Modernization
Agriculture Announces $858M to Upgrade Rural Electric Systems
The department aims to enhance electric reliability for rural communities and finance new smart grid technologies.
Cybersecurity
Census’ Cybersecurity Plan is Full of Holes, Watchdog Says
The 2020 Census will be a prime target for digital adversaries, but the plans for fighting those threats are incomplete and outdated, the Government Accountability Office found.
Modernization
Tech Modernization Fund Would Get $35M in Draft Funding Bill
The $35 million is a middle ground funding number between what the administration proposed this year and what the fund received last year.
Digital Government
House drills in on NBIB shift, cyber in NDAA
Priorities are shifting as Democrats roll out their first House defense bill in nearly a decade.
Cybersecurity
House committee pushes for a window into cyberwar
A subcommittee mark of the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act requires the military to notify Congress when using its expanded offensive cyber authorities.
Digital Government
Senior Executives Association Teams Up with Freelance Gig Exchange
Collaboration aims to broaden opportunities for agency subject-matter experts.
Modernization
Connected-vehicle spectrum could be tapped for next gen Wi-Fi
The Federal Communications Commission wants to re-examine spectrum set aside for vehicle-to-vehicle communications to help speed next-generation Wi-Fi and 5G.
Digital Government
Commerce Asks for Feedback On Unreleased Data Strategy Action Plan
An agency leading development of the Federal Data Strategy wants input on the draft action plan, though it won’t be released until later this week, at the earliest.
Digital Government
House Dems offer $35 million for TMF
The central tech fund gets a slight increase in 2020, but proposed funding for the federal CIO office is down almost 50% from 2019 levels.
Digital Government
FCW Insider: June 3
Top stories, quick hits and other updates from FCW's reporters and editors.
Artificial Intelligence
HHS Splits $49M AI, Automation Contract Evenly Between Small, Large Businesses
The Intelligent Automation/Artificial Intelligence contract is ready for HHS buyers, though officials have plans to grow the business.
Artificial Intelligence
How the CIA is Working to Ethically Deploy Artificial Intelligence
As the agency utilizes new technology, insiders are thinking critically about issues around privacy and bias.
Digital Government
DHS Needs to Set Guardrails for Its Expanded Insider Threat Program
As the department starts monitoring activity on unclassified networks, officials need to update policies and procedures to keep the program effective and constitutional.
Cybersecurity
Secrecy impinges on surveillance lawsuit against NSA
Government lawyers pressed the court to throw out a lawsuit challenging its "Upstream" surveillance program, saying the plaintiffs can't prove their communications were being collected.
Digital Government
6 ways for government CDOs to succeed
The government agency chief data officer role comes with nuances, and to ensure success, officials need to be mindful of far more than simply structuring datasets.
Cybersecurity
IG: DHS needs more election tech help, IT patching
The Department of Homeland Security needs additional IT workers to help it assist state and local election officials, as well as patch its internal systems, the agency's IG said in a semi-annual report to Congress.
Modernization
Inside USDA's Farmer-First Approach to Digital Transformation
The department is mixing technology with human-centered design to produce a better experience for its customers.
Emerging Tech
CBP’s Airport Facial Recognition ‘Is Not a Surveillance Program’
As the public grows wary of facial recognition, the head of CBP’s biometric entry and exit initiative says the agency is using the tech responsibly.
Ideas