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Commerce Dept. ‘Revamping’ BEAD Broadband Support Program
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announced on March 5 that the agency will be conducting a review of the Federal government’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program with an aim to provide internet access for the lowest cost.
Recent News
  1. Judge Blocks Fed Funding Freeze, Cites OMB Overreach
    A Federal district court judge in Rhode Island ruled today to approve a preliminary injunction that blocks the Trump administration from pursuing a freeze on trillions of dollars of congressionally approved grant and loan funding.
  2. 911 Michigan Lawmakers Push for Panic Alert System in Schools
    Two Michigan lawmakers, Sens. Michael Webber and John Damoose, are proposing legislation that would implement mobile panic alert systems throughout the state’s public and nonpublic schools to ensure real-time coordination between schools, 911, law enforcement, and first responders.
  3. St. Louis Schools Adopt App-Driven Student Transport Tech
    Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS), which operates public schools in the City of St. Louis, Mo., has inked a three-year transportation contract with Zum, a provider of student transportation services that feature data-driven routing, driver tracking, and app-driven updating functions through a mobile app.
  1. AI Becoming Strategic Priority for Higher Ed, Cybersecurity Still a Struggle
    A new report from the nonprofit Educause finds that the higher education community is increasingly viewing artificial intelligence (AI) as a strategic priority, but is still facing operational and institutional roadblocks to fully embracing the new technology.
  2. GAO May Take White House to Court Over Funding Freeze
    Gene Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), told lawmakers this week that his agency is preparing to potentially take President Donald Trump to court over his efforts to freeze Federal funding for programs that Congress has already approved.
  3. California Launches Digital Democracy Initiative to Improve Public Engagement
    California Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched a new deliberative democracy program intended to bring Californians together to engage, interact, and share ideas to help shape government services and collectively create policy solutions.
  4. Ohio Completes Highway Patrol Aviation Technology Expansion
    Law enforcement across the state of Ohio now has access to enhanced aviation downlink technology. The new technology allows Ohio State Highway Patrol’s (OSHP) Aviation Unit to transmit live feeds of aerial video footage to command staff on the ground during active, evolving criminal investigations and emergencies.
  1. Sacramento Using Bus-Mounted Cameras to Improve Safety at Bus Stops
    The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is working with the City of Sacramento to launch a Bus Stop Enforcement Program that is aimed at improving safety and accessibility for riders and SacRT employees.
  2. NYC Selects T-Mobile as Carrier for City Operations
    New York City has selected T-Mobile as the carrier network to support city operations.
  3. New York State Missing Thousands of IT Devices Due to Waste, Lax Security
    A new audit from the New York State Comptroller’s office found that the state’s Office of Information Technology Services’ (ITS) has lost thousands of devices due to waste, inventory mismanagement, and lax security.
  4. Ohio’s Human Trafficking Data Dashboard Centralizes Data Sources
    The Ohio Department of Public Safety has created a new human trafficking dashboard that combines data from several state agencies into a centralized location to increase accessibility for the public, policy makers, and researchers.
  5. Old Dominion University Launches AI Platform for Students and Faculty
    Old Dominion University (ODU) has launched MonarchMind, a secure, university-hosted generative AI platform designed for faculty and staff.
  6. Arkansas Bans Student Smartphones During School day
    Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed the Bell to Bell, No Cell Act into law. The legislation bans smartphones and other personal electronic devices like smart watches from all public schools in Arkansas. The legislation will go into effect at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. 
  7. Judge May Rule This Week on OMB Funding Freeze Injunction
    A Federal judge on Friday heard arguments about whether to further block the Trump administration from freezing trillions of dollars in Federal grant and loan programs.
  8. Princeton University Donates Laptops to Correctional Facilities
    Princeton University has donated 52 laptop computers to the New Jersey Department of Corrections to support higher education and digital literacy.
  9. StateRAMP Rebrands as GovRAMP, Cybersecurity Mission Stays the Same
    The cybersecurity nonprofit StateRAMP will transition to GovRAMP. The organization said the rebrand reflects its “ongoing mission to unify cybersecurity frameworks across all levels of government, including state, local, tribal, and educational institutions, while continuing to bridge the public and private sectors.”
  10. Oregon Opens new 911 Software Testing Lab
    Oregon’s State 911 program announced that it has opened a new 911 testing lab which will allow for the testing of new 911 system capabilities in a simulated environment before deploying them in live settings.