Health and Human Services HHS

While the mass shift to telework amid the COVID-19 pandemic caught some organizations off-guard, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) had already practiced with a full telework workforce just weeks before the maximize telework order came. […]

NIST

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released Open Security Controls Assessment Language (OSCAL) 1.0.0 Milestone 3, a key step toward finalizing the full initial release of OSCAL v1. […]

It’s hard to fathom the number of critical government processes that have had to evolve – very quickly – to meet the needs of the American people during the COVID-19 pandemic. And if this crisis has a silver lining, it’s the accelerated modernization and innovation being born out of it. MeriTalk is surfacing the untold stories – and lessons – of those efforts. In the latest installment of CIO Crossroads, we turn to the General Services Administration (GSA). […]

Ajit Pai

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai asked members of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee for $65 million to implement the Broadband DATA Act, a law signed in March to improve the accuracy of broadband deployment maps. […]

ICAM

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is seeking information to establish a Customer Identity Credential and Access Management (ICAM) Solution to authenticate external users. […]

While the Census Bureau was already adjusting to embracing new tech for the 2020 Census, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised new concerns and pushed the agency to increase its focus on IT, data, and cybersecurity matters to properly manage risks.
Per a June 9 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Census Bureau must closely manage its tech to ensure that the pandemic and other delays don’t impact the quality of its 2020 Census results. […]

Gerry Connolly

House Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly, D-Va., is asking major Federal agency inspectors general to examine agency facility re-opening plans in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, saying that he aims to “ensure that Administration officials are cautious and prudent when requiring federal employees and contractors to return to federal office buildings.” […]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has begun considering sending at least some employees back to work at their offices under Phase 1 of a longer term re-opening plan, but most employees will remain teleworking for at least the next month. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it is working to re-open agency offices in accordance with Phase 1 of the White House’s Opening Up America Again plan, although office re-opening schedules are expected to vary based on a number of factors. […]

EPA Environmental Protection Agency

As some Federal offices begin looking ahead toward reopening when the COVID-19 pandemic slows, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still largely pushing for maximum telework despite its rolling plan to reopen, an agency spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk. […]

A small number of Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff began to return to work at the agency’s offices on June 15 in the first phase of a three-part re-opening plan, according to an NRC spokesperson. […]

broadband 5g -min

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is continuing to dispute a unanimous decision in April by the Federal Communications Commission to grant Ligado access to a spectrum band adjacent to a band used by the Defense Department for Global Positioning System. […]

State Department

The Department of State has been monitoring local conditions in the D.C.-metro area during the Coronavirus pandemic, with the expectation of entering Phase I of Diplomacy Strong today. […]

HUD Urban Development

The General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded two contracts on June 15 to move forward with implementation of their cloud adoption and customer experience Centers of Excellence (CoE). […]

The recently established Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office (AITO) at the Department of Energy (DOE) expressed interest in hosting sector-specific grand challenges that advance AI tech innovation to support U.S. AI leadership, per a June 10 request for information (RFI). […]

Bill Hunt, Chief Enterprise Architect at the Small Business Administration, detailed today some of the steps that SBA took to use the cloud for the Paycheck Protection Program established under the CARES Act in March to help fund payroll costs for small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. […]

The Chief Records Officer for the U.S. Government said agencies are “making progress” towards the Dec. 31, 2022 goal of transferring only electronic records to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), but added many agencies are concerned about resources as they strive to meet the unfunded mandate. […]

General Services Administration GSA

The General Services Administration (GSA) announced that it will be awarding it’s $7.5 million Contract Acquisition Life-cycle Management (CALM) system pilot phase task order to Sevatec. […]

CX Customer experience -min
State Department

The Department of State is seeking information from industry vendors on how they would implement a 5G Clean Path plan, which would guide 5G network traffic in and out of U.S. diplomatic facilities at home and abroad while ensuring it does not traverse untrustworthy equipment from vendors such as Huawei Technologies or ZTE Corporation. […]

NIST

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) announced June 8 that it has invited 10 technology providers and industry experts to collaborate on the Protecting Information and System Integrity in Industrial Control System Environments Project. […]

FCC

Geoffrey  Starks, commissioner at the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) announced the creation of the Digital Opportunity Equity Recognition (DOER) Program. The program, announced on June 8, will “commend organizations, institutions, companies, and individuals who, through their actions and responses to the COVID-19 crisis, have helped to make quality affordable broadband service available to unserved or underserved communities.” A statement from Starks specifically called out organizations that have leveraged the use of broadband to improve healthcare, education, public safety, civic engagement, or other essential services,” as well as entities that have promoted digital education and literacy. […]

For the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), its Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program and its Quality Service Management Office (QSMO) both serve roles for the agency to provide service excellence to Federal customers. […]

NIST
Cloud Computing Brainstorm 2019 - Sean Connelly

Sean Connelly, Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Program Manager at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), detailed at MeriTalk’s CDM Central: Tales from the Frontlines virtual event today how TIC and the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program work together to bolster Federal cybersecurity. […]

CDM Central - Government Keynote - Grant Schneider

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program has been a key tool for managing cybersecurity risks since Federal employees began maximum telework in March by helping to maintain situational awareness on networks, said Federal CISO Grant Schneider at MeriTalk’s CDM Central: Tales from the Frontlines digital event today. […]

Department of Commerce
General Services Administration GSA

Since the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program launched the minimal viable product version of its new dashboard last month, more Federal agencies have seen the value in choosing a cloud-hosted dashboard due in part to the need for more scalability in light of the coronavirus pandemic, CDM Project Manager Judy Baltensperger said today at MeriTalk’s CDM Central: Tales from the Frontlines virtual event […]

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