Communications of the ACM
In Nevada Desert, a Technology Firm Aims to Be a Government
Cryptocurrency company Blockchains wants Nevada to grant technology companies power to form local governments and smart cities on land they own.
Credit: Blockchains LLC
Blockchains LLC's Jeffrey Berns aims to create a futuristic "smart city" in Storey County, Nevada, where residents purchase goods and services with digital currency and record their financial statements, medical records, personal data, and more on blockchain. The company is seeking permission to break ground by next year to build 15,000 homes and 33 million square feet of commercial and industrial space within 75 years.
Berns' idea is the basis of draft legislation that would allow tech companies with 50,000 acres of land that promise a $1 billion investment to create "innovation zones" governed by three people like county commissioners, two of whom initially would come from Blockchains.
"For us to be able to take risks and be limber, nimble, and figure things out like you do when you're designing new products,” Berns said, "why not let us just create a government that lets us do those things?"
From Associated Press
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