Digital Government

Biden Taps Frank Kendall To Be Air Force Secretary

Former Pentagon acquisition chief has relevant experience defining threats and modernization needs, colleagues say.

Emerging Tech

Survey: 2 in 3 IT Workers Say Automation Aided Productivity During COVID-19

More than half of those surveyed believe automation software boosted productivity during the pandemic.

Cybersecurity

CISA experiments with cloud log aggregation to ID threats

CISA's chief technology officer said the cybersecurity watchdog has pilot projects underway with several departments and agencies to explore whether it can compile cloud logs as a way to increase its visibility into agency networks.

Digital Government

Biden Signs Executive Order Requiring Federal Contractors to Pay a $15 Minimum Wage

White House says these employees are “critical” to the federal government’s operations. 

Digital Government

FCW Insider: April 28, 2021

The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.

Digital Government

Quick Hits

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Ideas

FTC Warns the AI Industry: Don't Discriminate, or Else

“Keep in mind that if you don’t hold yourself accountable, the FTC may do it for you,” an agency blog post said.

Emerging Tech

Coast Guard Wants Better User Experience for Communications Tech Used on Ships

The Coast Guard is proposing a cooperative research and development agreement to test alternative equipment or architectures that might improve mobile network connectivity.

People

Biden selects former Army acquisition exec for DOD's top tech job

The White House announced it would nominate Heidi Shyu, former assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, to be DOD's undersecretary for research and engineering.

Cybersecurity

House Solarium Commission Members Press for More CISA Funding

“Congress was right to give the agency new authorities that allow it to better defend our interests in cyberspace, but without requisite funding, we’re setting CISA up for failure," the lawmakers wrote.

Artificial Intelligence

General Motors Licenses Neural Network Tech from National Lab

The artificial intelligence-driven system can design thousands of networks in hours instead of years.

Digital Government

Former CIO urges lawmakers to relax TMF paybacks

The $1 billion boost to the Technology Modernization Fund can help agencies, but some changes to strict payback rules will help CIO shops get started on much-needed modernization.

Acquisition

Biden orders $15 minimum wage for federal contractors

The new minimum wage is set to take effect in early 2022. Agencies will have to include the $15 wage floor in any new contract solicitations starting on January 30, 2022 and have this minimum wage in new contracts by March 30, 2022.

Digital Government

Feds’ Engagement and Job Satisfaction Rises Despite—or Because of—Pandemic

Officials who administered the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey warned against making sweeping conclusions about the 2020 results, due to changes in the survey's timing and some of its content.

Ideas

Jumpstarting Federal IT Modernization in the New Administration

Agencies should start by selecting the applications most appropriate for modernization and creating an architecture where legacy and modern systems can co-exist.

Digital Government

FCW Insider: April 27, 2021

The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.

Digital Government

Quick Hits

None

Digital Government

What Federal Employees Need to Know About Evolving Marijuana Laws

New policies don’t mean federal workers should rush to their local dispensary, and national security leaders in particular are urging caution.