Digital Government

FCC chairman proposes rules to codify principles of 'Net neutrality'

In a speech Monday at the Brooking Institution, Julius Genachowski said he wants to adopt formal rules to ensure that Internet carriers do not unduly interfere with traffic on their networks.

People

FCC's social-media efforts draw fire

FCC has introduced new social-media tools while existing systems languish, a critic says.

People

Is Transparency Killing Partnership?

Two gatherings last week prompted similar disturbing questions about the current state of relations between government and industry.

Ideas

Threat Levels and Dangerous Biscuits

I was rather entertained a few weeks ago when I <a href="http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=43528&dcn=e_hsw">read</a> that former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said politics was never a factor in determining whether the nation's color-coded terror-alert level should be raised.

Digital Government

Will Schools Go Easy on Vets?

I'm picking up strong signals that the Veterans Affairs Department has started contacting colleges and universities around the country to determine whether or not they will throw veterans off campus if the schools do not receive timely tuition payments as promised under the post-9/11 GI bill.

Modernization

Apps.gov: Kundra is ready for a fight

It’s Vivek Kundra versus the government bureaucracy, and the information technology industry can’t wait to see who wins.

Acquisition

Maximum benefit

The idea that the operations of government should be driven by the same motive as private enterprise is fallacious on the face of it, but that’s not to say that government agencies should not run more efficiently.

People

Is SOA DOA?

Despite reports of service-oriented architecture's demise, government remains steadfast in its support of the component software framework, especially for the Defense Department's network-centric projects.

Digital Government

Generation V

There's an interesting <a href="https://www.collaborationjam.com/minijam2/jam/index.do?jamId=1746">conversation</a> going on at <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/09/the_future_of_work.php">IBM's Smart Work Jam</a> about the concept of age being just a number when it comes to social networking and virtual worlds. "I've led groups of zealous, older managers into Second Life sessions, where a number of younger managers were less interested, and managers of all ages have opted into the online community that I launched for them," one commenter states.

Digital Government

CIO Council for Social Media Training

The Chief Information Officers Council has released a new <a href="http://www.cio.gov/Library/documents_details.cfm?id=Guidelines%20for%20Secure%20Use%20of%20Social%20Media%20by%20Federal%20Departments%20and%20Agencies,%20v1.0&structure=Information%20Technology&category=Best%20Practices">report</a> that provides guidelines and recommendations for federal agencies looking to adopt a safe and secure social media strategy. In addition to advising that agencies develop a social media policy and risk management program and assess potential threats to federal employees, infrastructure and information, the report emphasizes the importance of providing annual security awareness training to federal employees.

Digital Government

Ink Tank

None

People

Cyber threat calls for flexibility in command model, general says

CIO William Lord discusses cyberwarfare, technological currency and blurring of boundaries.

People

Military family members make case for social media

The Defense Department recently invited military spouses and other family members to weigh in on the debate about the role of social media in the military.

Modernization

Got an App for that? Not quite yet

The White House has launched a storefront for cloud-computing services. Vendors who want to sell through it must undergo a certification process.

Cybersecurity

At a glance

The Apple Macintosh operating system and various Windows operating systems differ in many ways, but they each have their Achilles' heel.

People

Agencies gradually embrace telework

The overall number of teleworkers federal increased from 94,643 in 2007 to 102,900 in 2008, a report says.

Digital Government

Electronic health records open patient privacy questions

An HHS advisory committee that will set rules for privacy of patients' health records considers consent rules.

Digital Government

Boeing gets one-year extension on SBInet contract

U.S. Customs and Border Protection exercised its option to extend its SBInet border surveillance contract with Boeing Co. for a year.

Digital Government

NASA plans to spend billions for IT services

NASA plans to soon offer a series of contracts estimated to be worth more than $4 billion for information technology.

Acquisition

The government's in the red

The government spent only 21.5 percent of its contracting dollars with small businesses last year, missing its 23 percent goal and slipping nearly a percentage point from the previous year.