As agencies have continued to close data centers by participating in the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI), adapting to new technologies and cybersecurity must be front of mind for these closures, a Government Accountability Office expert said today. […]

The Biden Administration today proposed in its $2 trillion American Jobs Plan to invest upwards of $90 billion in Federal government-directed research and development (R&D) spending in a host of technology areas including AI. […]

The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program is under internal review at the Pentagon with an eye toward “potential improvements” to implementation of the program, a DoD spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk. […]

Several Federal financial regulatory agencies published a request for information (RFI) today looking to learn more about financial institutions’ use of AI, challenges when using the technology, and risk mitigation practices. […]

Key points for the U.S. military in the ongoing competition for AI dominance include maintaining focus and making sure that units are integrating AI and other technologies strategically, Lt. Gen. Michael Groen, director of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Joint AI Center (JAIC), said March 30. […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telehealth dramatically, but there is still a long way to go in terms of broadband and infrastructure, experts say. […]

The ongoing “Sunburst” cyber-espionage campaign that resulted in the SolarWinds Orion and Microsoft Exchange breaches represents a strategic failure by the U.S., rather than simple IT inadequacy, according to a report by the Atlantic Council. […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking information on a contractor that can provide cybersecurity research, development, and implementation support services and subject matter expertise on task areas of various priority levels. […]

The Federal government needs to both understand and work with the private sector when it comes to cybersecurity and innovation, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said today. […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released draft guidance to help local election officials reduce the risk of cyberattacks on election systems, and is seeking public comment on the draft. […]

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has released guidance for scanning for vulnerabilities in cloud containers. […]

A group of bipartisan senators wrote a letter to Jennifer Granholm, Department of Energy (DOE) secretary, to voice their support for keeping the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy, Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). […]

A bipartisan group of House legislators urged internet service providers (ISPs) and trade associations to participate in and help make consumers aware of the newly created $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program. […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a request for information (RFI) regarding the private sector capabilities to support key capabilities of an Incident-Driven Video Recording System (IDVRS) program – body-worn cameras (BWC), video management systems (VMS), IT infrastructure, cloud-based storage systems, and other interrelated systems supporting incident-driven recordings. […]

Somewhere around half of all ongoing projects at the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are currently utilizing AI in some form, DARPA Deputy Director Dr. Peter Highnam said March 24. […]

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has released a Special Notice (SN) to get more information about researching and developing “third wave” AI theory, and ways to address limitations seen in first and second wave AI technologies. […]

The FedRAMP Program Management Office (PMO) announced March 24 that it has recently joined YouTube. The PMO said its channel will serve as “a one-stop source for quick, simple, informative videos on FedRAMP tutorials, and program updates.” […]

As adversaries from overseas continue to threaten the cybersecurity of U.S. companies and organizations, National Security Agency (NSA) director and U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) chief Gen. Paul Nakasone told senators today that Defense Department (DoD) agencies need to be able to operate more freely within the U.S. to deal with those threats swiftly. […]

House Science, Space and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas, R-Okla., is reintroducing legislation proposing the U.S. double its investments in research funding across several Federal agencies and create a national science and technology strategy. […]

Federal officials should focus on crafting policies that support the use of AI in cybersecurity, and continue to develop the AI workforce, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) recommends in a March 24 report. […]

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., reintroduced the Cyber Shield Act, which would create a voluntary system to certify cybersecurity protections for internet of things (IoT) devices. […]

Preventing cyberattacks is more important than ever and the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Cybersecurity Collaboration Center is working with government and industry partners to share information and tackle cybersecurity as a “team sport.” […]

After incorporating some of the National Security Commission on AI’s recommendations in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Reps. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., hope to incorporate more of the commission’s final recommendations in the FY 2022 NDAA. […]

A group of ten tech-sector trade groups led by the Alliance for Digital Innovation (ADI) is asking the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to make some big changes to Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) rules and policies, including those covering repayment obligations. […]

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, reintroduced the Data Care Act in the Senate on March 23, leading a pack of 17 senators looking to protect user data from hacks and hold companies liable for misuse. It is Schatz’s third time introducing the bill, having introduced similar versions in both the 115th and 116th Congresses. […]

Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Reps. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., and Roger Williams, R-Texas, have reintroduced the Eliminate the Digital Divide Act, which is intended to expand rural broadband access in rural America. […]

Thirty Democratic senators and House members are asking newly confirmed Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in a March 23 letter for the agency to focus its efforts to help states improve their unemployment insurance (UI) systems along the lines of legislation introduced in both houses of Congress earlier this year.   […]

The COVID-19 pandemic “exponentially accelerated” the pace of change in government IT – including the move to hybrid cloud infrastructures – and increased data sharing at Federal agencies like the State Department, government and industry officials said. […]

After a year of moving IT heaven and earth to enable a huge jump in telehealth services for veterans during the coronavirus pandemic, officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said March 23 that one of the biggest remaining obstacles to delivering telehealth is a lack of sufficient and/or affordable broadband service in areas where some veterans live. […]

The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is seeing good results on a program that uses AI combined with commercial off-the-shelf wearable-devices to identify if the wearer has contracted COVID-19 up to two days before symptoms show. […]