Federal Government

A new survey of federal chief data officers conducted by the Data Foundation and Deloitte reveals the need for more governmentwide clarity and guidance in the face of rapid artificial intelligence growth.

Easterly was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the agency. The precise timing of her departure is unclear, but is expected to take place in advance of the incoming President-elect Donald J. Trump administration.

A federal framework for self-driving vehicles could be on the horizon, people in President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team have reportedly told advisers. Such rules could potentially facilitate the wider deployment of cars without human controls.

The North Star for the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program is comprehensive connectivity for all homes and businesses, officials said at the Connecting Communities Summit. That could come through fiber or fixed wireless.

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the commission’s next chair, he said in a statement.

A former federal telecommunications official said it is unlikely Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program funding will be clawed back and work disrupted. Infrastructure could, however, become more tech-neutral.

A new series of recommendations from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is designed to enable cloud providers, AI developers, public-sector entities and others to integrate AI while balancing risk and opportunity.

A Veterans Affairs office in Atlanta that determines health-care coverage for veterans failed to encrypt the records of more than 3 million people and ran outdated computer programs, according to an audit.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s blueprint, Driving U.S. Innovation in Artificial Intelligence, may live on in the next Congress. But, tech and data privacy experts said proposed legislation coming out of it may undergo changes and favor industry.

Under a road map that was unveiled Tuesday, the U.S. would deploy an additional 200 gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity by mid-century through the construction of new reactors and other steps.

The director of the sector’s ISAC spoke recently about ransomware and other threats. Plus, a tabletop exercise revealed ways to improve public and private response to a major attack on the sector.

The director of the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency cautioned Monday this election cycle has seen an “unprecedented amount” of false information. That includes content from foreign adversaries designed to undermine the nation’s democracy.

Significant cyber events from the year, like the CrowdStrike incident, tell us which critical infrastructure sectors are most at risk. What are governments doing to prepare for the new year?

The review plans to look into the workings of the China-backed hacking collective Salt Typhoon, which has penetrated U.S. telecom networks, wiretap request systems and candidates for president.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s first National Security Memorandum on artificial intelligence directs the federal government to take steps to ensure AI supports the national security mission. Stakeholders were supportive.

The university did not admit any wrongdoing and no determination of liability has resulted from the suit. It had been accused of failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements in contracts or subcontracts involving the U.S. Defense Department or NASA.

The U.S. Space Force on Friday announced the first two task orders under a revamped five-year program that awards national security missions, and both of the awards went to SpaceX.

Georgia Power, the state’s largest electric utility, will get a federal grant to pay for the transmission upgrades the company said will let it better withstand extreme weather. The funding is also expected to facilitate integrating renewables, such as solar, and potentially other types of tech.