State audit agencies reported unparalleled challenges faced by their workforces in providing pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits, according to a new report released Dec. 16 by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC). […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it is committing $169 million in the latest wave of funding for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), bringing the total to over $3.2 billion that goes to support students, school staff, and library patrons in all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.   […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it is ready to authorize nearly $709,060,159 in its fourth round of funding for new broadband deployments through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. […]

The Federal Communications Commission announced today that it will commit more than $421 million in the latest round of funding for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), bringing total program commitments to over $3.05 billion and 10 million students connected. […]

The Federal government must continue to prioritize data privacy and protection – including through legislation means – if it hopes to foster more safeguards for personal data in the private sector, said data experts at the 9th Annual Cyber Resilience Summit on October 12 hosted by CISQ. […]

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a bipartisan bill this week that would prevent law enforcement agencies from searching phones, laptops, and other digital devices of those crossing United States borders. […]

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $73 million in cooperative agreements to 10 awardees as a part of its Public Health Informatics & Technology Workforce Development Program (PHIT Workforce Program). […]

The Department of Defense (DoD) has announced that Verizon Public Sector will be delivering 5G Ultra-Wideband mobility service to seven Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) installations based in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. […]

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced 23 new awards through its Research Traineeship Program, expanding the program to 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. […]

While cloud adoption by government agencies accelerated greatly during the pandemic, Federal experts agree that agencies need to create “purpose-built clouds,” as opposed to undertaking “lift and shift” cloud migrations, in order to achieve the best operational outcomes. […]

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity have released a new set of recommendations to help governments of all levels evaluate the potential risks and harms associated with new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. […]

While the pace of cloud service adoption and movement toward multi-cloud environments has accelerated during the pandemic era, Federal government and private sector experts said that progress was made possible by years of investment in the technology and that taking advantage of cloud environments now is all about being strategic. […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working on a remote telepresence technology that will transform the way veterans receive their healthcare and soon allow all veterans to receive the same level of care, no matter where they live, according to a top VA official and doctor. […]

The House of Representatives passed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Capabilities Enhancement Act on July 20, and the bill now has bipartisan companion legislation in the Senate. […]

The Department of Energy (DoE) is hoping that investing in research and development (R&D) for supercomputers will help the department achieve its clean energy goals. […]

The Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences is dedicating $10 million in Federal funding for the creation of a research center that aims to address inequities in higher education online learning. […]

Ann Dunkin was most recently the Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer focused on state and local government at Dell Technologies. Prior to that, she was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the County of Santa Clara. Dunkin served in the Obama Administration as CIO of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Previously, she was […]

Congressman Ted W. Lieu, D-Ca., and Congressman Ken Calvert, R-Ca., introduced the Space Infrastructure Act on June 4. This bill directs the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate space systems, services, and technology as a critical infrastructure sector. […]

Eric Hysen was sworn in as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Feb. 1, 2021. As CIO, Mr. Hysen is responsible for strategically aligning the Department’s Information Technology (IT) personnel resources and assets, including security, infrastructure, and delivery, to support core DHS missions and activities. Mr. Hysen most […]

We sat down with Rob Buhrman, a principal with Grant Thornton Public Sector, to evaluate the billion-dollar potential in the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) and what this influx of support could mean for agency digital transformation efforts. […]

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. […]

Senate Democrats and Independents reintroduced legislation this week to expand the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window. […]

President Biden announced plans for two key technology nominations on April 22, tapping Asmeret Berhe as nominee for director of the Office of Science at the Department of Energy (DoE), and Robert Hampshire as nominee for assistant secretary for research and technology at the Department of Transportation (DoT). […]

The Department of Energy (DoE) announced today that Puesh Kumar will be serving as acting principal deputy assistant secretary for DoE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). […]

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. […]

President Joe Biden has nominated Dilawar Syed to be Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), subject to Senate confirmation. […]

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) – which drives the Defense Department’s (DoD) effort to make faster use of emerging commercial technologies – reported a 35 percent year-over-year jump in new projects for 2020. […]

With the COVID pandemic painfully revealing the soft underbelly of legacy state IT programs, much speculation has arisen about just how an enterprise IT modernization program for states could take place. […]

President-elect Joe Biden confirmed late on Dec. 17 he intends to nominate former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm as the new Secretary of Energy. If confirmed, she will head an agency primarily concerned with nuclear energy and domestic energy production, but also a dazzling range of science and technology research and development activities through the Energy Department’s (DoE) National Laboratories. […]

President-elect Joe Biden said today he will nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The nomination will be subject to Senate confirmation. Becerra is a former member of Congress and would become the first Latino to head HHS. […]