Digital Government
It’s Official: Trump Shifts All Security Clearance Work to Pentagon
An executive order renames the Defense Security Service and sets a timeline for the office to take over background investigations for the entire federal community.
Emerging Tech
FAA Greenlights Drone Company to Deliver Food in One Virginia Town
The Federal Aviation Administration gave its first OK to drone company to deliver commercial goods.
Policy
Progress Is Finally Being Made on Security Clearance Backlog
Improvements to processing times are still needed.
Cybersecurity
Top Cyber Diplomat Says U.S. Needs Allies’ Help to Punish Cyberattacks
Creating a unified international response around online attacks will help “establish the legitimacy” of norms for cyberspace, says Rob Strayer.
Emerging Tech
The Pentagon is Investing in Space Robots to Repair Satellites
The robots would service military, government and commercial spacecraft more than 22,000 miles above the Earth.
Ideas
The U.S. Military Must Win the Battle for Innovation
The Defense Department shouldn't be developing technology through inefficient bureaucratic processes developed in the 1950s.
Digital Government
OMB Officials Tout Tech Office Transparency Amid Allegations of Turmoil
Officials within the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer say their team is working as it should in the wake of a report that suggests otherwise.
Emerging Tech
GSA Testing Tool to Ensure Tech Projects Meet Accessibility Rules
A government-built AI tool to ensure compliance with accessibility mandates is headed for the user testing phase before going governmentwide this fall.
Modernization
Nearly Every Agency Missed Their Data Center Optimization Goals, Watchdog Says
Only two of 22 agencies expected to hit all five of OMB’s optimization benchmarks by the end of 2018.
Policy
Lawmakers Seek to Punish Robocallers with Prison Time
New bipartisan legislation aims to help Americans feel it’s safe to answer their phones again.
Policy
GAO Will Pour $15 Million Into New Tech Assessment Office in 2020
The Science and Technology Assessment and Analytics team aims to build lawmakers’ understanding of emerging technologies and weigh in on tech-centric policies.
Artificial Intelligence
The State of Tech Modernization
Will 2019 be the year federal IT breaks into the 21st century?
Artificial Intelligence
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Curb Algorithmic Bias
The Algorithmic Accountability Act would force companies to check whether their tech is making biased, inaccurate, discriminatory or otherwise unfair decisions.
Digital Government
NIST Expands Hiring Authorities for Top-Level Tech Talent
The standards-setting agency is making it easier for hiring managers to onboard IT managers, engineers and scientists through new direct hiring authorities.
Modernization
Pentagon Says No JEDI Conflict, Narrows Field to AWS and Microsoft
The Pentagon’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud contract could be awarded by mid-July.
Digital Government
Watchdog Questions NSA’s $636 Million in Award Fee Incentive Contracts
Justifications of costs and benefits may not have served government’s interests.
Emerging Tech
Report: China’s Closing the Innovation Gap
Experts say the United States needs its own robust national strategy to compete in advanced technologies.
Artificial Intelligence
FDA Proposes Regulations for AI-Powered Medical Devices
Because AI retrains itself over time, the administration wants to keep tabs on what’s happening under the hood.
Digital Government
House Democrats Recommend Zero Money for OPM Reorganization
House Oversight Committee Democrats urged appropriators to effectively block an effort to merge the Office of Personnel Management with the General Services Administration.
Cybersecurity