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FCC Seeks to Streamline Satellite Application Review Process; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted
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FCC Seeks to Streamline Satellite Application Review Process; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted

The Federal Communications Commission has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking as part of efforts to streamline its process for reviewing earth station and satellite applications.

FCC said Wednesday it will solicit feedback on a plan to allow licensees to apply for more than one unbuilt non-geostationary satellite in a given frequency band. They will also field comments on timelines for assessment of applications and how to handle omissions and inconsistencies in applications.

The commission has proposed to allow the consideration of satellite applications requesting to waive the Table of Frequency Allocations to facilitate operations in a frequency band without an international allocation.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the proposed rulemaking seeks to speed up the process of putting earth station and satellite applications on public notice and that the commission wants input on rule changes that would reduce the need for waivers that complicate the review process.

“This is just one part of the licensing process, but it matters. Because keeping our rules and our structures at this agency current is how we can support the United States leadership in the growing space economy,” Rosenworcel added.

The proceeding is part of the commission’s Space Innovation agenda. In November, Rosenworcel announced plans to establish a space bureau to meet the needs of the satellite industry.

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Senate Confirms Rob Shriver’s Appointment as OPM Deputy Director
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Senate Confirms Rob Shriver’s Appointment as OPM Deputy Director

Rob Shriver, an experienced Office of Personnel Management senior official, has received Senate confirmation to serve as deputy director for OPM.

The office said Tuesday Shriver previously worked as associate director for employee services, responsible for leading OPM’s government-wide human resources policy team.

In his new role, Shriver will work alongside OPM Director Kiran Ahuja to advance the office’s missions.

“I have no doubt Rob has the full support of our colleagues and will work every day to strengthen the agency, promote innovation, and accelerate modernization for the Federal workforce,” said Ahuja.

Shriver will build on his years-long experience with OPM. During the Obama administration, he served as deputy general counsel for policy and as assistant director for national healthcare operations.

His career also includes time with the National Treasury Employees Union, where he worked as assistant counsel.

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Randy Nixon Named CIA Open Source Enterprise Director
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Randy Nixon Named CIA Open Source Enterprise Director

Randy Nixon, a career intelligence analyst, has assumed the role of director of open source enterprise at the CIA.

Jennifer Ewbank, deputy director of CIA for digital innovation and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, announced Nixon’s appointment in a LinkedIn post published Wednesday.

Ewbank said Nixon’s leadership will be key as the agency advances the development of capabilities in the field of open source intelligence.

Nixon most recently served as director of digital futures within the CIA’s directorate of digital innovation. In this role, he was responsible for bringing in technology platforms to support missions, driving partnerships with the private sector and streamlining the tech procurement process.

He also held the role of director within the agency’s office of advanced analytics.

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Marines Aim to Field New Multichannel Radio Tech by FY 2024
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Marines Aim to Field New Multichannel Radio Tech by FY 2024

The U.S. Marine Corps expects to begin deploying a new multichannel handheld communications system in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024.

USMC awarded L3Harris Technologies a 10-year, $750 million contract in January to manufacture radios and equipment to integrate the system into Humvees and Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.

Marine Corps Systems Command said Wednesday the branch’s program to acquire and field a multichannel radio family of systems is aligned with the Joint All-Domain Command and Control implementation plan developed by the Department of Defense.

“These new radios will provide the fleet with many new options in configuring communications and network pathways while leveraging newer, more secure waveforms,” said Richard Sessions, program manager for communications systems at MARCORSYSCOM.

Sessions estimates the service will save at least $82 million through the contract.

“Beyond that, we’ve negotiated 10 years of support and an agreement to allow our Marines to do Level 3 maintenance without voiding our warranty. That isn’t something a radio vendor has allowed before,” he added.

Guidehouse Declares Organizational Changes for 2023; Scott McIntyre Quoted
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Guidehouse Declares Organizational Changes for 2023; Scott McIntyre Quoted

Guidehouse will implement several organizational changes across multiple departments in the new year, effective January 1.

These changes represent a part of the strategic efforts Guidehouse has undertaken to evolve the company, the McLean, Virginia-based organization announced on Thursday.

“As we move into 2023, these changes will enhance our capabilities to address clients’ complex issues, promote quality and create opportunities for our people,” commented Guidehouse CEO and six-time Wash100 Award winner Scott McIntyre.

As part of the restructuring, the enterprise’s global investigations and compliance sector will be rebranded and repositioned as financial crime, fraud and investigation services. The department, which was previously part of Guidehouse’s financial services segment, holds a staff of experienced former prosecutors, regulators and compliance officers, as well as technology experts, forensic accountants and consultants, who offer financial crime, forensics, fraud prevention, detection and resolution services.

Ellen Zimiles, who formerly led the financial services division, will oversee the rebranded unit, which will provide services to the company’s clients across all Guidehouse sectors. Sal LaScala will remain the head of financial crime, fraud and investigation services with a focus on the financial services segment.

Further leadership changes include the return of Bill Lewis, who retired from the company in 2021, to serve as the financial services segment leader. In this role, he will collaborate with the segment’s current leaders, Chris Sicuranza and Sherlonda Goode-Jones, who will continue supervising the firm’s commercial banking, insurance and capital markets and public sector financial services businesses.

Guidehouse will also integrate its energy, sustainability and infrastructure segment with its state and local governments segment. Chris O’Brien, who currently administers the state and local governments sector, will head the combined departments while Jan Vrins, the current energy, sustainability and infrastructure department leader, will be in charge of the segment’s growth.

The newly merged business unit will center around market and industry harmonies in the areas of transportation, environment, energy, economic development and regional governance.

McIntyre said that the new segment structure will enable Guidehouse to successfully achieve its goals, deliver strong client services and promote innovation within the firm.

Guidehouse Declares Organizational Changes for 2023; Scott McIntyre Quoted

Guidehouse is a platinum sponsor of the upcoming Potomac Officers Club Annual CIO Summit in April. The event will bring together top GovCon CIOs to provide valuable insights into information technology problems and solutions. To learn more about the event and register to attend, please visit the Potomac Officers Club events page.

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Army’s Unified Network Design Goals Take Shape; John Morrison Quoted
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Army’s Unified Network Design Goals Take Shape; John Morrison Quoted

Military and industry participants of the ninth Technical Exchange Meeting this year used the event’s platform to discuss the U.S. Army’s network modernization design goals to match future operational environments.

Held in Nashville, Tennessee, TEM 9 attendees took into consideration the electronic warfare-contested battlefield as one of the defining elements of the Army’s unified network of 2030.

The two-day event gathered nearly 1,000 stakeholders from the Army, joint service, and the defense industry to talk about the network modernization Capability Set 25 and 27 design goals. Aside from operations and management, experts focused on zero trust architecture, data centricity and agnostic and resilient network transport.

CS25 prototypes are designed to support data delivery at the point of need. Among them are automation technologies that can enhance the C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards by using cards embedded with interconnectivity capabilities. CS27 design goals include the use of zero trust principles to migrate from coalition Mission Partner Networking to a true Mission Partner Environment. The transition will forgo the need for establishing new shared space for every new mission.

“Near-peer threats operate in cyberspace at a very high level, and we need to acknowledge that and build a network that enables [joint] and coalition operations, with the flexibility to maneuver it and to defend it,” Lt. Gen. John Morrison, U.S. Army deputy chief of staff G-6, said in his keynote speech.

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NSF Program Selects 16 Teams Focused On Sustainable Materials R&D
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NSF Program Selects 16 Teams Focused On Sustainable Materials R&D

The U.S. National Science Foundation granted funding to 16 Phase I multidisciplinary research teams as part of its Convergence Accelerator program for sustainable material innovations.

NSF announced Monday that aside from its $11.5 million investment, the Australian government’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation will also provide funding and deploy Australian researchers to two of the projects.

“Creating environmentally – and economically – sustainable materials and products is critical to our future. The use-inspired solutions in which we are investing in today will advance the circular design of materials and manufacturing processes to reduce pollution and waste,” said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships.

The following awardees are involved in one or more projects selected by NSF.

  • Battelle Memorial Institute
  • Black & Decker
  • Cornell University
  • IBM
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Oregon State University
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • University of Alabama
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Florida
  • University of Georgia Research Foundation

Australia’s University of Wollongong and Western Sydney University are participating in one of the projects led by re:3D, a manufacturer of industrial 3D printers based in Texas. Research Foundation for the State University of New York will partner with the University of Queensland in another project.

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NASA Adds 4 Antennas to Near Space Network to Enable Terabyte-size Data Transmission
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NASA Adds 4 Antennas to Near Space Network to Enable Terabyte-size Data Transmission

NASA has added four global tri-band antennas to its Near Space Network of government- and private-owned space communications infrastructure.

The new antennas were launched to bolster direct-to-Earth communications for the benefit of science and exploration missions that gather massive amounts of data, the space agency said Tuesday.

The four ground stations were set up in Fairbanks, Alaska; Wallops Island, Virginia; Punta Arenas, Chile; and Svalbard, Norway. They feature S-, X-, and Ka-band capabilities and incorporate delay/disruption tolerant networking to ensure the transmission of critical data to their destination. Their installation will enable missions that use NSN and enhanced instrumentation to send terabytes of information back to Earth.

The antennas in Chile and Norway were developed in cooperation with Kongsberg Satellite Services. The Virginia and Alaska stations were built by NASA.

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Appeals Court Upholds Lower Court Decision Against Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate
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Appeals Court Upholds Lower Court Decision Against Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate

A U.S. appeals court on Monday rejected the White House’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for federal contractors in a 2-1 ruling, Reuters reported.

The U.S. Appeals Court for the 5th Circuit upheld a lower court ruling against the Biden administration’s requirement for contractors to ensure that their personnel are vaccinated against coronavirus in compliance with the September 2021 executive order.

The court’s majority opinion authored by Judge Kurt Engelhardt stated that a broad interpretation of the mandate could provide the president “nearly unlimited authority to introduce requirements into federal contracts.”

According to the Department of Justice, the executive order was lawful due to the Procurement Act.

In October, the Office of Management and Budget and the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force announced that they would release guidance documents to agencies on how to handle vaccine protocols in anticipation of the aftermath of a court decision that partially lifted the ban on the federal contractor vaccine mandate.

OMB and the task force also called on federal agencies not to take any measures to enforce the vaccine mandate until all the guidance documents were issued.

GSA Releases $300M Initial Funding Round for Green Renovation of Federal Facilities
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GSA Releases $300M Initial Funding Round for Green Renovation of Federal Facilities

The General Services Administration has distributed over $300 million in funds to support various construction and renovation projects through the Inflation Reduction Act, which will accelerate the administration’s efforts towards a net-zero emissions federal building portfolio.

As the first investment under GSA’s pledge to spend $3.4 billion to improve federal infrastructure, the project is intended to catalyze clean energy innovation and achieve domestic clean manufacturing through the integration of emerging technologies and low-carbon materials into these projects, the administration announced on Monday.

“We’re moving forward on the clean, electrified federal buildings of tomorrow,” said Andrew Mayock, White House chief sustainability officer. 

“As our country’s largest energy consumer, taking bold action to modernize the way we build, buy and manage federal operations creates good paying jobs in places that need them and helps us reach our nation’s climate goals,” he emphasized.

The first batch of construction and renovation projects to receive funding will use sustainable technologies as well as asphalt, concrete, glass and steel with low-embodied carbon content. Collectively, they are expected to offset approximately 120,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and save the U.S. government $35 million in energy costs over the next 20 years.

Facilities chosen for the initial funding round include the San Luis I Land Port of Entry in Arizona, Federal Center HHS-FDA Laboratory in Lakewood, Colorado, John C. Kluczynski Federal Building in Chicago, Illinois, Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building in Detroit, Michigan, Charles Evans Whittaker U.S. Courthouse in Kansas City, Missouri, Frank E. Moss U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah and Lewis F. Powell, Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Richmond, Virginia.

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