Tag Archives: telecom

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released a request for comment on the agency’s plans to launch a $3.2 billion program aimed at providing discounted broadband services to low-income Americans. The agency will direct participating telecommunications providers to provide a monthly discount of up to $50 for eligible households. Tribal lands will be eligible for up to $75 in monthly slashed rates

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has formally implemented rules under the 2019 Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act aimed at reimbursing telecommunication providers’ equipment that pose risks to national security. FCC said Thursday that the reimbursement program might require a least $1.6B in funding to replace risky communications equipment purchased after Aug. 14, 2018.

Allen Hill, acting deputy assistant commissioner for category management at the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Office of Information Technology Category, has said that agencies must expedite their respective Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) transition efforts. Thirty percent of federal agencies have finished issuing EIS task orders as of Sept. 30th, according to the report.

Jim Russo, technical lead for the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) program at the General Services Administration (GSA), has said that agencies must modernize their systems through the EIS contract to support post-pandemic telework needs. 

A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report has found that stakeholders must address 5G network infrastructure implementation risks in areas such as spectrum availability, privacy, cybersecurity and public health. “As with previous generations of mobile wireless technology, the full performance of 5G will be achieved gradually as networks evolve over the next decade,” the report states.

Payman Sadegh has been appointed as chief data officer (CDO) with the General Services Administration (GSA). Sadegh will succeed Kris Rowley, the first appointed CDO, who left the agency for the private sector March 31 after serving a seven year tenure. In the interim, deputy chief information officer, Beth Killoran, served as acting CDO.

The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) has launched an effort to brief federal agencies on how to protect the government supply chains against threats from Chinese companies. William Evanina said the center partnered with NIC within the ODNI to drive information-sharing efforts and protect the federal supply chain.

A House panel has approved $24.6 billion in funding for the departments of the Treasury and Judiciary as well as the Executive Office of the President and independent agencies like the Small Business Administration.

Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Tom Carper, D-Del., have issued a report stating that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should conduct more stringent foreign ownership reviews with a specific focus on Chinese telecommunications carriers. 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is looking for input on a proposed rule to reimburse eligible telecommunications carriers that deployed components from blacklisted firms as part of the Universal Service Fund program.