This fall, iPhone users across eight states will be able to add digital driver's licenses and state IDs to their Apple Wallet to identify themselves at security checkpoints at participating airports.
Residents from eight states will soon be able to add digital driver’s licenses and state IDs to their Apple Wallet on their iPhones and Apple Watches. In addition to the convenience of digital IDs for daily use, the technology can also be used at security checkpoints at participating airports.
According to Apple, Arizona and Georgia will be the first to offer this feature, followed by Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma and Utah. Many states have been pursuing the technology as a means of modernizing state-issued identity documents.
Read full story at GovTech…
first published week of: 09/20/2021
A zero-trust environment may suggest a hardened cybersecurity posture, but it’s important to keep the approach in check. Some definitions that go beyond questioning trust in data may be impractical.
Depending on who you talk to, zero trust is a new concept for stopping data breaches, the preferred network architecture for cybersecurity, the most secure model for online interactions, the best security framework or even a mantra for life — and its influence is growing rapidly.
Wherever you turn, experts and thought leaders are singing its praises. An online search can easily find thousands of articles, speeches and presentations on why zero trust is the must-have paradigm for all things cybersecurity moving forward.
So how do we actually define zero trust? A NIST blog says stick to the principle “never trust, always verify.”
Read full story at GovTech…
first published week of: 07/19/2021
The plan is to potentially branch out beyond the military base.
After embarking on the initial buildout of a testbed to pilot self-driving shuttles and other smart transportation technologies at Fort Carson, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers aims to extend experimentation into the Colorado Springs local community that surrounds the base.
The Corps plans to tap into sensors, artificial intelligence models and other tools to incorporate traffic and weather-related data in that expansion. And in doing so, it expects to again partner with U.S. Ignite, a National Science Foundation-rooted organization designed to advance next-generation networking applications for that in-the-pipeline effort, according to a presolicitation published this week.
“Due to the unique knowledge and experience gained under [previous research and development] efforts regarding Fort Carson facilities, U.S. Ignite possesses the unique intellectual capital to provide the highly specialized services required to meet the government’s current scope of work,” officials note in the document.
Read full story at NextGov…
first published week of: 02/08/2021
A modern network security approach is needed as agencies prepare to roll out 5G wireless networks to support their missions.
5G promises transformative mobility, and connection speeds we’ve never seen before. While the benefits are notable, as federal agencies prepare for 5G connectivity, it’s vital that they evaluate their infrastructures for 5G preparedness because existing practices and legacy security solutions will not meet what’s needed to secure 5G.
The advantages of 5G are undeniable — higher data speeds, latency improvements, greater agility, efficiency and openness — meaning that 5G will be a major driver of digital transformation. …
…Yet before agencies begin to revolutionize their ecosystems to take advantage of 5G, they must understand that accompanying the impressive 5G capabilities are elevated cyber-risk, expanding threats and vulnerabilities.
Read full story at FEDTECH…
first published week of: 04/05/2021
AT&T admits fiber is most "future-proof" but wants US to fund slower networks.
AT&T is lobbying against proposals to subsidize fiber-to-the-home deployment across the US, arguing that rural people don't need fiber and should be satisfied with Internet service that provides only 10Mbps upload speeds.
AT&T Executive VP Joan Marsh detailed the company's stance Friday in a blog post titled "Defining Broadband For the 21st Century." AT&T's preferred definition of 21st-century broadband could be met with wireless technology or AT&T's VDSL, a 14-year-old system that brings fiber to neighborhoods but uses copper telephone wires for the final connections into each home.
Read full story at arsTECHNICA…
first published week of: 04/05/2021
The Atlanta area is getting a new incubator for startups working with 5G technology courtesy of T-Mobile and Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center, the companies announced today.
It’s an expansion of the T-Mobile Accelerator program and part of the big carrier’s efforts to boost 5G innovation.
Located in the Atlanta adjacent exurb of Peachtree Corners’ technology development park, which is already equipped with T-Mobile’s 5G services, the incubator will help developers build and test 5G use cases including autonomous vehicles, robotics, industrial drone applications, mixed reality training and entertainment, remote medical care and personal health, the company said.
Read full story at TechCrunch…
first published week of: 02/22/2021
A familiar face from the U.S. Digital Service and Office of Personnel Management will serve as the next federal chief information officer.
The Biden administration announced the president’s pick for top IT leader for the federal government: the federal chief information officer.
Clare Martorana—already a member of the government CIO community—will serve as Biden’s first federal CIO and the sixth person to hold that title since it was coined during the Obama era as a more descriptive moniker for the administrator of the Office of E-Government and Information Technology.
Read full story at NextGov…
first published week of: 03/15/2021
A new presidential directive announced that performance standards will be released for critical infrastructure operated by the public sector and private companies to bolster national cybersecurity.
President Biden made it clear this past week that the stakes for cybersecurity defense have never been higher. “If we end up in a war, a real shooting war with a major power, it’s going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach,” the president said in a speech at the Office for the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.
The Financial Times summarized the speech this way: “The Biden administration has accused the governments of Russia and China, or hackers based inside the two countries, of some of the attacks. U.S. officials have warned that the administration would respond with a 'mix of tools seen and unseen' actions, but cyber breaches have continued. Although he did not say who such a war might be fought against, Biden immediately name-checked Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, alleging that Russia was spreading misinformation ahead of the 2022 U.S. midterm elections.”
Read full story at GovTech…
first published week of: 08/09/2021
Facebook/Twitter lobby sues over law that protects politicians from "censorship.
Trade groups representing Facebook, Twitter, and other major websites have sued Florida to block a state law that makes it illegal for social media companies to ban politicians. The industry groups say the law violates the First Amendment—and legal experts have said the same, as we've previously written.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law on May 24, slamming what he called the "censorship" of conservatives on social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook. The law, scheduled to take effect on July 1, gives Floridians the right to sue Big Tech companies over content-moderation decisions and prohibits the companies from "deplatforming" political candidates and journalistic enterprises. The law imposes fines of up to $250,000 per day on social media companies that ban candidates for elected office.
Read full story at arsTechnica…
first published week of: 06/07/2021
After a long wait, the federal infrastructure bill is headed toward President Joe Biden's desk. How can states and local areas take advantage of the $65 billion set aside for broadband? Here are some details.
Broadband deployment and adoption will receive a historic $65 billion boost once President Joe Biden signs the infrastructure bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Friday.
While experts doubt the money will take care of all of America's broadband problems, a number of funding opportunities await states and local areas with connectivity projects.
Below is how the $65 billion breaks down by four major categories: deployment, emergency benefits, adoption and miscellaneous.
Deployment
Roughly $42 billion will go toward the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program, which will be managed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This program will offer competitive grants to states for:
Read full story at GovTech…
first published week of: 11/15/2021