App Design Challenge Offers Crowd-sourced Solution for Underserved Communities

While many Americans live in areas that are wired for broadband, about one third of U.S. households still do not subscribe to Internet access. The FCC and the James L. Knight Foundation issued a challenge to designers and programmers across the country: create an application that makes public data easily accessible to the public, providing people with a tangible incentive to go online.

The "Apps for Communities Challenge" is using a crowd-sourced model to spur innovation and adoption. According to an FCC press release:

"The Apps for Communities Challenge seeks to take advantage of the local, public information coming online — on topics from education to health care, child care, government services and jobs — and make it easily accessible to the public. Contestants will be asked to turn that information into content, apps and services that expand people's choices on critical issues."

FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski, believes the contest can make a difference in underserved communities everywhere:

"This challenge uses the power of broadband and the ingenuity of creative thinkers across America to help advance our country's broadband agenda. I expect we'll see great new apps that use public data to help people all over the country seize the broadband revolution and improve their access to jobs, health care and educational opportunities."

You can join the challenge and find out more at http://appsforcommunities.challenge.gov/

FCC And The Knight Foundation Announce New Apps Contest To Bring Local Information To Underserved Communities

Apps for Communities