The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the National Archives and Records Administration establish a way of ensuring that small agencies have strategies in place for improving electronic records management.

GAO said in a report released Monday that 14 of the 17 agencies it reviewed had records management programs while three are yet to establish their own. Most of the 14 agencies do not have policies in place for fully implementing electronic recordkeeping functions and establishing system controls, according to the watchdog.

The report states that while NARA provided guidance to agencies identified as high-risk for improper records management, the government component is yet to ensure that such agencies fully address requirements such as the proper preservation of emails through self-assessment programs.

NARA officials have said that they conducted follow-up efforts with the high-risk agencies but did not proactively require such entities to address records management vulnerabilities.

Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington, D.C., said U.S. adversaries have been developing technologies designed to attack satellites, National Defense Magazine reported Monday.

The think thank recently published a report that tackles the four different aspects threatening U.S. space assets: kinetic physical, non-kinetic physical, cyber and electronic.

Kinetic physical threats directly come into contact with a satellite, and non-kinetic threats include lasers that do not require direct contact to destroy targets, said Todd Harrison, director of CSIS’ Aerospace Security Project.

Kaitlyn Johnson, the project’s associate director, said China has made a ground-based missile-like system designed to strike satellites operating in orbit.

Electronic threats jam a satellite’s signals, and cyber threats endanger the data within those signals. Russia has engaged in the development of GPS-spoofing technology, the report referenced from the Center for Advanced Defense Studies.

FirstNet, an AT&T subsidiary, has announced new capabilities to first responders across the country as coronavirus (COVID-19) has continued to spread throughout the nation, FirstNet reported on Tuesday.

“Now, agencies spanning law enforcement, fire, EMS, healthcare, hospital emergency departments, emergency management and 911 operations can stay up-to-date with smartphones for life at no additional cost and know their responders’ devices are up to the task when the next emergency strikes,” said Jason Porter, senior vice president, FirstNet Program at AT&T.

With FirstNet’s solution, FirstNet Ready, the technology will enable agencies to use free smartphone devices to connect them to critical communications when and where they need it. The COVID-19 health crisis has provided nationwide high-speed broadband communications platforms dedicated to America’s first responders.

Developed from the ground up specifically for and with public safety, FirstNet Push-to-Talk (PTT) is the first-ever nationwide mission-critical standards-based push-to-talk solution to launch in the U.S. We tested the FirstNet PTT solution with public safety agencies across the country, including the Cranford Police Department in New Jersey.

“Reliable communication is critical. It must work. It must be there when we need it. And it must be crystal clear because we don’t have time to repeat ourselves or introduce room for errors in fast-changing situations or when lives are on the line. Our experience with FirstNet Push-to-Talk has been excellent. On more than one occasion, FirstNet PTT allowed us to effectively communicate when our traditional systems failed,” said Captain Guy Patterson of the Cranford Police Department.

For first responders serving rural, remote and tribal communities, HPUE could significantly increase the coverage area. For urban and suburban first responders, this could help address the common challenge of indoor or below ground coverage.

The stronger signal will provide increased availability to meet mission needs for users who are connecting from hard-to-reach places like basements, elevators, stairwells, and parking garages, and helping first responders reliably communicate inside and out.

“First responders deserve a dedicated communications partner that can provide the tools they need, when they need them, and that’s exactly what they’re getting with FirstNet,” added Porter.

Viasat and Visiontec, a Brazilian-based satellite products distribution company, have partnered to provide fast, reliable internet service to residential homes across Brazil, Viasat announced on Tuesday.

“By broadening our relationship with Viasat, we can help more Brazilians get access to a premium internet service that will offer greater capabilities for people to be productive and entertained online. We see this expanded partnership as a win for everyone,” said Antonio Carlos de Moraes, business development director, Visiontec.

The partnership will enable Viasat to integrate its services in its residential service go-to-market strategy from assisting in sales engagements to providing quick in-home installations and on-site technical support.

Under the joint venture, Viasat’s local field services teams will train Visiontec’s vast network of distributors, dealers and installers to quickly meet the demand for high-speed residential internet service in the country.

Bruno Soares Henriques, Viasat’s Brazil commercial director commented, “We have partnered with Visiontec, to help us better understand the market’s needs. We look forward to officially launching high-speed, high-quality residential internet service shortly—and delivering a premium internet service even to the hardest-to-reach locations.”

Upon completion of the launch rollout, Viasat will be able to reach 100 percent of the Brazilian continental territory, through Visiontec’s in-market sales, fulfillment and technical support expertise.

The partnership was first announced in June 2019. Since then, Visiontec has successfully installed Viasat’s satellite broadband equipment in over 11,000 fully operational sites across Brazil, including at remote schools, hospitals and government facilities. Viasat’s ground network and infrastructure has used bandwidth from the Telebras SGDC-1 satellite to deliver satellite internet services.

“Viasat’s advanced technology and service capabilities will help Brazilians, located coast-to-coast, join the digital ecosystem—which is critically important in today’s world,” concluded De Moraes.

About Viasat 

Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. For more than 30 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate. Today, the Company is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people’s lives anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea.