To attract girls and women to computer science and retain their interest in the field, Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology, said this week it is advocating for a policy agenda that includes expanded computer science classes, increased exposure to women and minorities in tech, and more professional development funding.

California lawmakers on Thursday passed the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, one of the toughest U.S. laws governing data privacy. The legislation specifically targets information companies, including Google, Facebook, Amazon, and AT&T–many of whom are headquartered in California.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper appointed 12 members to the Council for the Advance of Blockchain Technology last week.  

Many states are seeking to adopt blockchain technology to create more secure transactions, but that may not be the optimal route for ensuring the technology is applicable across the nation, according to Tiffany Angulo, a staffer for Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., who is the co-chair of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus.

The zero trust model of IT security has a wide range of applications from protecting government data to helping to secure election infrastructure, panelists said at the Akamai Government Forum on June 14.

Leadership of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Wednesday pressed the head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for necessary follow-up to passage earlier this year of the MOBILE NOW Act.

A report issued May 31 by the New America Foundation’s Cybersecurity Initiative recommends that the Federal government consider three “priority efforts” to help state governments advance their own efforts to improve cybersecurity, including “designating specific cybersecurity funding that is linked to national priorities.”

A bipartisan group of 30 senators wrote to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on May 30 regarding their concerns about several aspects of a program the agency is conducting that will provide funding to help bring 4G wireless broadband service to primarily rural areas of the U.S.

When disasters strike, cities need robust recovery plans in place or risk finding themselves in deep trouble, said a municipal CIO and an industry leader during a May 24 webinar hosted by the Center for Government Technology.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today approved S. 2418, the Rural Reasonable and Comparable Wireless Access Act of 2018.