The Financial Information System for California (FI$Cal) project – now in its 17th year (not a typo) of implementation – is slogging along with a revised project plan that has reduced functionality and obscured project costs. FI$Cal is due to miss yet another planned project completion this summer, and will have to extend the project timeline by another two years.

Bloomberg Philanthropies awarded 10 cities a “What Works Cities Certification” in recognition of their “exceptional use of data to inform policy and funding decisions to improve residents’ lives.” The 10 cities are Baltimore, Md.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.; Denver, Colo.; Durham, N.C.; Evanston, Ill.; Long Beach, Calif.; Miami, Fla.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Salinas, Calif.

Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito announced that the state of Massachusetts awarded $3.5 million in funding through its Community Compact Cabinet Information Technology grant program to 70 different municipalities.

Finalsite, an internet software company that provides website design, hosting, and content management solutions to school districts announced that a ransomware attack impacting 5,000 of its total 8,000 global customers.

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) plans to take up a proposal to require “nutrition labels” for broadband service at the commission’s public meeting set for Jan. 27.

To close out the 2021 fall semester, the University of Arkansas announced that the mainframe that powered Business and Administrative Strategic Information System (BASIS) was powered off after 25 years. Decommissioning the mainframe will save the university approximately $1 million per year in service and licensing fees while ensuring the integrity of institutional data.

In 2021, the residents of New York City relied on technology unlike ever before to ensure equitable access to work, school, and daily life, according to a year-end compilation released by the Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and the City of Los Angeles announced they have launched “LA Secure,” a free mobile application that will improve the cybersecurity of Metro riders and city residents, keeping them safe online.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said in its annual report on governmentwide improper payments – defined as payments that shouldn’t have been made or were made for  incorrect amounts – jumped to 7.2 percent in Fiscal Year 2021 with the increase driven in part by soaring rates of unemployment insurance fraud during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has updated its Vax Verify immunization portal to include the use of the SMART Health Card.