The Government Accountability Office found in a Feb. 6 report that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) need to work together to modernize the United States’ emergency alert capabilities. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is not yet well-positioned to secure nationwide election infrastructure before the 2020 election cycle, according to a Feb. 6 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. […]
Cheryl Ingstad was sworn in as the first Director of the Artificial Intelligence & Technology Office (AITO) within the Department of Energy (DOE) on Feb. 4. […]
Members of the House Homeland Security Committee today questioned Federal government officials about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) use of facial recognition technologies, and potential racial bias in the technology. […]
Maryann Feldman, an official helping to lead a congressionally-mandated effort to evaluate the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, said at a Feb. 5 House Science, Space, and Technology subcommittee hearing that the first SBIR assessment will be released in March. […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking input from stakeholders on an update to NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-161: Supply Chain Risk Management Practices for Federal Information Systems and Organizations. […]
For Federal agencies, a zero-trust model means not only knowing who might be on their networks accessing data and information, but making sure a user has an authorized reason to access that information. […]
Jeff Greene, former vice president of global government affairs and policy at Symantec, began a new role as director of the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on Feb. 3. […]
Donna Dodson, Chief Cybersecurity Advisor for the IT Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), reflected today on the success of the agency’s cybersecurity framework and its contributions to cyber interoperability. […]
While the Department of Homeland Security has been effective in strengthening Federal cybersecurity generally, the agency needs to push harder on agencies to follow through on its security directives, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report. […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking public comment on the Feb. 4 draft of its cyber supply chain risk management guidance. […]
The Departments of Energy (DOE), Homeland Security (DHS), and Defense (DoD) announced Feb. 3 a collaborative initiative to prepare for and respond to cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure, in part by putting energy infrastructure threat response plans to the test. […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology filed a Federal Register Notice seeking vendors and tech experts to assist with two cybersecurity projects the agency is preparing through its National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE). […]
The Federal Aviation Administration is conducting market research for a potential contract vehicle for IT services, according to a request for information released on Thursday. […]
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. […]
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 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. […]
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. […]
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. […]
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. […]
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 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. […]