Digital Government
Biden Again Pitches Expanded Federal Research Investments to Keep U.S. Competitive
“China and other countries are closing in fast,” the president said during his first Congressional address.
Cybersecurity
Feds Eliminate Fee for '.Gov' Web Addresses
Smaller localities in particular have said that the $400 annual cost was a barrier to adopting the government-specific URL.
Modernization
Court to Explore Whether Trump Administration Interfered in JEDI Cloud Contract
The Defense Department previously said lengthy litigation could bring the contract’s future into question.
Cybersecurity
White House Endorses Inclusion of Cybersecurity in Water Infrastructure Bill
A recent attempt by hackers to poison the water supply in a Florida town prompted calls for more resources.
People
Biden taps D.C. employment lawyer to lead MSPB
The Merit Systems Protection Board has been without Senate-confirmed leadership since March 2019 and without a quorum to decide appeals since January 2017.
Cybersecurity
In Wake of Recent Breaches, FAA Wants to Up Cybersecurity of National Airspace System
The agency aims to be "more aggressive" in searching for network protections.
Emerging Tech
Army Officials Tout Flexible, Fast Acquisition Authorities as Keys to AR Headset Program
Army officials called the development of the headsets a “success story” for overcoming DOD’s valley of death.
Modernization
Court will hear case against Trump on JEDI
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims denied a motion from the U.S. government to dismiss a complaint from Amazon Web Services alleging undue influence on the award of the $10 billion, 10-year cloud program JEDI to Microsoft.
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.
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