Communications

Watchdog: FCC’s Tech Advisory Council Is Too Heavily Skewed Toward Industry

The result is an ineffective body with minimal impact, according to former members.

  • By Aaron Boyd

OMB Chief: Contractors Need More Time to Cut Ties With Huawei, ZTE

Without the extension, there could be “a dramatic reduction” in the contractors that can legally do business with the government, according to acting OMB Director Russel Vought.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Bill Aims to Streamline Approval for Critical 5G Infrastructure

Senators reintroduced legislation to accelerate the deployment of small cells, which help power 5G networks.

  • By Brandi Vincent

Security Firm Says Huawei, ZTE Devices Still Run on Government Networks

About 4,000 devices are operating on federal, state and local public sector networks, according to security firm Forescout.

  • By Brandi Vincent

Senators Propose National 5G Strategy

The bipartisan bill would also fund removing Chinese equipment from existing networks.

  • By Brandi Vincent

The Groups Bringing Forum Culture to Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for communities on his platform is very different from how users are gathering together there organically.

  • By Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic

5G Has a NIMBY Problem

Communities are fighting the installation of 5G wireless internet technology because of its bulky infrastructure. The courts may have just bolstered their case.

  • By Sarah Holder, CityLab

Lawmakers Want Spy Agencies to Help Secure Government Tech and Elections

The Intelligence Authorization Act would increase the IC’s involvement in a number of federal tech and cyber efforts.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Senators Urge FCC Not to Use 24GHz Spectrum for 5G

Experts across government are concerned it will disrupt the future of weather forecasting.

  • By Brandi Vincent

VA’s EIS Telecom Transition Starts With New Accounting Platform

The agency is looking to buy a holistic financial management system to manage as much as $445 million in telecom spending a year.

  • By Aaron Boyd

The Most Exciting Thing About Smartphones Isn’t Here Yet

5G is the next wave of wireless technology—but it might take a while.

  • By Alexis Madrigal, The Atlantic

Lawmakers Seek to Punish Robocallers with Prison Time

New bipartisan legislation aims to help Americans feel it’s safe to answer their phones again.

  • By Brandi Vincent

NASA Makes First Award on GSA’s Massive $50 Billion Telecom Contract

With security authorizations trickling in, the space agency awarded a $10.5 million contract to support its core services.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Installing Chinese 5G Gear is Dangerous—and Probably Inevitable: NATO Center Report

Alliance members should look to mimic Britain, which created an entire government office to scrutinize Huawei’s products for security problems.

  • By Patrick Tucker, Defense One

Trump's Top Budget Official Defends 2020 Pay Freeze to Congress

OMB chief pledges to work with agencies to develop performance and mission-based pay plans.

  • By Eric Katz

Pentagon To Explore Potential of 5G — and Its Made-in-China Hazards

Planned experiments will test the emerging wireless technology, even as leaders fret publicly about supply-chain risks.

  • By Marcus A. Weisgerber, Defense One

Heartland Cities Are Stuck. Washington Can Help Them.

In an unprecedented era of winner-take-all urbanism, left-behind cities need federal help.

  • By Clara Hendrickson, The Atlantic

Security Authorizations Trickle In As Deadlines Near on $50 Billion Telecom Contract

So far, only one vendor on the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract has gotten an authority to operate—an important requirement that could complicate the upcoming transition.

  • By Aaron Boyd

How an App for Gamers Went Mainstream

Discord has become an indispensable tool for internet creators to connect with their fans.

  • By Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic

The U.S.-China Tech War Is Being Fought in Central Europe

The Czech Republic’s complicated relationship with the Chinese giant Huawei offers a lesson in the benefits and pitfalls of courting Beijing.

  • By Philip Heijmans, The Atlantic

A Message to FEMA: Respond to Disasters Differently

Providing money to states faster after disasters, and offering funds before they strike, would make communities safer, governors said.

  • By Dave Nyczepir