Policy

The Coalition of City CISOs aims to fill a professional networking gap by helping CISOs of cities and counties share advice and threat intelligence, and presents the local perspective to federal partners and policymakers.

Most states don't mandate that their agencies report any cyber incidents that occur. However, a new legislative trend shows that state lawmakers are gradually recognizing the importance of incident reporting.

A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the U.S. Department of Education to work with CISA on updating cyber threat response plans for K-12 schools that are more than a decade old.

In the near future, residents of Mercedes, Texas, may be able to pay their utility bills using a form of cryptocurrency. The Mercedes City Commission voted for city staff to research the issue further.

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.

Yesterday, Mississippi announced two new types of digital identification. The first is an app that allows Mississippians to use a digital driver's license. The second is a digital certificate of COVID-19 vaccination.

If signed into law, House Bill 4778 would ban state agencies from using apps like Signal, Telegram and Whatsapp on government-issued devices to avoid Freedom of Information Act requirements.

While the lion's share of the funding available to state government in the just-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill will be dished out based on formulas, the majority of the grant programs will be competitive.

In the wake of the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill, state and local government organizations find their digital equity efforts robustly funded, while many leaders at those levels are rolling out specific plans.

Live panels of experts from private, public and nonprofit sectors, organized by the nonprofit Connected Nation, convened this week to discuss what the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act means for the digital divide.

Education policy advocates say the bill provides crucial funding for K-12 Internet access necessary for online learning, which continues to be popular following last year's COVID-19 school closures.

Initially launched with nonprofits, government agencies and schools who helped identify people who needed it, the program is being offered more widely to citizens in need of Internet or devices.

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.

U.S. Congress members who represent Pennsylvania are split on Biden's infrastructure bill — some are enthusiastic about what it can do for the country, while others argue the legislation wastes too much money.

How virtual will courts be after COVID-19? In Oregon, Multnomah County Circuit Court is the only court with a fully virtual jury selection process. Stakeholders continue to examine the merit of other virtual court ideas.

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 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act designates broadband Internet access as an essential service and targets billions of dollars to close the digital divide.

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.