The Federal Communications Commission aims to transition to an updated Electronic Comment Filing System by late June to boost public engagement with the commission.

Alison Kutler, FCC consumer and governmental affairs bureau chief, and David Bray, FCC chief information officer, wrote in a blog post published Wednesday that the move supports the agency’s efforts to update its information technology systems.

Kutler and Bray said public comment and feedback from other stakeholders helped drive the modernization effort.

“[The] public expects to be able to easily submit comments in digital form and to have convenient access to all the other input received by the Commission, and the Commission needs a robust system capable of meeting the public’s expectations,” they said.

ECFS has evolved to provide a public interface for litigation on formal complaints, submission of rulemaking petitions and transfer-of-control applications and other filings, Kutler and Bray wrote.

FCC has used a beta version of the updated ECFS and engaged with stakeholders to receive input on how legacy systems can be altered to meet current requirements.

The new cloud-based ECFS design provides the same features as the previous model along with updated usability, reliability, process, efficiency and accessibility functions, the FCC officials added.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed Christopher Hetner, a cybersecurity lead under SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, as senior adviser on cybersecurity policy to SEC Chair Mary Jo White.

SEC said Thursday Hetner will oversee efforts to implement cybersecurity policy across the agency, collaborate with external stakeholders and help update SEC’s market risk assessment mechanisms under the new role.

“With the cyber field steadily evolving and expanding, it is imperative we continue to enhance our coordinated approach to cybersecurity policy across the SEC and engage at the highest levels with market participants and governmental bodies concerning the latest developments in this area,” said White.

“We are very fortunate that Chris will take on this important role where he will apply his expertise and decades of experience in information security.”

Hetner currently serves as cybersecurity lead for OCIE’s technology control program and manages OCIE’s cybersecurity efforts and advises on enforcement activities.

The 20-year information security veteran joined SEC from Ernst and Young, where he led a team that advised on and delivered cybersecurity and risk management systems.

He also held information security roles at GE Capital and Citigroup.

Soldiers from the U.S. and U.K. army have participated in a cross training on signal systems in Bramcote, England, in an effort to build up network interoperability and communications as part of a military exercise, the Army said Wednesday.

William King writes military personnel from the U.S. Army’s 44th expeditionary signal battalion installed two line-of-sight systems and two secure internet protocol router/non-secure IPR access point satellite terminals, also known as SNAPS, in order to facilitate voice and data sharing across shared networks during the Stoney Run exercise in Bramcote.

Stoney Run is an annual signal exercise between the U.S. and British army that aims to test their network and communications systems, King wrote.

According to the report, service personnel from the British army’s 250th Gurkha signal squadron briefed U.S. soldiers on U.K.’s line-of-sight and satellite signal systems and will receive logistical support from 44th ESB as part of the signal exercise that will conclude on June 13.

Pfc. Jordan Johnson, a SNAP operator under 44th ESB, said the signal exercise between the two NATO allies will help service personnel achieve military readiness.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is asking interested organizations to provide tools and technical expertise for a program that aims to mitigate the effects of an enterprise data corruption incident.

NIST said in a notice posted Wednesday on Federal Register the agency’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence aims to produce a security architecture equipped with multiple components that will work to help companies recover databases, operating systems, user files, custom applications and software configurations from events that corrupt data.

Prospective participants will collaborate with each other and NIST personnel under the Data Integrity Building Block project through a consortium cooperative research-and-development agreement, the agency noted.

Each participant will also be asked to train agency personnel on how to operate commercial technology during capability demonstrations as part of the program.

NIST intends to back development of interfaces among tools of participating companies by providing them staff  support and access to information technology infrastructure, laboratory and office and collaboration facilities.