Modernization

FCC has higher aspirations for its data

The Federal Communications Commission has filled a pair of new executive posts as part of a broad initiative to improve the utility and accessibility of FCC data.

Digital Government

Final impressions of China: Land of contradictions

Blogger Steve Kelman is fascinated by the contradictory images that people have of China.

Cybersecurity

Now You See It

From transparency to the cloud, CIOs weigh the costs and consequences of sharing more data.

Digital Government

Privacy advocates give limited approval for new White House Web 2.0 policies

Civil libertarians are pleased the guidelines provide an expansive definition of personally identifiable information, but want stronger and clearer language that would protect citizens' identities and data.

Digital Government

In major switch, United States embraces foreign navigation systems

Significant policy shift recognizes the United States no longer has an exclusive on satellite positioning and must work with other countries to augment and backup the American-built GPS.

Digital Government

OMB charts performance improvement course

Focus will shift from data collection to using performance information to achieve better results.

Digital Government

Are they really ‘interns’?

A June 25 forum on the federal hiring process hosted by the Office of Personnel Management gave critics of the Federal Career Intern Program yet another chance to sound off.

Digital Government

Honey, We Need Online Counseling

Technology has taken over much of the dating scene, with match-making sites such as <a href=http://www.eharmony.com/>eharmony.com</a>. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the flip side of finding that perfect mate through the Web is online marriage counseling. The Well blog at the New York Times on Monday <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/seeking-to-pre-empt-marital-strife/">discussed</a> these programs.

Cybersecurity

Paying for Classified Security

You'd probably think that since Sept. 11, the federal government's costs for securing classified information would have increased at a steady rate year after year. That wouldn't be quite right. According to the Information Security Oversight Office's <a href=http://www.archives.gov/isoo/reports/2009-cost-report.pdf>2009 Cost Report</a>, which was just released, the amount the federal government spent on information security for classified data was$4.26 billion in 2009, down slightly from $4.34 billion in 2008. In fact, the amount of spending on securing networks storing classified data hasn't increased at quick clip since 2004, when the amount spent on security was $3.9 billion. Of course, spending shot up right after Sept. 11. In 2001, the cost of securing classified networks was just $2.5 billion.

Digital Government

Spectrum War: Karate Road vs. Defense

In hyping President Obama's decision on Monday to allocate 500 MHz of very scarce spectrum for mobile wireless broadband services, his economic adviser Lawrence Summers said this amounted to the best use of spectrum currently used by federal agencies and TV broadcasters.

Ideas

National Social Media Day?

The social media revolution finally has reached the highest levels of government -- in Canada, that is. Mashable earlier this month designated June 30 as a day to celebrate all things social media, resulting in hundreds of meetups planned worldwide. But the city council in Victoria, British Columbia's capital, was the first government body to <a href=http://mashable.com/2010/06/28/social-media-day-victoria/>formally recognize</a> the event.

Digital Government

Pentagon tightens reins on contractors

The Defense Department wants its contractors to cut their costs as part of a larger DOD strategy to maintain its power as budgets decline.

Cybersecurity

Obama rockets to space with new policy

The Obama administration released a new policy for space exploration that calls for maintaining and enhancing space-based positioning, navigation, and timing systems, as well as protecting access to the radio-frequency spectrum.

Digital Government

Reforming Federal Hiring

The Office of Personnel Management on Friday held a public meeting on its efforts to overhaul the federal hiring process, and my colleague Emily Long has all the <a href="http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=45566&dcn=todaysnews">details</a> of the meeting at GovernmentExecutive.com.