Tech

Senator pans federal contract for traffic information site

Contract has allowed one company a long-term monopoly over data collection, Utah Republican claims.

Oversight

Ousted hurricane center chief defends request for new satellite

Head of NOAA says Bill Proenza was reassigned because he wasn’t showing good leadership.

Tech

Science, tech advocates eye increased federal resources

House and Senate appropriators are supporting substantial funding boosts to National Science Foundation education programs.

News

Health IT for veterans gets notice in New Orleans

Mayor Ray Nagin says the city supports rebuilding the VA hospital downtown.

Tech

Panelists discuss cyber threats, government response

Agencies are making significant investments in security, but need to be more proactive at preventing data breaches, security firm official says.

Tech

Panelist notes politics of putting agency information online

Policies are in place for agencies to put public records on the Internet, but agencies are Web-averse, open government advocate says.

Oversight

Tech firms wary of push for contracting reform

Companies contend cost-reimbursement contracts are necessary to complete work in emergency situations, and for research and development.

Tech

Survey: Unauthorized teleworkers a security risk

Report recommends that agencies audit unofficial teleworkers and give them the same home computer security training and equipment as official teleworkers.

Tech

Rules lacking over access to executive branch info

Congress can use tools such as control over agency budgets to encourage disclosure, report notes.

Tech

Librarians use 'wiki' for updates on EPA consolidation

Site is designed to address confusion about the agency’s plan to shift to a primarily digital library setup.

Tech

Mandated 'smart cards' affect tech contractors

In October, agencies had to start issuing standard IDs for all employees and contractors to use in accessing facilities or anything connected to a government computer network.

Tech

Agencies prepare for new telecom services

Citizens who communicate with the government will not see changes, but will benefit from tighter security and various enhancements.

Tech

NASA employees object to data-gathering actions

Agency officials say they are following President Bush’s rules and that requirements are consistent with those across government.

Tech

Probes highlight problems with agencies’ e-mail storage

Multiple agencies are moving toward electronic records-management systems for e-mail, but most still rely on paper-based recordkeeping.

News

Senate gears up to debate FDA drug safety system

Many agree that additional drug safety surveillance is needed, but design of system has watchdog groups concerned.

Defense

Denmark, U.S. military on parallel paths to e-health

Currently, the U.S. military health information exchange can send records to VA treatment centers but cannot receive records from the VA.

News

New hacker techniques threaten agencies

Hackers are constantly concocting new types of malicious software, auditors say.

Tech

Ex-Official: Education database had history of lax security

University officials are concerned lenders are mining the database to obtain private information for marketing products to students.

Tech

FDA's Web overhaul won't inform public, critics say

Transformation is designed to streamline Web operations, expand agency's "reach and effectiveness.”

Tech

Trust and logistics key to standard employee ID cards

It will take several years to enroll everyone in program to give credentials to federal employees and contractors, observers say.