2006 Wireless Communities Best Practices Awards

The Wireless Communities Best Practices Awards pay tribute to local governments and supporting organizations implementing broadband-wireless solutions for cities, counties and regions.

Winners of the second annual Wireless Communities Best Practices Awards were honored at the W2i Digital Cities Convention in Philadelphia with a special awards ceremony on the evening of December 6, 2006, Philadelphia Sheraton City Center.

2006 Award Winners

• Technology Innovation: Kista Science City, Stockholm, Sweden
• Community Momentum Building: OneCommunity, USA
• Digital Inclusion: Basque Government, Spain
• E-Government Applications: Taipei City, Taiwan
• Neighborhood Portals: E-Mexico National System, Mexico

Ones To Watch

• City of Granbury, Texas, USA
• Town of Knysna, South Africa
• Paris Local Transport Authority (RATP), France
• Rhode Island Wireless Innovation Networks (RI-WINs), USA
• PhilaVoice Portal, Philadelphia, USA

Awards Descriptions

• Technology Innovation: This Award honors the best broadband-wireless network or device innovation deployed across a metro area or region.
• Community Momentum Building: This Award honors the best public outreach and community organizing in planning and implementing a broadband-wireless infrastructure for a city or region.
• Digital Inclusion: This Award honors the best initiative to provide urban or remote communities with broadband connectivity for the provision of applications and services.
• E-Government Applications: This Award honors the best broadband-wireless platform to improve local-government workforce productivity and/or citizen interaction with government.
• Neighborhood Portals: The Award honors the best local or national portal enabling low-cost community and visitor information access, education, and/or location-based services.

The Jury

• Chair: Dr. Costis Toregas, President Emeritus, Public Technology, Inc.; Chair, National Academy of Public Administration standing panel on Social Equity in Governance
• Abe Kani, Chief Information Officer, City of Atlanta
• Axel Leblois, Executive Director, CIFAL Atlanta; Special Senior Fellow of UNITAR
• Timothy Lowenstein, Supervisor, Buffalo County, Nebraska, and Chair, ITC Committee, National Association of Counties (NACo)
• Sonja Reece, Mayor Pro Tem, Normal Illinois; Vice Chair, Information and Technology Committee, National League of Cities
• Scott Shamp, Director, New Media Institute, Univ. Georgia