Massachusetts

Students and faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with backgrounds in physical and social sciences are trying to design an energy system that better serves the needs of low- and moderate-income households.

Massachusetts is above the national average for percentage of high school students who have taken a computer science course, but there’s no state requirement to teach the subject in K-12 schools.

An ambulance billing company has agreed to pay Connecticut and Massachusetts $515,000 for a 2022 data breach that exposed private information of nearly 350,000 residents, officials said.

A poll of about 900 parents of students in grades 6-12 in Massachusetts, conducted by the nonprofit MassINC, found that 66 percent either strongly or somewhat supported a bell-to-bell cellphone ban in public schools.

The state says its approach improves agility while meeting strict new security requirements.

Jeffrey Weiner has taken the helm of the town’s IT department, overseeing GIS, media and strategic IT initiatives. He arrives from Wakefield Public Schools, where he served as its technology director.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey invited University of Massachusetts, Amherst students to create AI tools to assist public agencies. The students traveled to Boston last week to share their work.

The state Senate approved a "first-in-the-nation" ban on the sale of cellphone location data as part of a sweeping electric privacy bill, but the plan faces opposition from business groups.

The City Council wants a promise from an Internet fiber company that it will leave no neighborhood behind as it expands, and it has delayed granting approvals until it gets an assurance.

A class action lawsuit against the Massachusetts Department of Public Health over a pandemic-related tracking phone application is nearing a conclusion.

A piece of proposed state legislation likely to get a Senate vote next week would bolster consumer privacy laws by inhibiting the type of customer information large companies can collect and keep.

Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is seeking to expand charging stations for electric vehicles as part of broader efforts to get more drivers to ditch their gas-powered vehicles.

At least 80 percent of Massachusetts school districts already have some type of cellphone restrictions in place, and local school committees of governing boards would be required to approve the new restrictions.

The state will attempt to bridge the economic divide caused by the federal government’s sudden seeming aversion to paying for scientific research with research funding of its own.

Methuen Public School District and the city have filed court documents regarding control of and access to the district’s IT department and systems as a disagreement over merging city and school IT departments builds.

Concerned about fostering digital equity while expanding the number of Internet providers, the City Council put off voting on a proposal from GoNetspeed, which is pushing to install fiber conduit in the city.

With AI-generated scams evolving, state security and technology officers said now is not the time to soften training — even if it stings. Realism may draw criticism, but it can also drive engagement.

After studying ways to improve high-speed Internet for residents, Councilor Jose Delgado is proposing to seek bids from companies interested in upgrading Springfield’s digital infrastructure.