The General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) is in the early stages of efforts to set up an authoritative source for identification verification of U.S. citizens, but is approaching the process in careful and deliberate steps to encourage and maintain the public’s trust in the process, a GSA official said on Sept. 10. […]

With the White House and Department of Defense recently announcing that additional mid-band spectrum will be made available to be shared with industry, the Federal government’s spectrum manager called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to do its part to ensure the partnership occurs smoothly. […]

Nearly two years into an ambitious overhaul of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cyber Security Center (NCSC), brighter horizons are in sight for the agency in the form of improved cyber analytics capabilities. From the start, NOAA took a holistic approach to the NCSC transformation that encompasses people, process, and technology – in equal parts. […]

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) has automated some processes to streamline administering assistance to veterans, but according to Under Secretary for Benefits Paul Lawrence, the agency’s customer-centric approach to AI and robotic process automation (RPA) is what makes it so successful. […]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reimburses states for most Medicaid costs and is supposed to oversee how states use funds, but its IT systems have had problems with ensuring proper oversight, and CMS no longer supports efforts to reduce duplication by state systems, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said. […]

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced multiple staffing changes to the FCC’s data team. […]

Ron Ross has seen a lot during his 30-year career in cybersecurity, so asking him to pinpoint new cyber threats is a little like asking Tom Brady to talk about a blitz he has not faced during his NFL tenure. […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reviewed 16 major Federal IT acquisitions that are critical to government missions – including national security, public health, and the economy – and found that 11 of those acquisitions were re-baselined during development to reflect changes in project costs, schedules and performance goals. […]

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) effort to consolidate its network and security operations centers into a Network Operations Security Center (NOSC) model will improve the agency’s continuity of operations efforts, CIO Karen Evans said today. […]

A proposed rule from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component agency coming out in the Federal Register this Friday would expand the collection of biometrics data by about 2.17 million submissions annually. […]

Federal agency and private-sector healthcare officials agreed this week that the sharp increase in delivery of telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic has advanced state of the art in service delivery, along with the need to ramp up cybersecurity protections. […]

Investments in “basic” IT modernization initiatives, such as improving bandwidth and updating laptops, were the backbone behind telework success at the Department of Energy (DOE) as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, CIO Rocky Campione said at the September 3 Lessons from DOE: Foresight and Focus Keep the Grid Humming webinar. […]

The overwhelming majority – 81 percent – of Federal agencies are increasing their adoption of multi-cloud to support telework and mission needs related to COVID-19, according to a recent GDIT and MeriTalk report. However, nearly half – 42 percent – of Federal cybersecurity managers surveyed said their cyber strategies can’t keep pace with evolving multi-cloud environments. […]

Assessing the current threat landscape six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Christopher Krebs listed nation-state spies, cybercriminals committing fraud, and the spread of disinformation as top cyberattack vectors. […]

While the COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging effects on the Federal workforce, one positive impact has been to boost the efficiency of Federal agency employees in how they approach their day-to-day duties, said Bryan Ware, Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). […]

The Federal Communications Commission said on Sept. 4 that the total cost of removing and replacing telecommunications equipment made by China-based Huawei and ZTE from the networks of smaller U.S. carriers could be more than $1.6 billion. […]

With no U.S.-based companies dominating the worldwide market for network equipment that underlies 5G wireless services, and with the U.S. in the midst of a years-long campaign to ban Chinese network equipment makers from U.S. and allies’ markets, perhaps the most important battle for the longer-term future of 5G network infrastructure is gearing up now in and near the halls of power in Washington, D.C. […]

The General Services Administration (GSA) released a draft of the Data Ethics Framework – part of the Federal Data Strategy action plan – earlier this week detailing Fed standards for using data appropriately and government use cases. […]

While many agencies are looking to modernize their legacy systems or digital government services, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is undertaking a more unique modernization project – automating the identification of beluga whales. […]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are teaming up to prepare for and protect against electromagnetic pulse scenarios. […]

Reducing the U.S.’ reliance on importing high value materials for consumer electronics, such as gold and other high value materials, could rely on emerging technologies making electronics recycling easier. […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched a new electronic virtual assistant (e-VA) to help veterans connect with agency counselors and answer basic questions. […]

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., released a statement today on the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) report that found the Public Buildings Service (PBS) did not always receive timely notice of positive COVID-19 test results from building occupants or provide timely notification of positive COVID-19 cases. […]

Defense contractors can conduct R&D projects of potential interest to the Defense Department (DoD) and may be reimbursed for their work, but the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that DoD does not review how these projects fit into the department’s modernization priorities. […]

The Election Assistance Commission partnered with the nation’s lead cyber agency to aid election officials in prioritizing and managing risks to election infrastructure through an online tool. […]

Last week the White House announced $140 million in funding towards seven artificial intelligence institutes across the country. Now the private sector is getting in on the action with four major tech companies pledging more than $160 million for eight new AI institutes. […]

While Congress has been slow to act on privacy issues, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is getting out ahead of any Federal legislation when it comes to addressing the matter. […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) needs to address privacy and system performance issues as it moves forward with facial recognition technology and programs for identity checks, according to a Government Accountability Office report. […]

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has finalized vulnerability disclosure policies (VDPs) for the Federal government and issued a memorandum to agencies today establishing the processes for identification, management, and remediation of security vulnerabilities. […]

The nation’s lead election security agency in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it has not seen any attacks on voter registration databases or voting systems this year. […]