Modernization

Upgrade needed for battlefield satellite communications in Afghanistan, Iraq

With aging satellites processing as much as 300 percent more than their capacity, the Navy is looking for ways to buy more bandwidth until a new system can be launched.

Digital Government

Study raises questions about military's brain injury assessment tool

At issue is determining which technique works best for evaluating mild injuries that can lead to serious impairment down the road.

People

A makeover job for federal hiring

Would-be public servants rejoice at the prospect of a shorter, more transparent hiring process.

Cybersecurity

Former GSA commissioner wins public service award

The American Council for Technology has presented its most prestigious honor, the John J. Franke Award for public service to former GSA commissioner Jim Williams.

Digital Government

VA sets the telehealth table

VA's quiet leadership in telehealth is about to gain a much broader audience as policy-makers look to the technology as a possible means of reducing costs and improving access to care.

People

Social media divides federal workforce

The role social media plays in the workplace is contributing to a generational divide, feds say.

Cybersecurity

Recommended reading

Cameras or cops?; Getting public input on technology projects; The Steve Jobs approach to PowerPoint.

Digital Government

Competition, Washington Style

Defense Secretary Robert Gates continued on Thursday the high visibility campaign he started in a <a href=http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2010/05/gates_channels_ike_on_spending.php>speech earlier this month</a> to rein in military spending and argue for a more effective definition of competition in Defense contracts.

Ideas

GSA Adds Tech Office

The General Services Administration is redesigning its Office of Citizen Services and Communications, the division responsible for the agency's public-facing websites and information, to include a technology-focused office.

Digital Government

GSA splits Citizen Services, hires Interior's Bhagowalia

The General Services Administration created a new office to identify and apply new technologies to government operations and service delivery. To help with the effort, GSA has hired the Interior Department's chief information officer.

Cybersecurity

FISMA Has To Change

And then there were two. <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100519_6677.php?oref=topnews">NASA</a> suspended its C&A activity for existing systems, joining the State Department in pushing forward continuous monitoring and starting what might become a domino effect. But is it right for individual agencies to be setting the tone like this? Moreover, if each agency pushes forward with <a href="http://cybersecurityreport.nextgov.com/2010/04/white_house_heroes.php">OMB's CyberScope</a> initiatives and an interpretation on how they relate to FISMA, will the country benefit from multiple models, or will it suffer from fractured leadership?

Digital Government

Agencies Insourcing Tech Jobs

Federal agencies have largely been focusing on the potential for information technology-related work to be insourced back to federal employees, witnesses told a Senate subcommittee on Thursday.

Digital Government

Upcoming FCW Feature

Update on topic and writer for upcoming FCW feature.

People

Legislation would freeze agencies' hiring

As the Obama administration seeks to boost the federal workforce to balance the number of its employees with those in the private-sector, a group of House Republicans has proposed freezing agencies' ability to hire.

Digital Government

Lawmakers call for improved counterterrorism IT

Members of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee make recommendations for improvements to IT systems agencies use for counterterrorism.

People

Consumer Product Safety Commission bringing product reports to the Web

The Consumer Products Safety Commission today released a notice of proposed rule-making for a new online database.

People

World Bank makes its data available online for free

The United States government is part of a global movement to put more data online, said the White House's Beth Noveck.

People

FCC, FDA, HHS also working on telehealth

The Veterans Affairs Department operates the largest telehealth program in the world, but other federal agencies are involved with the technology and supporting policies.

Digital Government

People on the move, events in the news

Roger Baker, chief information officer at the Veterans Affairs Department, is drawing on Arlo Guthrie’s 1967 folk song “Alice’s Restaurant” for inspiration these days.

Digital Government

Controlling the Flow of IT Dough

Digitization of the country's healthcare data has released deep wells of previously untapped capital. The resulting gusher is spewing billions of dollars across government agencies, private companies and healthcare providers.