The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Aug. 10 released a new cyber toolkit to help state and local election officials improve the cybersecurity and resilience of their infrastructure ahead of the midterm elections in November.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has made further funding moves to help close the “homework gap” by committing nearly $68 million in two new funding rounds through the Emergency Connectivity Program (ECP).

The City of Houston is launching a new government technology initiative that will provide more transparency on how the city uses funds.

The rise in the number of students who opt for online higher education programs has led colleges contracting with third-party companies – called online program managers (OPM) – to help develop and deliver their online programs. However, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in a new report that the Department of Education (DoE) needs to strengthen how it monitors the arrangements between OPMs and higher education institutions.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) is launching a new program that will help bring free online learning to thousands of people across the state and help them develop new tech skills and improve their career readiness. The program, titled “Tech Ready Louisiana,” is the result of a partnership between LWC and Coursera, a large online learning platform.

Leyden High School District 212 – in Cook County, Illinois – is installing new solar panels at each campus that will teach STEM students firsthand about solar photovoltaic technology, allowing them to track live data from each panel.

UMass Dartmouth has received a $500K grant that will be used to create an Intelligent Industrial Robotics and Cybersecurity Testbed, which will prepare students for cyber careers and expose K-12 students to hands-on learning opportunities.

The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) on August 8 released a new report for the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) on current and potential sources of state death data used by Federal agencies for program administration and payment integrity and pointing to ways for better government cooperation in the sharing of that data.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched the “Your Home, Your Internet” pilot program designed to raise awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) among households receiving Federal housing assistance.  

The City of Round Rock, Texas – a city north of Austin – has appointed Ramsey Saad to serve as its chief information officer (CIO), leading the city’s Information Technology Department.