Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie removed Deputy Secretary James Byrne from his post Feb. 3 following controversy about how Byrne responded to an alleged sexual assault at an agency medical center. […]
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a petition with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today seeking regulations for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. […]
In a follow-up to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Fiscal Year 2019 audit, the Office of the Inspector General (IG) explained in a Jan. 28 report how critical financial management improvements could boost cybersecurity at the agency. […]
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) announced today the creation of a new research data hub to expand STEM education research. […]
Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center (JAIC) Director Lieutenant General Jack Shanahan is retiring from the Air Force in Summer 2020, JAIC spokesman Lieutenant Commander Arlo Abrahamson confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) held the first of two planned townhall meetings on electronic rulemaking (eRulemaking) on Jan. 30 to gather comments on the agency’s approach to modernizing eRulemaking management in order to, among other aims, mitigate fake comments and manage mass-comment campaigns. […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) has released the final version of its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), which aims to certify DoD contractors’ cybersecurity practices and bolster supply chain security. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported three weaknesses in GSA’s Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) compliance for Fiscal Year 2019 in a report dated Dec. 5, 2019, but released on Jan. 30. […]
IBM announced Jan. 30 that Arvind Krishna will lead the company when current CEO and President Virginia Rometty steps down in April. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) began a mass modification to its multiple award schedules (MAS) Jan. 31 to consolidate all 24 systems into a single schedule, marking the second phase of its strategy to modernize the Federal acquisition system. […]
Federal supply chain security threats are growing, and government and industry alike are directing more attention to reducing risks. Some, including Jeff Moore, senior vice president, Sterling Computers, believe the reseller channel is particularly vulnerable and needs significantly more attention. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today approved final rules for a program that will funnel $20.4 billion over ten years to communications service providers to extend fast broadband services to unserved and underserved areas of the U.S. […]
Scholars at the Brookings Institution are suggesting that Congress invest in a $100 billion package to support 10 potential technology growth centers and foster innovation outside of traditional tech hubs like Silicon Valley. […]
Members of Congress have a lot on their plates, and on any given day understanding the nuances of technology issues may not be one of them. […]
Reps. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Richard Neal, D-Mass., released a five-year infrastructure investment framework Jan. 29 with $98 billion dedicated to broadband initiatives. […]
Bipartisan legislation introduced in the House Jan. 24 would require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a free cybersecurity marketplace for small businesses to purchase services from security vendors. […]
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has chosen CenturyLink to provide wide-area network and high-speed network services to the agency via the General Services Administration’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) program. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) has named Julie Dunne commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), after appointing her acting commissioner of FAS in October 2019. […]
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt urged lawmakers on Jan. 29 to consider action on several steps the U.S. could take to extend its technological leadership in the world and fend off tech competition from China, including expanding a National Science Foundation (NSF) program to connect agency-sponsored researchers to more cloud computing resources. […]
In Part One of MeriTalk’s discussion with Maitland Muse, Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances at AppGuard, we discussed the ways that traditional antivirus technologies have been compromised, and how a new approach to defending agency networks is required. […]
The House on Jan. 28 approved by a vote of 385-8 the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act. The bill was passed by the Senate in December 2019, and it’s next stop is the desk of President Trump. […]
Witnesses at today’s House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing agreed that closing the digital divide and increasing internet adoption in the U.S. requires a combination of private sector competition, and financial and regulatory help from the Federal government. […]
The Department of Interior has issued an order that temporarily grounds the agency’s fleet of nonemergency drones, citing cybersecurity concerns. […]
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) CIO Renee Wynn will retire on March 31 after 30 years of public service, a NASA official confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
Members of Congress and officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) discussed the value of data-driven suicide prevention strategies at a Jan. 29 House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing led by committee Chairman Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif. […]
The House Homeland Security Committee today voted to approve two bills important to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and its leadership and legal authorities. […]
The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced Jan. 28 that it filed for a temporary restraining order against five telecommunications companies and three individuals who it says are responsible for carrying hundreds of millions of fraudulent robocalls to American consumers. […]
ThunderCat Technology has been doing business and providing IT solutions for the Federal government for over 10 years, specializing in cloud, cybersecurity, DevOps, data infrastructure, and so much more. MeriTalk sat down with ThunderCat’s Senior Cloud Architect Randy Pierce to get his insights and thoughts on where hybrid and multi-cloud environments are headed in 2020. […]
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, introduced a bill Jan. 28 to give Federal employees a 3.5 percent pay raise in 2021. […]
United Kingdom authorities said today they will allow communications service providers to use in their networks a limited amount of equipment made by “high risk vendors,” and impose restrictions on more extensive use of equipment from those firms. […]