In today’s edition of Countdown to MerITocracy, Amazon Web Services (AWS) explains the driving forces behind the company’s innovative programs to bring more U.S. military veterans into cybersecurity and IT careers – and swell the ranks of the tech-ready as the Federal government competes for their talents. […]

Eleven of the leading voices in Congress on technology issues have won the inaugural MerITocracy Awards that recognize their meaningful contributions to the cause of innovation in technology and policy. […]

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) “Shields Up” cybersecurity campaign launched in February to warn critical infrastructure operators and other U.S.-based organizations of cybersecurity threats spilling over from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is proving its worth over the first four months of operation. […]

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., is looking for answers from the General Services Administration (GSA) regarding its transition to a new online identification system for the Federal government’s awards process that has proved difficult for many vendors. […]

Democratic lawmakers want the Energy Department (DoE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct deeper oversight into the environmental impacts of digital currency mining, with a particular focus on the energy consumption and emissions volume. […]

The FBI is seeking input from equipment manufacturers for the evaluation of state-of-the-art network devices to support the agency’s aim for a network infrastructure technology refresh focused on digital transformation to an advanced, intelligent, and active architecture. […]

The value of data for the Federal government is only continuing to grow as agencies implement numerous data initiatives to drive smarter decisions and deliver better outcomes – including moving to the cloud. […]

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has put the agency’s wheels in motion to consider a four-fold increase in its definition of internet service speed that qualifies as “broadband” service. […]

How can the government and the tech sector work together to help jump-start the next chapter of tech innovation in the United States? On July 21 – we’re going to find out. The countdown to MerITocracy 2022: American Innovation Forum is on. In the lead-up to the in-person forum in Washington, D.C., we are table-setting a host […]

Advances in security technology have forced cyber attackers to turn to the weakest link in the security chain – the human element. With 88 percent of security breaches caused by human error, technology teams across the Federal government are searching for ways to address the human side of cybersecurity to keep networks and systems safe […]

From the earliest days of the internet, bad actors have found ways to breach security protocols to disrupt operations, steal sensitive information, and even extort money through ransomware attacks. Cyber attackers have always looked for the path of least resistance when launching an attack. Before there were strong network protocols, they would attack the network […]

The fiscal year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) approved by the House late on July 14 by a vote of 329-101 picked up hundreds of other bills along the way as approved amendments, including numerous government tech-related legislative items ranging from long-sought Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) enhancements to a bill that would wrap Federal agency CIOs more tightly into agency planning processes. […]

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said in a new report that women make up only 29.3 percent of the Federal government’s employees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) roles, and that the government has a lot of work in front of it to begin narrowing that gap.  […]

Because the legislative process often is slow and lags the emergence of new technology, Congress needs to provide a legislative framework that gives Federal agencies the resources they need to adopt promising technologies more quickly, said Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., on July 14. […]

Officials from the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) want lawmakers to give them extended authority to address the growing threat of domestic drone aircraft. […]

For some in higher education the pandemic did not really start something new in higher educational cloud structure or how classrooms of the future would look like. […]

A review by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that an Oracle Cerner-designed element of the VA’s new electronic health records management (EHRM) system has resulted in cases of patient harm. […]

The House of Representatives on July 14 approved the Access for Veterans to Records Act with a large bipartisan majority of 406-21. […]

The IRS has agreed with a Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendation that it pilot test the use of videoconferencing technology as part of its ongoing efforts to meet with third-party tax preparers to educate them on compliance obligations and tax rules. Based on results from the pilot, IRS may expand on-line meetings with preparers. […]

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which houses the fastest supercomputer in the world, has announced that Dr. Thomas Zacharia will retire as the laboratory’s director at the end of 2022. […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a decision today stating that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Services Administration (GSA) have the authority to reduce reimbursement requirements on agencies that receive Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) awards, but can’t waive the reimbursement requirement completely. […]

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that all 50 states have confirmed their participation in the Biden Administration’s Internet for All Initiative. […]

The Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) – in its inaugural report released today – praised the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for its response to the ongoing Log4j software vulnerability, and found that to date there have not been any significant Log4J-based attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure. […]

The Department of Defense (DoD) has announced its 2022 class of Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellows (VBFF) – made up of nine distinguished faculty scientists and engineers – to advance transformative, university-based fundamental research. […]

Federal intelligence agencies have grown increasingly comfortable with using social media tools to spread the word about their work, officials said this week. […]

Federal agencies with central roles in executing on President Biden’s May 2021 cybersecurity executive order are taking steps to standardize DevSecOps software development disciplines across government, agency officials said on July 12. […]

Implementing leading workforce practices is essential to successfully recruiting and retaining IT experts, and the U.S. Department of State has more work to do on that front, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) stated in a new report. […]

The House on July 12 approved by voice vote a bill that would provide surplus Federal government computer gear to educational institutions, veterans, individuals with disabilities, low-income individuals, students, or seniors in need. […]

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo pleaded with congressional leadership today for quick action to approve COMPETES Act legislation – also known as the Bipartisan Innovation Act – that has been hung up for several weeks in a House-Senate conference committee. […]

The Department of Labor (DOL) is looking for a new Director of Digital Transformation who can focus on improving technology products and driving customer experience gains.  Applicants need to apply to the job posting by July 14. […]