Tag Archive for: budget

Best wireless routers 2023: get good WiFi no matter your budget

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While network providers have got a little better in recent years, chances are the default router delivered from your supplier isn’t going to be top-shelf. It’s going to have limited range, stability and performance and, simply put, that is where investing in one of the best wireless routers of 2023 comes in.

Whether you’re after the best gaming router or the best router for 4K video streaming, upgrading your home WiFi hardware can make a big difference to your internet speeds and stability. Even if you have one of the best laptops around, if you don’t have one of the very best wireless routers installed in your home then you run the risk of missing out on features and functionality that you might need – not to mention improved Wi-Fi coverage.

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Budget wins (and losses) — Vallance’s plan — Donelan’s TikTok twist – POLITICO

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— The good, the bad and the indifferent – it’s budget fallout time.

— What does the future of tech regulation look like? Sir Patrick Vallance has some answers. 

— The row over the U.K.’s position on TikTok takes an unexpected turn.

Good morning, we hope you survived budget day and are coping with the train/teachers/tube/lecturers/doctors/civil servants/BBC journalists (have we missed any?) strikes. 

Send your news, views and tips to the team: Annabelle Dickson, Mark Scott and me on email. You can also follow us on Twitter @TomSBristow @NewsAnnabelle @markscott82.

FIRST, THE NEWS: A budget that love-bombed tech was promised, and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered, sort of. There was cash for computing … regulatory promises on AI and finance … and some hefty tax and investment announcements too.

Right-hand woman: Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan was sitting next to Hunt looking pleased as punch on the front bench. But as the dust settles on the government’s self-styled pro-innovation budget, the all-important detail and reaction is a mixed bag. 

Exascale is coming: The most eye-catching sum of money was the £900 million announced for a so-called “exascale” computer — for the uninitiated, that is a machine several times more powerful than the U.K.’s top supercomputer. The other big headline figure was the £2.5 billion towards a 10-year quantum computing program (more on that further down the email.) 

Prized AI: Hunt also gave the go-ahead to plans to launch an artificial intelligence sandbox — a mechanism to allow companies to test for a limited time before entering the market. That would allow innovators to “trial new, faster approaches to help innovators get cutting edge products to market.” (More on that, and other recommendations made by Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance further down the email.) There will also be a prize worth £1 million a year which will be awarded to “the person or team that does the most groundbreaking AI research.”

Put your foot down: There was also another £100 million for the Innovation Accelerators programme which is focusing on three clusters:…

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Pixel 6a Unboxing@Tech_Shambhuraj

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County Commissioners Adopt $2.2 Billion Operating Budget for FY23

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The Board of County Commissioners has adopted Mecklenburg County’s budget for Fiscal Year 2023.

The $2.2-billion budget features a 6.7% increase, or $145 million, over the current FY2022 operating budget. The budget maintains the existing tax rate of 61.69 cents and works to achieve four broad goals:

  • Fund programs and services that align with the Board’s priorities, including affordable housing, education attainment gaps, environmental leadership, Meck Pre-K, workforce development and racial disparities.
  • Demonstrate prudent decisions to protect Mecklenburg County’s financial strength now and for the future, especially given multiple geopolitical influences.
  • Strengthen Mecklenburg County through investments that build resiliency in the community and ensure that no one is left behind.
  • Leverage the historic utilization of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for long-term value investments that will bring a high return and aid those most affected by COVID-19, support workers, and enhance infrastructure.

The FY2023 budget will take effect July 1, 2022. Highlights include:

Affordable Housing

  • $8.1 million for onetime funding to support the Rental Subsidy Fund, including $3.1 million for the Billingsley mixed-income development and $5 million for other programs.
  • $3 million in recurring funding for rental subsidies.
  • $1 million contribution to the capital campaign for Rebound men’s campus at Charlotte Rescue Mission.
  • $778,000 for the United Way of Central Carolinas to administer A Home For All: Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Strategy To End & Prevent Homelessness.
  • $500,000 for the County to research the effects of corporate-owned real estate and its impact on residents and values.
  • $300,000 to expand current vendor housing program for justice involved persons.
  • $100,000 to support the preservation of Pottstown, a historically Black neighborhood in Huntersville.

Education Attainment Gaps 

$7.4 million in new funding for libraries, literacy programming and skill development for career readiness including:

  • $4.2 million for new CMS initiatives.
  • $3 million for the Carolinas Aviation Museum to fund education opportunities for students, including STEM education.
  • $250,000 for Out Teach to provide outdoor learning labs…

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