Acquisition

House funding bill zeroes out IT modernization fund

The funding bill introduced by House Democrats to end the shutdown zeroes out a popular program among the federal IT community.

People

Shutdown 'perfectly timed to prevent people from joining government'

The federal workforce takes the brunt of the shutdown impact, but there's another group who may be dissuaded from joining government altogether: young prospective employees and students.

Acquisition

Fed 100 nominations and the ongoing shutdown

FCW can't do much about the furloughs and potentially missed paychecks, but the shutdown won't prevent Federal 100 Award nominations from being submitted.

Artificial Intelligence

How AI Found Flint’s Lead Pipes, and Then Humans Lost Them

A machine-learning model showed promising results, but city officials and their engineering contractor abandoned it.

Digital Government

Senate Confirms OSTP Director, VA CIO on Final Day

Nobody has permanently served in either role since the beginning of the Trump administration.

Emerging Tech

How States Responded to the Loss of 911 and Other Services

CenturyLink’s recent outage is being investigated by at least two states, in addition to the FCC.

Ideas

To Reduce IT Supply Chain Risk, Watch for Insider Threats and External Attackers

True or not, Bloomberg’s recent "Big Hack" article should have agencies thinking about the security of their IT systems.

Emerging Tech

The FBI is Trying Amazon’s Facial-Recognition Software

The software allows the FBI to go through video surveillance footage much faster than agents can.

Digital Government

After Failed White House Meeting, Republicans Suggest Shutdown Agreement Could Take 'Weeks'

Trump rejects Democrats' offer to reopen government while punting on border, saying agencies could be closed "a long time."

People

Gfrerer confirmed to lead tech at VA

After about two years of temporary officials, with tech problems piling up, the Office of Information and Technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs finally lands a Senate-confirmed leader.

Digital Government

Quick Hits

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Digital Government

FCW Insider: Jan. 3

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

Digital Government

What the Shutdown Means for Shared Services

Some of the largest shared services providers are still waiting to be funded.

Ideas

Seizing the Opportunity to Close the Cybersecurity Skills Gap

Here's how the public sector could get a leg up on competing for cybersecurity talent.

Emerging Tech

Inside the Bill That Set the ‘Strongest Clean Energy Requirement in the Nation’

Washington, D.C. is on track to set a more ambitious timeline for fighting climate change than any state.

Cybersecurity

HHS releases cyber guides for healthcare orgs

The Department of Health and Human Services has rolled out new guidance to protect organizations in the health care sector from cyberattacks.

Emerging Tech

NASA Hits Its New Year’s Target at the Edge of the Solar System

As partygoers downed champagne, a spacecraft swept past a mysterious object 4 billion miles from Earth.

Digital Government

How Easy-to-Use Data Tools Unleash Employees

That’s what turns data analytics platforms into decision-making engines, a pair of government technology leaders said.