Smarter Gov Tech, Stronger MerITocracy
wireless networks

In a new report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) lacks a formal process to plan for the transfer of some Federally-used spectrum to the private sector to help build mobile networks, including 5G. […]

NASA has updated a draft solicitation for a $720 million contract that will help the agency develop new technologies, and has invited request for proposals (RFP) to review and comment on the solicitation. […]

PMA

The Biden-Harris administration released a vision statement for the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) in November, and has since released a draft learning agenda that will inform further development of the PMA. But what’s next for the PMA and when can agencies expect implementation efforts to begin? […]

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) voted today to take up a proposal that would require “nutrition labels” for broadband services, providing consumers with better information about prices, speeds, additional fees, network management practices, and more. […]

FedRAMP

Jennifer Franks, director of information technology and cybersecurity at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), is calling on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop a standardized definition of what the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) costs and how government agencies should evaluate costs when moving their services into the cloud. […]

The House of Representatives has crafted a new semiconductor and innovation legislative measure that features $52 billion in funding for semiconductor production, $45 billion for supply chain issues, and the establishment of a new Science and Engineering Solutions Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The bill, called the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence […]

NIST

According to a recent audit by the Department of Commerce Inspector General (IG), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) current program launch plans may be increasing risk in the development of its environmental satellites. […]

cybersecurity
US tech
election security

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has hired Mona Harrington as deputy assistant director of the National Risk Management Center (NRMC), which houses CISA’s election security team. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has added 22 new fields of study to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Optional Practical Training (OPT) program for enhancing contributions of nonimmigrant students studying STEM subjects. […]

HUD Urban Development

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been using funds from the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) fund since 1993, but according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the agency could generate better data to deliver those funds to vulnerable populations in an equitable fashion. […]

USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded Lumen Technologies an 11-year task order worth more than $1.2 billion to modernize the agency’s IT infrastructure with “a fully integrated wide-area data transport service with secure remote access, contact center, and cloud connectivity solutions.” […]

EHR

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Electronic Health Records Management (OEHRM) is looking for a dashboard that will help to coordinate its Electronic Health Records Modernization (EHRM) program with the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Health Agency (DHA). […]

vThe Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently reviewed five financial regulators to understand their systems for protecting personally identifiable information (PII)— which can be shared with Federal agencies, law enforcement, and contractors— and found room for improvement in certain areas. […]

digital transformation
EHR

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it is delaying its Electronic Health Records Modernization (EHRM) program deployment schedule at the second location in Columbus, Ohio, amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. […]

Reps. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., and Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., are seeking more information on efforts by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) efforts to reduce security risks to Federal networks through the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA). […]

IRS
three-keys-to-cybersecurity

Kenneth Wainstein, the Biden administration’s nominee to become undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), fielded questions on several tech-related issues from members of the Senate Intelligence Committee at a Jan. 12 committee hearing to consider his nomination. […]

electric grid

The Department of Energy (DoE) announced plans to upgrade the U.S. electricity grid with a major aim of helping to protect vital energy infrastructure against supply disruptions caused by environmental, physical, and cyberattacks, and to minimize the impact of supply disruptions. […]

Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Jody Hice, R-Ga., have sent letters to the IRS, Social Security Administration (SSA), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking feedback on how the agencies are implementing the CASES Act. […]

NIST

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its cybersecurity guidance for system engineers, adding more insight for engineers and programmers on mitigating system vulnerabilities. […]

SBA

Facing over $4.6 billion in potentially fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and continuing challenges with IT investments, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has yet to meet its goal to revise the agency’s Certify system by the end of 2021, according to SBA Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware. […]

capitol washington dc senate house congress-min

The Senate on Jan. 11 voted to approve the nomination of Alan Davidson as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, and head of the agency’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). […]

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