The First Responder Network Authority Board approved more than $200 million in funding to enhance FirstNet, the nationwide public safety broadband network.
The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that cleared the Senate Armed Services Committee last week on a bipartisan vote of 25-2 includes the Spectrum Modernization Act, which would direct the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to evaluate a range of IT improvements that would improve Federal government spectrum management.
Rep. G. K. Butterfield, D-N.C., introduced the Expanding Opportunities for Broadband Deployment Act on June 11 to increase access to and accelerate deployment of broadband services across the United States.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., introduced two bills – the Continuity of Economy Act of 2020 and the National Guard Cyber Interoperability Act of 2020 – with the goal of bolstering the United States’ cyber defenses.
Reps. Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., and Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and Sens. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., Doug Jones, D-Ala., introduced legislation in both chambers of Congress June 11 to invest $50 million in rural telehealth initiatives amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
California’s City of Corona is a full-service city southeast of Los Angeles. Corona serves over 168,000 residents with 22 departments. Each boasts a diverse portfolio of citizen services, including utilities and public safety. Corona’s Information Technology (IT) Department must provide reliable and cost-effective systems to support the City’s function and objectives – even through disaster or pandemic.
Great adversity often fuels tremendous ingenuity, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Recently, the Commonwealth of Virginia validated this point when it expanded its ground-breaking Framework for Addiction Analysis and Community Transformation (FAACT) platform in just a few days to help navigate the COVID-19 crisis and provide public safety.
The National Guard and U.S. Cyber Command have formed a partnership to open lines of communication between state and local governments and the military’s top cyber force to address the top priority of the command - the 2020 elections.
Election security experts at the Brennan Center for Justice released a new guide June 5 on how to protect elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically calling attention to existing resources from Federal agencies and the need for more Federal funding.
Federal privacy legislation that has stalled in Congress for months has a new impetus, as questions about the use of location and health data during the pandemic are bringing privacy considerations to the fore.
