional meaning of infrastructure? Or should it have a broader definition that includes other important parts of the economy, such as workers who care for children, older adults and people with disabilities? President Joe Biden prefers the latter meaning and wants to use nearly one-fifth of the US$2.25 trillion of spending in his jobs and infrastructure plan to expand and strengthen child care and home-based long-term care. As a sociologist who has studied the paid-care workforce for over 15 years, I know how critical it is to the U.S. economy – as the COVID-19 pandemic has made quite plain. The problem is, these workers have long been under...

Cyberspace is critical infrastructure – it will take effective government oversight to make it safe

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY

Cyberspace is critical infrastructure – it will take effective government oversight to make it safe

A famous 1990s New Yorker cartoon showed two dogs at a computer and a caption that read “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” The cartoon represents a digital past when people required few safeguards on the internet. People could explore a world of information without having every click tracked or their personal data treated as a commodity. The New Yorker cartoon doesn’t apply today. Not only do your browser, service provider and apps know you’re a dog, they know what breed you are, what kind of dog food you eat, who your owner is and where your doghouse is. Companies are parlaying that information into profit. Legal and regulatory protections in cyberspace have not kept up with the times. They are better suited to the internet of the past than the present. Today’s dependence on ...