Nation’s Mayors Launch Standing Committee on Technology and Innovation to Strengthen City Broadband Deployment, Cybersecurity Defenses, and Digital Services

The US Conference of Mayors (USCM) President Miami Mayor Francis Suarez named Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell as the first chair of the organization’s new Standing Committee on Technology and Innovation. The new committee will examine broadband deployment, cybersecurity, and city digital services, as well as promote best practices and help set the Conference’s policy on these and other related issues. The Committee’s initial work in the coming months will prioritize a focus on broadband, especially accessing funding included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for infrastructure deployment and digital equity. Additionally, it will concentrate on the threat of cybersecurity attacks that continue to plague cities across the country. The Committee’s purview will also include issues such as government procurement, the gig economy, disinformation on the internet, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, the metaverse, consumer privacy, smart cities, and data governance.