On September 21, 2011, the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation held a hearing entitled “The Next IT Revolution? Cloud Computing Opportunities and Challenges.” Chaired by Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.), the hearing highlighted the economic benefits of cloud computing, including the cost savings that could be realized when switching to the cloud through increased productivity and enhanced sustainability. Witnesses included Michael Capellas, chairman and CEO of Virtual Computing Environment; Dr. Dan Reed, Corporate Vice President, Technology Policy Group, Microsoft Corporation; Mr. Nick Combs, Federal Chief Technology Officer, EMC Corporation; and Dr. David McClure, Associate Administrator, Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, General Services Administration (GSA).
Getting Program Management Back on Track
After reviewing information technology (IT) program management at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Assistant Secretary for the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) Roger Baker decided to change the way VA manages IT development, and implemented a new system called the Program Management Accountability System (PMAS) on June 19, 2009. On August 18, 2011, this new system was touted as a success in a blog that was posted on the CIO.gov website, holding it up as an example for other government agencies to follow.
Technology Policy Update
On August 16, 2011, CAGW recently filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on a petition from the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) seeking clarification on the commission’s interpretation of Section 652 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This section imposes cross-ownership restrictions on cable operators and incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) in order to prevent the two then-dominant service providers in each local area from merging and thereby controlling the only two wires to a customer’s premises.
FCC Continues to Forge Ahead with Net Neutrality Regulations
On July 11, 2011, President Obama issued Executive Order No. 13579 to improve and reform the regulatory process for government agencies. How this Executive Order will be implemented remains to be seen, as some agencies are forging ahead with costly, unnecessary and burdensome regulations that contravene the intent of the Executive Order.
Rampant Waste Reported in NSF
A report was released on May 26, 2011 by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) that exposed wasteful spending at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The report found $3 billion in mismanagement, with more than $1.2 billion of NSF’s total budget of $6.9 billion for fiscal year 2010 squandered due to waste, fraud, and duplication.
Google under Fire
Google is the world’s largest search engine, and Android by some estimates is the most popular mobile platform, but the company is facing several problems related to privacy and security, as well as the validity of claims made in regard to software designed for use by the government. To Be Certified or Not to Be […]
Blackmail to Avoid Blackouts is Not Sound Policy
Imagine that you’re settling in to watch your favorite must-see-TV when your station de jour abruptly goes black. You suddenly can’t watch the big game, or the American Idol finale or (fill in your “can’t-live-without-it” show here). How could this possibly happen? You try rebooting your cable box as you frantically flip through the TV guide to make sure it’s really Super Bowl Sunday.
Net Loss
For many years there has been a vigorous debate on the pros and cons of net neutrality. On December 21, 2010, the nation took a technological step backwards when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to institute net neutrality rules on the Internet.
Privacy Problems
Privacy may mean different things to different people, but at a certain level everybody wants their privacy protected. The advent and growth of the Internet has greatly amplified privacy issues.
As with every other subject that comes to the forefront of the American psyche, Congress is gearing up to offer legislation to “protect privacy.” As usual, this means Congress could do more harm than good.
Government Broadband Deployment Report Card: F
To say that the Internet has grown over the past 15 years is an understatement. According to Internet World Stats, there were 16 million users in 1995 compared to 1.9 billion users in June, 2010, an increase of 11,775 percent. In addition, the Internet is much faster as a result of the deployment of broadband, and its uses have also expanded exponentially.