Massachusetts

Seven jurisdictions have formed the North Shore IT Collaborative, hoping to overcome limited budgets and other challenges by joining together for bulk purchasing, support and info sharing.

High school and college students will be part of Massachusetts' Digital Equity Partnerships Program, a grant funding initiative to train seniors in technology skills and how to use devices.

Plus, Oklahoma is the latest state to launch a broadband listening tour, FEMA is teaming with the New Orleans Library for a digital literacy workshop, and more.

New CIO Jason Snyder wants to build the state’s municipal outreach efforts, formalize data privacy policies and give residents a single ID experience when accessing government services.

With new state funding available to districts that were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, schools are upgrading to environmentally efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has decided that remote learning will no longer count toward a district’s minimum required structured learning time, having tried it for the 2020-2021 school year.

Employees with 177 public school districts and local governments will get free licenses for cyber trainings under a state grant program. The program will include strength assessments, phishing simulations, training modules and threat briefings.

In Massachusetts, the latest piece of technology to take the Internet by storm — ChatGPT— helped craft a bill aimed at regulating AI. But, the lawmaker behind the bill says the tech isn't ready to write laws without help.

Legislation has been filed in both the House and Senate that calls for the MBTA to operate a fully electric commuter rail system by December 2035. Three lines that serve environmental justice populations would be electrified sooner.

Funding from the Massachusetts Department of Education will help the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at Springfield Union Station to provide professional opportunities and hands-on training to students.

In a succinct farewell address, Gov. Charlie Baker offered his thank you as he rattled off his administration’s accomplishments over the last eight years, including bridging the digital divide in Western Massachusetts.

Jason Snyder is no newcomer to government, having served previously as the chief technology officer under former Gov. Deval Patrick. The appointment comes a day before the retirement of current Secretary Curtis Wood.

Gov. Charlie Baker has created the Cyber Incident Response Team in a Dec. 14 executive order. The group will be comprised of members from state government public safety and cybersecurity organizations.

After serving the commonwealth in various capacities for decades, Massachusetts CIO Curtis Wood has announced his forthcoming departure from his role as a new governor is set to take the reins.

In legal matters like eviction appeals, people often defend themselves. But this can be a confusing process for a layperson. A technology lab and court collaboration brings a new tool aimed at making the process more accessible.

State and local efforts to expand residential broadband to 53 un- and underserved communities have now brought full service to 44 of them and partial services to the others. The state also announced several new initiatives.

The $50 million in ARPA funding, which is exclusively for digital equity activities, is meant to help address those issues. The funding has to be fully committed by the end of 2024 and fully spent by the end of 2026.

The moves aim to bolster higher ed cyber training, narrow workforce gaps and open access to services for municipalities, small businesses and nonprofits. Two campuses will open SOCs and cyber ranges in 2023 and 2024.