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Archived Government Notes
Published in 2020
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FAA to Test Anti-Drone Technologies
By Mark Rockwell
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to test drone detection and mitigation technology at multiple civilian airports in the coming months to see how they perform in real-world environments.
The agency plans to test systems from as many as 10 vendors at the Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey, beginning early next year. The tests will expand to as many as four other airports to try out various aspects of those systems, according to an Aug. 21 broad agency announcement.
The FAA was tasked with developing anti-drone technologies in its 2018 reauthorization.
Read full story at FCW…
first published week of: 08/31/2020
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Facebook Says Government Breakup of Instagram, WhatsApp Would Be ‘Complete Nonstarter’
by Jeff Horwitz | The Wall Street Journal
Social giant prepares defense against antitrust scrutiny from federal enforcers
A government effort to break up Facebook Inc. from Instagram and WhatsApp would defy established law, cost billions of dollars and harm consumers, according to a paper company lawyers have prepared in the wake of rising antitrust legal threats.
The 14-page document, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, offers a preview of the social-media giant’s defense as federal antitrust enforcers and members of Congress continue to pursue investigations into Facebook’s power and past competitive behavior. Probes of other technology companies such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. are also ongoing.
The House Antitrust Subcommittee this month is expected to release the findings of its investigation into Facebook and other companies.
Read full story at Fox Business…
first published week of: 10/19/2020
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FBI Leader Vows to ‘Burn Down’ Cybercrime Infrastructure
by Andrew Martinez
The head of the FBI issued a warning Wednesday to cybercriminals at home and abroad in countries including China, saying feds “want to burn down their infrastructure” as offenders have become more dangerous.
The head of the FBI issued a warning Wednesday to cyber criminals at home and abroad in countries including China, saying feds “want to burn down their infrastructure” as offenders have become more dangerous.
FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke at Boston’s annual Cyber Security Conference at Boston College and emphasized teamwork between feds, academia and the private sector to tackle cyber threats from individual hackers and nation-state actors whose data breaches can leave millions of people exposed.
Four Chinese military members were charged in February in the 2017 Equifax hack that left personal data of 145 million Americans exposed.
Read full story at GovTech…
first published week of: 03/09/2020
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FBI: Nation-State Actors Have Breached Two US Municipalities
by catalin cimpanu
Nation-state hackers breached the networks of two US municipalities last year, the FBI said in a security alert sent to private industry partners last week.
The hacks took place after attackers used the CVE-2019-0604 vulnerability in Microsoft SharePoint servers to breach the two municipalities' networks.
The FBI says that once attackers got a foothold on these networks, "malicious activities included exfiltration of user information, escalation of administrative privileges, and the dropping of webshells for remote/backdoor persistent access."
"Due to the sophistication of the compromise and Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) utilized, the FBI believes unidentified nation-state actors are involved in the compromise," the agency said in its security alert.
Read full story at ZDNet…
first published week of: 01/20/2020
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FCC Accuses Carriers of Being “Gateways” for Foreign Robocallers
by jon brodkin
( Getty Images/ MassimoVernicesole )
FCC suggests potential “enforcement actions” in letters to seven phone companies.
The Federal Communications Commission is asking phone carriers for help blocking robocalls made from outside the US and is implementing a congressionally mandated system to trace the origin of illegal robocalls.
The FCC yesterday sent letters to seven US-based voice providers "that accept foreign call traffic and terminate it to US consumers." Tracebacks conducted by the USTelecom trade group and the FCC found that each of these companies' services is "being used as a gateway into the United States for many apparently illegal robocalls that originate overseas," the FCC's letters to the companies say.
The FCC letters were sent to All Access Telecom, Globex, Piratel, Talkie, Telcast, ThinQ, and Third Base. These are mainly wholesale voice providers rather than companies that sell phone service directly to home or business customers. For example, All Access Telecom says it provides "wholesale VoIP termination services" to phone providers.
An FCC announcement explained:
Read full story at arsTECHNICA…
first published week of: 02/10/2020
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FCC Approves 5G Network Despite Military Saying It Will Harm GPS
by jon brodkin
Pai says power limits and guard band will prevent interference with GPS.
The FCC unanimously approved the Ligado network plan on Monday. The order "was adopted without dissent and will promote more efficient and effective use of our nation's spectrum resources and ensure that adjacent band operations, including the Global Positioning System (GPS), are protected from harmful interference," the FCC said. As previously reported, the conditions to prevent interference include a 23MHz guard band, a power limit of 9.8dBW, and continuous monitoring of base-station transmit power. The Department of Defense and Department of Transportation continued their opposition on Friday, saying the FCC decision will put GPS users at risk, according to SpaceNews.
Read full story at arsTechnica…
first published week of: 04/27/2020
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FCC Beats Cities in Court, Helping Carriers Avoid $2 Billion in Local 5G Fees
by jon brodkin
Judges uphold FCC preemption of city rules, including limits on small-cell fees.
The Federal Communications Commission has defeated dozens of cities in court, with judges ruling that the FCC can preempt local fees and regulations imposed on wireless carriers deploying 5G networks. The ruling is good news for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
The FCC voted to preempt cities and towns in September 2018, saying the move would prevent local governments from charging wireless carriers about $2 billion worth of fees over five years related to deployment of wireless equipment such as small cells. That's less than 1 percent of the estimated $275 billion that the FCC said carriers would have to spend to deploy 5G small cells throughout the United States.
Cities promptly sued the FCC, but a ruling issued yesterday by the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit went mostly in the FCC's favor. It wasn't a complete victory for the FCC, though, as judges overturned a portion of the FCC ruling that limited the kinds of aesthetic requirements cities and towns can impose on carrier deployments.
Read full story at arsTechnica…
first published week of: 08/17/2020
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FCC Shuts New York Out of $20B Broadband Fund, and Senators Are Angry
by jon brodkin
NY ineligible for new money because FCC previously gave to a state fund.
The Federal Communications Commission has unfairly shut New York state out of a planned $20.4 billion broadband-funding program, US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai last week.
ISPs in 48 states are eligible for funding in the FCC rural-broadband program, which will distribute the money over 10 years to providers that expand their networks to new homes and businesses. The FCC said it blocked New York and Alaska from Phase I of the program "because of previously established programs to fund rural broadband in these states." (Phase I will distribute $16 billion of the $20.4 billion.)
The FCC previously established a separate funding program for Alaska with $1.5 billion over 10 years. But Schumer and Gillibrand say New York has only gotten its fair share of nationwide FCC programs, rather than something extra.
Read full story at arsTechnica…
first published week of: 01/27/2020
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Federal CIO Suzette Kent Is Stepping Down
by Phil Goldstein
The government's top technology official is leaving the post after more than two years and significant progress on IT modernization.
Federal CIO Suzette Kent is stepping down from her role in government in July after serving as the government’s point person on technology issues and IT modernization since January 2018.
“My commitment was to give 100% to improving government technology and citizen services. It is my hope that the outcomes achieved stand in evidence to that commitment,” Kent said in a statement, according to multiple news outlets. “It is with great pride in results delivered and confidence in [Deputy Federal CIO] Maria Roat, [Federal Chief Information Security Officer] Grant Schneider, and [OFCIO Chief of Staff] Jordan Burris’ leadership, the OFCIO team, and the leaders in the CIO Council that I depart. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our nation.”
3M's connected lane marking technology is designed for high visibility in all weather conditions, by both human and machine-operated vehicles.
In August, the Georgia Department of Transportation announced a plan to turn an 18-mile portion of Interstate 85 in southern Georgia into a test bed for connected vehicle technology, including vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity. The highway is known as The Ray, named after Ray C. Anderson, a Georgia businessman and environmentalist. There are several goals for the pilot, including using the data collected to help develop traffic management platforms. Another is to create the foundation for future connected highway technologies.
The Georgia DOT, 3M and The Ray announced this week that all lanes of the 13 miles of Interstate 85, from the Georgia-Alabama border to Exit 13-LaGrange, are now marked with 3M’s Connected Roads All Weather Elements striping technology. The striping tech is designed for high visibility in all weather conditions, by both human and machine-operated vehicles. 3M elements provide visibility daytime, nighttime and in dry or wet weather conditions, which is made possible with unique 2.4 (wet) and 1.9 (dry) refractive index bead technology.
Read full story at StateTech…
first published week of: 10/26/2020
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Forest Service Launches Online Map for Designated Recreation Sites in California
The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region today launched a Geographic Information System (GIS) map that provides the public with updated information on the status of campgrounds, day-use sites, picnic areas, and other designated recreation sites on national forests throughout California. View the GIS map at https://www.fs.fed.us/r5/webmaps/RecreationSiteStatus/.
For additional questions on parking, campsites amenities, and other concerns, please contact your local National Forest.
We continue to recommend that you not travel long distances to recreate and check with your local National Forest before visiting. If you or anyone in your household is feeling sick, please remain at home and plan your trip for another time. All visitors should practice self-sufficiency during your visits to national forests. Recreating responsibly will help ensure that expanded access to recreational facilities, services, and opportunities continues. Responsible recreation practices should be maintained at all times, including:
- Maintaining at least six feet distancing from others
- Do not gather in groups and please follow the latest guidance from officials
- Communicate with others as you pass. Alert trail users of your presence and step aside to let others pass
- Pack out your trash and leave with everything you bring in and use
- All services may not be available, so please plan accordingly.
Read full story at USDA…
first published week of: 07/06/2020