Federal Government

From the American Rescue Plan and the infrastructure bill to cybersecurity and ransomware policy, state and local governments felt the full effects of support from the Biden administration during the president's first year.

Scammers have created a network of 50 websites that aim to steal personal information or that advertise care packages and phone cards to troops for exorbitant prices, a cybersecurity firm said in a new report.

Threats to critical infrastructure and ongoing discussions of elections security, together with increased risk from the rise of telework added complexity to the cybersecurity landscape this year.

A federal hearing discussed new cyber incident reporting requirements for rail operators, put focus on needs to shore up Department of Transportation system defenses and questioned the state of FAA cybersecurity.

The Federal Trade Commission reported that in the third quarter of this year, it received 134,366 reports of phone call fraud, with nearly $165 million in reported money lost.

As use of new technology by government continues to increase, experts and advocates in the space say that public servants should be keenly aware of the potential to exacerbate long-standing biases.

Some broadband providers are exploiting the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, says the Federal Communications Commission. Such providers may be targeted for legal action as investigation continues.

Plus, GAO discusses value of a federal academy for developing a pipeline of new tech talent, and the Federal Communications Commission seeks comments on its new affordable connectivity program.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published a request for information in the Federal Register about the use of emerging technologies in both the public and private sectors.

The infrastructure law should make broadband more accessible and affordable for lower-income households across the U.S., including 13 percent of Tennessee households now lacking broadband Internet.

The federal infrastructure bill may be murkier than it appears. The large piece of legislation seems to include multiple exceptions to the Freedom of Information Act. Some of the exceptions may be illegal.

The Federal Trade Commission alone has received thousands of complaints about cryptocurrency fraud schemes. Meanwhile, state legislatures continue to try to regulate the cryptocurrency market.

Since widespread, pro-democracy protests in Cuba in July, and the Cuban government’s response to block Internet access to many Cubans, lawmakers and U.S. officials have proposed various strategies to expand Internet.

National Cyber Director Chris Inglis and representatives of CISA and the FBI Cyber Division discussed state and local cybersecurity supports, incident reporting law and larger anti-ransomware strategies in a House hearing.

The U.S. Senate should promptly approve President Biden’s nominations to the FCC, including new appointee Gigi Sohn, a longtime advocate for open Internet and restoring “net neutrality” regulations.

Lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice mailed a letter to Portland's city attorney and police chief recommending that all uniformed officers wear body cameras. Questions remain about how the cameras would be used.

“The exciting nature of it is that it opens up so many opportunities for state and local innovation around this issue,” said Amy Huffman, policy director for the National Digital Inclusion Alliance.

The recently-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act sets aside roughly $6 billion for grant awards meant to expand capabilities of U.S.-based battery research and development, looking to shore up the supply chain.