Finance

The company offers early warning data via its platform that can give suppliers of government technology an edge when it comes to contracts. The company’s founder explains the ideas driving his firm.

Jeff Cook, a gov tech market expert with Shea & Company, looks back at an uneven year in gov tech and predicts a stronger year going forward — with a potential shift in the market’s most active sectors.

These funds can be key to breaking the innovation stalemate. In California, funding nimble, high-impact solutions can help replace inertia with action to modernize IT systems and deliver better services for the public.

Plus, $117 million in NTIA grants go out, Indiana funds county broadband expansion, the E-BRIDGE Act is now the law of the land, new legislation aims to support rural broadband development, and more.

The state has been working diligently in recent years to make its services more accessible to constituents. The latest development is TAX2GO, which makes taxpaying services mobile; others are in the works.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal for a balanced state budget would spend $168 million to “standardize and streamline data collection” across state community colleges. It would also create two new entities.

The capital city received nearly $8.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and committed it all. To date, $4.5 million has been spent on internal projects including updates to at least three areas of tech.

Plus, the BEAD Progress Dashboard gets updated this week, a comprehensive report examines website accessibility across government, and one Georgia county gets to work on digital inclusion.

In a high-level view of the 2025-2026 fiscal year state budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted technology work and reforms by the Office of Data and Innovation, which is helping lead California’s tech evolution.

Plus, North Carolina launched a new website to support digital inclusion, Massachusetts is investing in connecting public housing properties, CISA issued mobile communications guidance, and more.

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program has seen significant advances in 2024, and its program director expects this path will continue in 2025 under a new presidential administration.

The Alaska Department of Revenue will work with Saige Consulting to modernize the Dividend Application Information System, by which qualifying residents receive their annual stipend. The new solution is expected in 2026.

State and local agencies have until Dec. 31 to commit federal funds they received through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund as part of the response to the pandemic. Anything not obligated must be returned.

Plus, the Federal Communications Commission is pushing for greater network security measures after a cyber attack, additional funding has been awarded through the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, and more.

A so-called “man-in-the-middle” cyber attack last month compromised the city’s transfer of nearly half a million dollars to pay for excavation during a water infrastructure replacement project. The FBI is among agencies investigating.

White Lake Township was “a victim of a sophisticated cybersecurity attack,” its police chief said. The incident has compromised a portion of $29 million in infrastructure bond funds. Federal authorities and local police are investigating.

Plus, Kansas will soon open funding applications to expand connectivity, a Colorado county is receiving federal funding for broadband, the economic benefits of improving Internet access in Harlan County, Ky., and more.

Plus, more states have been awarded federal funding from the Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, and the city of Boulder, Colo., has announced a new partnership to expand community broadband.