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The Federal Communications Commission took the first steps in implementing the first-ever presidential alert for the national Emergency Alert System, when FCC voted last week to run a full test of the system and to provide rules for its use. The alert system is not a new concept, but the …

In a blog posting on the Office of Management and Budget website, OMB Director Jack Lew hailed the recent announcement that the government was “turning the tide” on contract spending. “This administration is doing what has been so elusive in the past:  cutting wasteful spending on contracts and getting better …

What makes for a successful government program? For some, the term might seem like an oxymoron. After all, less than one-third of Americans have confidence that the federal government can solve problems, according to recent Center for American Progress survey. But, with an exhaustive new study, “Doing What Works,” CAP …

The Defense Department wants budding techies to know a successful career in IT and cybersecurity doesn’t have to start in Silicon Valley or at an Internet giant, such as Google. The Army, Air Force and the office of DoD’s chief information officer hosted about 50 area high schoolers at the …

According to an unreleased draft memo, federal agencies have a little less than two months to “fully implement” secure ID cards, Federal News Radio reports. Federal News Radio, which obtained a version of the draft memo, says its release by the Department of Homeland Security is likely imminent. The wider …

The Army is halting ongoing in-sourcing plans, effective immediately, according to a memo from Army Secretary John McHugh released earlier this week. In its place, McHugh said any plans to phase private contractor positions into in-house government ones would have to cross his desk. “In an era of significantly constrained …

“Mythbusting” is no longer just for the Discovery Channel. As part of the administration’s efforts to reform federal IT acquisition, the White House promised agency contract authorities and the private companies they do business with would communicate more frequently. But the first step in that process is dispelling some of …

The stakes were demonstrated in the sweltering summer of 2003, when a blackout powered down the Northeast United States, leaving about 45 million Americans without electricity. And that was an accident. As electric and power companies make increasing gains in modernizing the electric grid,  fears of a hacker sabotaging part …

For the first time in 13 years, the amount of money the federal government spends on contracts declined, Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director Jeffrey Zients said in a phone press conference this week. For fiscal year 2010, the government spent $535 billion on contracted goods and services, down …

Say goodbye to the “naked scanners.” The U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced it will begin testing new software for its advanced imaging technology machines that will eliminate passenger-specific images in favor of detecting potential threat items on a generic outline of a person. TSA Administrator John Pistole, who made the …