Digital Government
Agencies' IT spending nears $30B in fiscal '99
Federal agencies will spend almost $30 billion with private information technology contractors in fiscal 1999, according to a report released last week by consulting firm Federal Sources Inc. At its annual conference last week, Federal Sources, McLean, Va., estimated fiscal 1999 IT spending will to
Digital Government
Rep. Davis to renew push for co-op purchasing legislation
Rep. Tom Davis (RVa.) said last week he plans once again to introduce a bill that would allow state and local governments to buy information technology products and services off the General Services Administration schedule. But a push to open up the GSA schedule to state and local governments may
Digital Government
USDA 'unlikely' to meet Y2K deadline, GAO says
It is 'highly unlikely' that the Agriculture Department will fix all its computer systems in time for the Year 2000 date change, the General Accounting Office reported today. At a hearing before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, Joel Willemssen, director of civil agencies in
Digital Government
Air Force's Behler pilots Stratcom through high-tech 'virtual Cold War'
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. Brig. Gen. Robert Behler has spent the majority of his military career as a test pilot, having been the only pilot in the Air Force to have flown the world's fastest and slowest aircraft. In fact, he had limited experience with information technology before he became t
Digital Government
Year 2000 bug nets $2.25B funding boost
The Senate Appropriations Committee on May 14 created a $2.25 billion emergency reserve fund that agencies will be able to tap during fiscal 1999 to fix Year 2000 conversion problems in critical federal information systems.
Digital Government
GAO: USDA 'unlikely' to meet Y2K deadline
The U.S. Coast Guard already has experienced computer systems failures as a result of the Year 2000 bug and in at least one instance has not yet fixed the problem.
Digital Government
GTSI elects Young as chairman
Government Technology Services Inc. today announced that Lawrence J. Shoenberg resigned as the company's chairman of the board on Monday and that the board had elected Dendy Young, GTSI's president and chief information officer, as his replacement.
Digital Government
DOD announces reorg of C3I office
The Defense Department today announced a restructuring of its command, control, communications and intelligence office that streamlines oversight functions, but not as dramatically as once expected.
Digital Government
Rand joins Lucent
The Defense Department today announced a series of nominations to fill some of its top information technology management slots.
Digital Government
Year 2000 problems sink Coast Guard systems
The U.S. Coast Guard already has experienced computer systems failures as a result of the Year 2000 bug and in at least one instance has not yet fixed the problem.
Digital Government
DOD picks four officers to fill top IT posts
The Defense Department today announced a series of nominations to fill some of its top information technology management slots.
Digital Government
Henderson named new Postmaster General
William J. Henderson today was named Postmaster General of the U.S. Postal Service. He replaces Marvin Runyon, who resigned earlier this year to return to the private sector. .
Digital Government
House considers taking the 'M' out of OMB
Members of a House subcommittee today began exploring the possibility of spinning out a special Office of Management from the Office of Management and Budget.
Digital Government
Industry speeds delivery of standard-compliant modems
After more than a yearlong delay caused by a standards dispute, modem vendors have begun to deliver new products that promise faster file downloads for federal employees who rely on dialup connections or who travel frequently with a laptop computer. The new modems transmit data at close to 56 kil
Digital Government
Two new sites help feds solve Y2K problem, plan trips
For the next one year, seven months and a handful of days, anyone who is even remotely connected to information technology probably will need to turn their browser to the new World Wide Web site of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion. Located at www.y2k.gov, this new site is still under
Digital Government
Industry Watch
Cabletron introduces new switching technology Cabletron Systems Inc. has unveiled a new family of higher performing SmartSwitches. The switches can interoperate with previous versions of the SmartSwitch, and they are based on an Application Specific Integrated Circuit that provides system throughpu
Digital Government
Intelligent Decisions adds Netscape to GSA sked
Intelligent Decisions Inc., the Chantilly, Va.based reseller and PC manufacturer, has signed an agreement with Netscape Communications Corp. to make Intelligent Decisions one of four companies that offer Netscape products on a General Services Administration schedule. Intelligent Decisions will of
Digital Government
Senate bill delays IRS reforms
Shortly after Congress heard a plea to push back the deadline to reform the Internal Revenue Service so that the tax agency can focus on its Year 2000 problem, the Senate last week passed a bill that would delay some parts of a dramatic overhaul of the IRS. The Internal Revenue Service Restructurin
Digital Government
Deeper impact
It's a case of virtual reality imitating art. Ads for Steven Spielberg's new movie 'Deep Impact,' in which a comet strikes the ocean off New York, show a massive tidal wave heading for Manhattan. Last week Sandia National Laboratories announced that it had used its supercomputer to produce a virtua
Digital Government