The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced $53.4 million in funding for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), which provides funding for digital tools and services to support students.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is in charge of a $1 billion grant program to improve middle-mile broadband infrastructure, but a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report reveals that the NTIA has not established measurable goals for the program.

As the Federal government is looking to recover and make sense of the rampant unemployment insurance (UI) fraud seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts today told members of Congress that the government is in dire need of a technology overhaul to keep up with fraudulent actors who are leveraging emerging technologies such as AI to steal taxpayer money.

Baylor University and McLennan Community College (MCC) have launched the Central Texas Cyber Range (CTCR), which aims to provide comprehensive research in cybersecurity and cyber resilience and training for the cybersecurity workforce to address critical  needs at the local, national, and international levels.

New York City (NYC) has released its “first-of-its-kind plan” to utilize AI for government operations across different government agencies and offices to help streamline operations for essential programs.

With a new executive order (EO), New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has created an Artificial Intelligence Task Force, which is tasked with studying emerging AI technologies. The governor’s office noted that the task force will be responsible for analyzing the potential impacts of AI on society as well as preparing recommendations to identify government actions encouraging the ethical use of AI technologies.

Amaya Capellán was appointed new state CIO and deputy secretary for the Office of Information Technology (OIT) in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the end of July 2023. The former vice president at Comcast, the telecommunications and media conglomerate, understands her charter – digital transformation. As described by her immediate boss, Secretary of Administration, Neil Weaver, Capellán’s extensive experience in the private-sector will do her well in her new position.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is moving forward with piloting its Direct File tool in 13 states that will allow people to directly file their taxes next year by only using the online tool if they meet certain criteria.

Following its annual conference earlier this month, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) announced its new executive leadership for the coming program year.

A recent survey found that organizations victimized by ransomware attacks are increasingly deciding to pay the ransom demand to regain access to their systems and data. Those same organizations also are concerned that generative AI could enhance future attacks.