Twenty-three small businesses received $5.25 million in contract funds from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to accelerate research efforts for quantum technologies through the first phase of the Small Business Technology Transfer program. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) said Friday it awarded 35 contracts worth $150,000 each during a two-day virtual quantum collider pitch event.

Will Roper, assistant secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics with the USAF and three-time Wash100 Award winner, said the service branch is looking to accelerate collaborative efforts for quantum computing between the public and private sectors through the STTR program.

“We will continue to invest in pitch events like this that expand our government ecosystem by leveraging academia/corporate investment, and look forward to the grand opening of our Quantum Innovation Center of Excellence here in Rome, N.Y., this summer,” said Col. Timothy Lawrence, director at AFRL’s information directorate.

Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, have presented a renewed bill to address the issue of deepfakes, realistic images that may falsely depict people or events via digital manipulation and artificial intelligence.

This new Deepfake Report Act would amend the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to include study requirements regarding the issue, Portman's office said Thursday. The Senate passed a stand-alone version of the bill in Oct. 2019. The newer 2021 Deepfake Report Act is proposed as an NDAA amendment.

The bill would task the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to annually publish reports on technologies that act as domestic and foreign applications of deepfakes. The annual report would also include ways to address those deepfakes.

Other efforts under the bill would aim to inform the masses and lawmakers about how the issue threatens the security of U.S. elections and the nation as a whole.

“As AI rapidly becomes an intrinsic part of our economy and society, AI-based threats, such as deepfakes, have become an increasing threat to our democracy,” Portman said.

Jacobs has launched Jacobs' Virtual Event Space, a fully customized, online and interactive platform, to expand its public engagement solutions, the company reported on Tuesday. 

"Leveraging our global digital solutions capability, we are challenging what's possible today and reinventing a new way forward – providing more accessible, more inclusive, more resilient and lower carbon impact engagement," said Jacobs vice president and Global Digital Market director Dr. Raja Kadiyala. 

Jacobs' Virtual Event Space can be tailored to advance engagement for clients, partners and projects. Jacobs' Virtual Event Space will enable clients to provide stakeholders with an interactive virtual experience, accessible from any computer or mobile device, without the need for virtual reality headsets.

The company’s customized virtual event experience will enable public participation and engagement from any work environment, providing additional accessibility during the global crisis. Jacobs has integrated real time feedback and information gathering sessions for major infrastructure and community developments. 

Jacobs' Virtual Event Space will also provide event platforms to increase meeting safety and allow greater sustainability, while reducing cost. The solutions will offer flexible configuration, an interactive visitor experience, real-time feedback and can be integrated with clients' other digital and social media platforms.

"With the recent restrictions on the way we interact with people, Jacobs specialists have enabled a way for our clients to accelerate and redefine how they connect and consult with stakeholders and end users in the future," Kadiyala added. 

About Jacobs

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

With $13 billion in revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) come up with measurable and specific performance goals and strategies to manage spectrum demands associated with the deployment of 5G networks.

GAO said in a report published Monday that the FCC needs those performance goals to help determine the potential effects of 5G on the "digital divide" or disparity in people's access to telecommunications services.

The congressional watchdog convened experts from industry, consumer groups and academia to discuss the challenges to fielding 5G networks. These professionals mentioned the need of the commercial sector for access to additional mid-band spectrum to avoid 5G deployment delays.

According to the report, mid-band spectrum offers higher data capacity and is better than high-band spectrum when it comes to penetrating physical barriers over long distances. However, the spectrum is highly congested and includes federal agencies as users that may not immediately transfer to new spectrum bands.

GAO also cited FCC’s need for strategic planning to help manage 5G-related spectrum demands. “Without such strategic planning efforts, FCC will be unable to determine the effectiveness of its spectrum management efforts, particularly related to the congested mid-band spectrum that is critical to 5G deployment."