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. […]

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. […]

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. […]

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. […]

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., introduced two bills – the Continuity of Economy Act of 2020  and the National Guard Cyber Interoperability Act of 2020 – with the goal of bolstering the United States’ cyber defenses. […]

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 Department of Defense (DoD) is beginning Phase One of reopening of the Pentagon today, under the Pentagon Reservation Plan for Resilience. […]

The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that cleared the Senate Armed Services Committee last week on a bipartisan vote of 25-2 includes the Spectrum Modernization Act, which would direct the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to evaluate a range of IT improvements that would improve Federal government spectrum management.   […]

Rep. G. K. Butterfield, D-N.C., introduced the Expanding Opportunities for Broadband Deployment Act on June 11 to increase access to and accelerate deployment of broadband services across the United States. […]

The critical importance of Federal IT operations in sustaining vital government operations during the COVID-19 pandemic is nearing the status of universal truth. What’s much less obvious to the naked eye – and meant to be that way – are the security operations underpinning and defending the vast Federal technology enterprise. As the nation takes its first steps on the road to recovery, MeriTalk is bringing to light the untold stories of those efforts. In the latest chapter of CIO Crossroads, we examine the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program. […]

On June 10, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced five Defense Production Act Title 3 actions to help sustain workforce capabilities that were disrupted by COVID-19. The actions will include funding totaling $135 million. In a statement, Lt. Col. Mike Andrews said that the actions by DoD would “help sustain defense-critical workforce capabilities in body […]

Nokia, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and U.S. Cellular joined the ranks of Amazon Web Services, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Verizon in the Open RAN Policy Coalition, formed last month to promote policies for openness and interoperability in a key part of the architecture used for 5G. The June 12 announcement of 14 new members brings the total number of companies in the coalition to 45. […]

Three major tech companies – Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM – have recently begun backing away from aspects of their facial recognition technology businesses amid heightened racial bias concerns in the United States.  […]

Reps. Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., and Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and Sens. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., Doug Jones, D-Ala., introduced legislation in both chambers of Congress June 11 to invest $50 million in rural telehealth initiatives amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. […]

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). […]

For Department of Defense (DoD) agencies tasked with migrating to milCloud® 2.0, the technology in the platform has to adapt regularly to keep pace with the evolving mission needs and landscape. […]

As agencies have gone remote, they have had to evolve their cyber security strategies to adjust to their new telework reality. What challenges are they encountering as they make this shift? How can they adopt or adapt “bring your own device” (BYOD) plans to ensure the security of agency applications and data? […]

Nearly three months since Federal agencies were directed to maximize telework, Federal CIOs at a June 11 ATARC virtual conference talked about what the telework experience may mean for the IT workforce of the future – and how agencies may balance newfound efficiencies with the need for human interaction in the workplace. […]

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking proposals for a Governance Risk Compliance (GRC) tool to enable the Office of the CIO within the FBI’s Enterprise Information Security Section (EISS) to provide automated security processes and enhance reporting abilities. […]

A group of House Energy and Commerce Committee members urged House appropriators In a June 10 letter to fund the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act (Broadband DATA Act). […]

Federal CIO Suzette Kent said today that lessons Federal agencies have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic need to drive further efficiencies in government IT operations in order to better prepare operations for any future emergencies. […]

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) announced that Mona Harrington, who has been serving as the Commission’s acting executive director, is now its  permanent executive director. […]

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. […]

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. […]

The Federal CDO Council has selected Ted Kaouk, CDO at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), to lead the council as chair, according to a June 10 press release from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). […]

“Team Telecom” – a group of Federal government officials tasked with making recommendations on the national security implications of Federal Communication Commission (FCC) telecommunications applications – has failed to properly monitor Chinese government-owned telecommunication carriers, according to a June 9 report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI). […]

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is planning to improve customer service delivery and experience through a range of customer service activities including surveys, user testing, interviews, and focus groups. […]

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. […]

Bill Harrod, Federal CTO at mobility management software maker MobileIron, is looking for changes in Federal bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies – along with continued drives toward digital transformation – to help sustain and make more secure the turn to widespread telework by government and industry in the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. […]

Autonomous cybersecurity is changing the way the government protects and secures its crucial data. By leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, agencies can respond to cyber threats in real time and more efficiently than ever. MeriTalk connected with Dr. Matt McFadden, Cyber Director, GDIT to discuss this burgeoning field. […]