Federal chief data officers (CDOs) agree that in order to move to a data-centric future, Federal agencies need to invest in a data-driven leadership and workforce as the “first step” in their digital modernization journeys. […]
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. […]
Technology leaders in Congress and industry groups with a stake in Federal IT both applauded the Biden administration’s move today to relax Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) payback requirements in order to quickly put $1 billion of new funding to work to shore up agency cyber defenses and upgrade critical systems. The change in traditional TMF […]
New research on broadband accessibility found that 77 percent of Americans now have access to low-priced wired broadband plans in the first quarter of 2021. […]
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 Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) is seeking “seedling” research topics for next-generation microelectronics in support of artificial intelligence (MicroE4AI). […]
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. […]
The Biden administration has loosened repayment terms for at least a portion of the $1 billion of Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) money approved by Congress in March and is asking Federal agencies to submit proposals by June 2 as it looks to quickly parcel the funding out to projects that will improve cybersecurity and modernize high-priority systems, among other aims. […]
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told members of Congress last week that between $600 and $700 million of Federal funding approved under the American Rescue Plan Act will be used to pay for technical assistance to states to improve their unemployment insurance (UI) systems. […]
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). […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is kicking off a new initiative with Federal and private partnerships to accelerate research in areas that affect Next-Generation (NextG) networking and computing systems, NSF announced April 27. […]
The Department of Justice (DoJ) is launching a four-month effort to reevaluate its strategies to combat cybersecurity threats in light of increases in ransomware and supply-chain attacks and the tendency of attackers to use U.S.-based infrastructure to launch their exploits, said the United States Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on April 30 at a security conference in Germany. […]
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., reintroduced the Consumer Data Privacy and Security Act, which is intended to provide Federal standards and regulations for American businesses that collect, process, and use consumers’ personally identifiable data. […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a request for information (RFI) to explore emerging technologies and data-driven solutions, and how the VA can work with contractors to develop and integrate these technologies to deliver better services. […]
The National Security Agency (NSA) is recommending that National Security System (NSS), Defense Department (DoD), and Defense Industrial Base (DIB) network owners perform a detailed risk analysis before creating cross-domain connections and currently connected operational technologies (OT). […]
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. […]
Federal government officials earned a collective pat on the back last week when the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released its 2020 OPM Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). The annual survey shows Federal employee job satisfaction ticked up by three points, to 72 percent, during 2020 despite the dislocations in work life caused by the coronavirus pandemic. […]
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. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Thursday the application window for the second round of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program is now open until May 6. […]
A bipartisan group of senators has reintroduced the Rural STEM Education Act, which would provide Federal support for STEM training in rural schools and instruct the director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide grants to support training for rural STEM teachers. […]
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. […]
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is reporting progress in addressing at least one of several cybersecurity-related issues reported to it by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) last year. […]
Senate Democrats and Independents reintroduced legislation this week to expand the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window. […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the start of the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program, which will allow eligible households to receive a monthly discount off broadband service costs from an approved provider as of May 12, 2021. […]
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is looking to partner with the private sector to enhance its cloud-based app to monitor physical markers – such as heart rate and heart rate variability – using smartphone technology. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a new graphic novel on National Superhero Day, but its superhero might not possess your typical superpowers. The fictional story Bug Bytes intends to educate the public on the dangers of dis- and misinformation campaigns, with cybersecurity and journalism skills saving the day. […]
Numerous tech-related issues were front and center in President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, as he delivered pitches backing up his infrastructure-themed American Jobs Plan issued in late March, the American Families Plan unveiled this week, and a preliminary Fiscal Year 2022 budget wish-list made public on April 9. […]
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. […]