Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) applauds approval by voice vote today of S. 607, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013, by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Spectrum Auction Winners or Losers
The federal government is once again picking winners and losers.
Next Steps for Net Neutrality
With the recent announcement by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski of his impending departure, the new commission chair will take charge of what has been called in The Atlantic Wire as “one of the more powerful regulatory bodies in the United States government.”
DOD and VA Stumble Over Interoperability
The private sector was mandated by the HITECH Act to use an Electronic Health Records Systems (EHRs) that has the electronic capability to exchange key clinical information with other healthcare providers.
Testing the Waters on Health Technology
While the number of physicians who use computers to store patient information is rising, most are still clinging to large manila file folders to record and retain complete patient histories. U.S. News and World Report reported on February 20, 2013 that, in spite of incentives from the U.S. government, a study conducted by Adam Write, a senior research scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, found that doctors are slow to adopt electronic health records (EHRs), with only 1 in 6 using the new technology.
Congress Requests GAO Investigation into Broadband Overbuild
On February 13, 2013, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on the broadband stimulus programs managed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS).
Savings Don’t Score Any Points with CBO
In 1974, Congress created the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide a nonpartisan independent analysis of budgetary and economic issues. CBO provides cost estimates of legislation determines the impact on federal spending for at least five years and up to 10 years from enactment.
Congress Sets Its Eyes on IT Acquisition Reform
On February 27, 2013, the House Committee on Government Reform held its second hearing on information technology (IT) acquisition reform.
BTOP Program Overbuilds Fiber in Colorado
On February 7, 2013, KUSA-Channel 9 News in Denver, Colorado investigated issues related to the administration of a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant within the state of Colorado, which is reportedly using the funding to build new fiber optic lines alongside those already in existence in direct competition with local telecommunication providers.
It Isn’t 1996 Anymore
The year was 1996. Bill Clinton was in the White House; scientists reported that there might be life on Mars; Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, was born; the T.V. hospital show E.R. topped the Neilsen’s ratings long before the “McDreamies” and “McSteamies” of the world entered onto the scene; the Simpsons became the longest running prime-time animated series; people were dancing to the Macarena; and on February 8, 1996, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was enacted.