The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is seeking out methods to assess if Federal agency policies and actions equitably serve all eligible individuals – and specifically groups based on race, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, disabilities, persons living in rural areas, and persons adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. […]
Senior House Democrats are pressing the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for action on implementing existing law that requires the Federal government to improve digital experience for citizens including modernizing the government’s public-facing websites. […]
Today, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing to discuss the disparities in broadband access and affordability across the country with Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., calling for government intervention to invest where the marketplace doesn’t support broadband. […]
The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturation Model Certification (CMMC) program is in the process of being rolled out to every contract in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) over the next five years, and the program is expected to help organizations implement Zero Trust practices, Katie Arrington, the Pentagon’s CISO for acquisition and sustainment, said May 5. […]
In a move to modernize financial reporting to the government and enable AI capabilities across new data sets, Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., introduced a bill on May 4 that would make the information reported to Federal financial regulatory agencies electronically searchable. […]
MeriTalk recently connected with ViON’s David Kushner, senior vice president of sales, and Chip George, vice president of public sector at Nutanix, to talk tech during the pandemic and beyond. From the evolution of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to agencies’ demand for hybrid cloud, Kushner and George assess how government needs are changing and offer advice for agency IT executives looking ahead to 2022. […]
In recognition of Public Service Recognition Week – running from May 2-8 – President Biden issued a proclamation praising public servants at all levels of government and outlining his administration’s work to improve the Federal workforce. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden said public servants have “risen to the moment” and described them […]
Protecting the supply chain from hacks has been top of mind due to recent high-profile attacks, but members of the National Cyberspace Solarium say an area of critical infrastructure they are most concerned about is water security going forward. […]
Reps. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., reintroduced legislation this week to improve the United States’ electric grid security. The Cyber Sense Act and the Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act both direct the Department of Energy (DoE) to work with electric utilities toward the goal of improving security. […]
The Plum Book, which lists all the positions appointed by the president, is currently released once every four years, but witnesses at a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing May 3 said that the publishing schedule hinders its effectiveness and needs to be modernized. […]
A bipartisan group of senators reintroduced the Protecting Resources On The Electric grid with Cybersecurity Technology (PROTECT) Act. The legislation would enhance electric grid security by incentivizing electric utilities to make cybersecurity investments, as well as establishing a Department of Energy (DoE) grant and technical assistance program to deploy advanced cybersecurity technology for utilities that are not regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). […]
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on April 30 released a draft of a proposed order for the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund, which would reimburse schools and libraries for their purchases of devices and broadband connections during the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
A bipartisan group of senators has reintroduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021, which would expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare and make permanent COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities. […]
Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., said today he’s hopeful Senate Democrats and Republicans can come together to pass an infrastructure package that will include funding for broadband and emerging technologies. […]
Artificial Intelligence Operations (AIOps) provides a wide range of benefits for agencies, but Fed IT experts say agencies face several challenges to make the most of their AI capabilities, such as data readiness and misinformation surrounding the new technology. […]
As Federal agencies look to modernize their cyber defenses and move to zero trust architecture, Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) 3.0 guidance will help push them along the path, with help from a zero trust use case that is in the pipeline, the TIC program manager said on April 29. […]
President Biden announced this week that Celeste Drake will serve as the first-ever director of the newly created Made in America Office at the White House. […]
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking to protect critical infrastructure and seeking more information on securing and monitoring data flows in a large enterprise environment like its own, according to a request for information (RFI) posted to Beta.SAM.gov. […]
The General Services Administration’s 10X organization has chosen its next 22 ideas that will receive funding and further development work with an umbrella goal of improving how the Federal government uses technology to better serve citizens. […]
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced a number of bipartisan bills out of committee in an executive session today including four with tech implications. Those bills are a telecommunications workforce bill, one on tech research, one that would map broadband connectivity and maternal health outcomes, and another to protect victims of domestic violence. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) is looking to serve as a “proving ground” for cloud adoption in the Federal government, to lead the way in digital transformation and to serve as a model for other agencies, GSA CIO David Shive said today. […]
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today approved the nomination of Kiran Ahuja to become the next director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). […]
President Biden intends to nominate Heidi Shyu, a former assistant secretary of the Army, to serve as the under secretary for research and engineering at the Department of Defense (DoD), the White House announced Wednesday. […]
The sustained use of legacy IT systems in the Federal government presents a variety of challenges, including missed opportunities and a need for the modernization of agency cultures, Fed IT experts told Senate members today. […]
Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Ben Sasse, R-Neb., have introduced the National Risk Management Act, which would ensure that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is properly identifying and addressing risks to the nation’s critical infrastructure (CI). […]
Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Gary Peters, D-Mich., introduced the Cyber Response and Recovery Act, which would authorize $20 million of spending to support Federal and non-Federal entities impacted by major cyber events, according to an April 23 press release. […]
Over the past year, the country has seen surges in civil unrest, protests, and riots – culminating in the January 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. These domestic threats are increasing in intensity and frequency, and emphasize the importance of protecting both Federal and state government employees and facilities. […]
A billion of anything isn’t quite what it used to be, but it’s still a lot. And when that billion is dollars for the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) – a great vehicle that has been underutilized because of low funding levels and strict repayment rules – it may yet end up being a real difference-maker across many government agencies looking at IT modernization. […]
Three Democratic senators today asked the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Services Administration (GSA) to take a “flexible” approach in deploying $1 billion of new Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) money for Federal agencies to use to improve their IT systems, including adjusting or removing requirements for agencies to reimburse the TMF with savings generated from projects that get money from the fund. […]
Kevin Cox, who has led by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program for the past five-plus years, will be leaving the agency later this year to take on deputy CIO duties at the Department of Justice (DoJ). […]