Digital Government
Sprint, Qwest contend for Treasury traffic
In the competition to provide a highspeed telecommunications backbone to the Treasury Department, observers say marketing and customer service rather than technology may determine which firm captures more business: newcomer Qwest Communications International Inc. or established Sprint. The compani
Digital Government
Letters to the Editor
DSL requirement overlooked I was very interested to read the article 'Digital signature technology begins to take off in government' [FCW, Feb. 8]. However, I believe that there is one issue that was overlooked and deserves attention. While reporter Heather Harreld alluded to legal liability...she
Digital Government
Feds face reality with new rule
The government's efforts to enhance its image as an employer of choice is getting a boost from the General Services Administration. A draft policy being developed by GSA would allow federal employees to use fax machines, telephones and computers for personal use if doing so results in minimal expen
Digital Government
Air Force BPA strategy draws fire
The contracting strategy used by the Air Force's Standard Systems Group to procure replacement blanket purchase agreements for its information technology product and service contracts is drawing fire from vendors claiming that the Air Force is violating the intent of competitive contracting. SSG ha
Digital Government
Round Two
In the Jan. 11 issue, FCW incorrectly identified Tektronix Inc.'s Phaser 740N printer, which is a color laser printer. Due to an editing error, an article in the Feb. 8 issue of FCW incorrectly described Linux as 'public domain' rather than open source software.
Digital Government
Roster Change
Ron Hack, former director of the Office of Systems and Telecommunications Management at the Commerce Department, was appointed administrator of telecommunications and computer operations at the Patent and Trademark Office. Also, Hack's term as chairman of the Interagency Management Council, a group
Digital Government
White House: Paperwork bill may confuse
The White House this month expressed concern about a bill the House recently passed that would require federal agencies to accept electronic forms from individuals and businesses.
Digital Government
NOAA finalizes nine BPAs
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration finalized nine blanket purchase agreements last week to provide an easy and quick way for Commerce Department agencies to buy a variety of information technology services.
Digital Government
Census OKs Web filing test
Despite early security concerns, the Census Bureau last week confirmed that it will allow people to file census forms over the Internet during the next national head count, following a successful pilot this spring. Census said it plans to offer citizens who receive the standard census form the opti
Digital Government
White House shifts Y2K focus to states
Because most federal missioncritical systems are ready for the new millennium, the next governmentwide Year 2000 progress report, due out next month, will focus on federal interfaces with state systems, which reportedly are dangerously behind in Year 2000 fixes. A spokesman for the President's Cou
Digital Government
VA switches network business to FTS 2001
The Department of Veterans Affairs has decided to use the General Services Administration's FTS 2001 network as the vehicle that will replace the department's nationwide data network contract which expires later this year.
Digital Government
Interior picks MCI for telecom
The Interior Department has signed MCI WorldCom as its provider of longdistance telecommunications service through the General Services Administration's recently awarded FTS 2001 contract. Jim Dolezal, chief of telecommunications systems at Interior, said he made his decision after meeting separat
Digital Government
Treasury HQ eyes Seat Management
The Treasury Department is considering using the General Services Administration's Seat Management program for its Washington, D.C., headquarters to test the concept and measure its use for future office automation buys. Even in the test phase, the project represents a big boost for the government'
Digital Government
BTG and GTSI one year later
BTG Inc. and Government Technology Services Inc. have signed agreements that reduce BTG's ownership in GTSI and transfer the responsibility of government contracts fully to GTSI, including warranty service responsibility.
Digital Government
Horn reports feds make headway on Y2K
A House Republican who follows federal agencies' progress in fixing their computers for the Year 2000 bug, today gave a more optimistic view of the federal government's ability to have computers fixed before the new millennium.
Digital Government
Adobe enriches Acrobat for workflow apps
A new version of Adobe Systems Inc.'s Acrobat software will allow users to electronically sign documents in Portable Document Format so they can be used in an automated workflow. Agencies use Acrobat to distribute documents in their original file formats. Users with Acrobat readers can read text do
Digital Government
It's time to set boundaries on info warfare
For most of last year, the Pentagon articulated the need for a new type of warfare called information warfare battles that would be fought in cyberspace. Indeed, last fall the Joint Chiefs of Staff declared that cyberspace was as critical a battlefield as land, sea or air. Though few who are wel
Digital Government
Coping with digital recordkeeping
Responding to court rulings mandating that the government maintain its digital documents in electronic form, federal information technology managers are moving electronic records management (ERM) to the front burner. But as agencies start looking for ways to maintain a digital record of agency busi
Digital Government
GSA online training targets contract staff
The General Services Administration's Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) Online University last month unveiled its Contracting Officer Representative (COR) Mentor program, which is composed of selfdirected courses designed to train federal employees to work on the technical staffs of contracting
Digital Government