Virginia

The funding, from grants via the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development, will pay for the extension of high-speed Internet mostly in rural Livingston and Berkeley.

State and municipal agencies and one of the nation’s most populous counties are integrating AI and GIS into their permitting systems, adding automation and enhancing transparency to improve service and accountability.

CISO, Virginia

Two cities in the Hampton Roads area with new speed cameras have raked in around $20 million in revenue since implementing the technology over the last two years.

Longtime business leader Robert Ward, senior adviser to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin since 2023, has been appointed to help state officials in realizing change and modernization.

The Destination Box, called DBX, is a gray storage locker about the size of a parking space and a few feet taller than a person. On top of each box is a large netted area where drones drop off packages.

CIO Bob Osmond said prioritizing system modernization, financial optimization and infrastructure enhancement is essential to providing the best tech resources to agencies and residents.

The U.S. General Services Administration has chosen to collaborate with four states to pilot a text notification platform geared toward enhancing internal and external communication surrounding federal benefits services.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s latest executive order on artificial intelligence targets the use of the technology in the classroom and offers standards to safeguard state databases and individual data.

The $418 million allocation includes contracts with Zearn, Ignite Reading and Lexia to help boost reading and math test scores. Elementary and middle school students statewide will have access to the added technology.

A pair of new studies take an in-depth look at the experiences of residents and businesses in Virginia who have fallen victim to cyber crimes, hoping the findings can inform strong cybersecurity moving forward.

Plus, support for continued ACP funding continues to grow; the FCC adopted final rules on digital discrimination; HUD has unveiled a streamlined enrollment process for the ACP; and more.

Governors Josh Shapiro and Glenn Youngkin have issued new guidance on the use of artificial intelligence technology in state government. Both orders seek to create a more solid foundation for the rapidly evolving technology.

Plus, a new module is added to the Broadband Infrastructure Playbook, Virginia is the latest state to release its five-year broadband action plan, and more.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, which oversees more than 40 transit agencies in the state, has partnered with technology provider Via to give all agencies access to the Remix planning platform.

A failed cybersecurity attack is responsible for Newport News Public Library branch computers being out of operation the past three weeks, with city officials saying they blocked the attack.

Virginia and Maryland are utilizing various workforce strategies to create online training programs, empower agencies with a pipeline of skilled workers and provide existing employees with upskill opportunities.

Virginia CIO Bob Osmond views innovative emerging tech like artificial intelligence as a means to enhance, rather than replace, the work of state IT staff.