Advanced Technology Academic Research Center, an innovation-focused nonprofit, has opened a new laboratory to help federal agencies study emerging technology markets, the Fedscoop reported Tuesday.

ATARC stood up the Trusted Internet Connections 3.0 Test Lab at a collocation facility owned by Equinix, a California-based real estate firm. The nonprofit will allow agencies to evaluate technologies at the laboratory over a two-week free period. Agencies may continue work at government facilities after testing.

The laboratory is designed to facilitate tests for software, pilot infrastructure, email service systems, government-furnished technologies and network designs. ATARC’s effort also coincides with the Office of Management and Budget’s release of new TIC guidelines.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is investing $73 million in 35 research and development projects on bioenergy. The selected projects aim to reduce the cost of biofuels and produce valuable output from waste resources, DOE said Tuesday.

“The main goal of DOE’s bioenergy R&D is to produce affordable biofuels that are compatible with existing fueling infrastructure and vehicles across a range of transportation modes, including renewable-gasoline, -diesel and -jet fuels,” said Rick Perry, secretary of energy.

The country’s potential to produce 1 billion tons of biomass without agricultural market disruption may allow for the production of 50B gallons of biofuel and other energy-related output, according to DOE.

The National Security Agency has established a cybersecurity directorate to consolidate the agency’s cyber defense and foreign intelligence operations. NSA said Monday that the new directorate will handle information sharing and other collaborative efforts between the agency and its partner entities in an effort to streamline activities such as risk assessments and threat intelligence.

According to NSA, the directorate will initially work on strengthening the security posture of critical infrastructure and other national security assets. As part of its first activities, the directorate will  focus specifically on protecting the nation’s weaponry and defense industrial base. NSA also intends to pursue workforce-related efforts to support the directorate.

John Zangardi, chief information officer at the Department of Homeland Security, said he considers turning DHS’ new headquarters in southeast Washington, D.C., into a 5G facility, FCW reported Tuesday.

“I’ve talked to industry about this, and one of my goals is to take our campus at St. Elizabeth’s and turn it into a 5G campus. That would reduce the number of devices” employees need, Zangardi said Tuesday during a panel discussion at a Northern Virginia Technology Council event.

He said he believes 5G is one of the “coolest” emerging technology platforms that could offer potential benefits to border security, airport and law enforcement missions.

Aaron Weis, the newly appointed chief information officer of the U.S. Navy, has said he will leverage his nearly three decades of private sector experience and his time as a senior adviser to the Department of Defense’s CIO to oversee the service branch’s information technology efforts, Fifth Domain reported Tuesday.

“Being able to operate at OSD … to shepherd the development of the digital modernization strategy that came out of DoD CIO, as well as the enterprise cloud strategy — lot of that is timely and I think it’s relevant context for what we’re going to have to face and deal with here at [the] Navy,” he told reporters at the Pentagon.

Weis mentioned how industry helps promote accountability with regard to cyber and IT performance and the Navy’s need for a guiding strategy.

“I think it’s accountability along with the ability to move the levers around funding and operational elements along with a guiding vision strategy that we need to be able to apply here,” Weis said.

As Navy CIO, Weis will be responsible for four directorates: chief information security officer, chief digital officer, chief technology officer and chief digital strategy officer.

Hughes Network Systems announced on Tuesday that TMC has named the Hughes HT2000L Multi-Path Terminal as winner of its 2019 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award.

“The future of business is hyper-connected. Virtually all distributed enterprises – such as quick service restaurants, convenience stores and gas stations – span urban, suburban and remote locations that all require secure, reliable and scalable Internet connections,” said Dan Rasmussen, SVP of North America Enterprise for Hughes. “The HT2000L meets that need with a single, plug-and-play device that delivers broadband speeds as either a satellite modem, an LTE modem or both.”

The HT2000L provides connectivity for both satellite and LTE services in a single hardware terminal; either operates as the primary network path or as back-up, with automatic failover switching between the two paths.

“Hughes is honored to be recognized for this innovation in multi-path networking and performance optimization technology,” Rasmussen added. “Our commitment to going the extra mile to deliver value to our customers inspires us to innovate industry-defining solutions.”

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in broadband satellite technology and services for home and office. Its flagship high-speed satellite Internet service is HughesNet, the world’s largest satellite network with over 1.4 million residential and business customers across North and South America.