The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced an interagency agreement to coordinate the distribution of Federal broadband deployment funds.

Data is at the center of the new race for technological superiority, however, data without analytics, automation, and technical know-how are just numbers on a page. Agencies need new approaches and on June 30 at a ‘Getting Gov the Right Data Skills’ webinar, Federal data experts revealed one method is to upskill an agency’s data workforce.

The New Orleans Parish Communications District (OPCD) partnered with Citibot to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) powered 311 chatbot – dubbed “Jazz” – to streamline information sharing and improve customer service, the City of New Orleans said on June 15.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), in coordination with a consortium of 35 wireless communication corporations, announced the fourth testbed in a diverse portfolio of large-scale wireless research platforms located throughout the United States. This wireless research platform is intended to drive innovation in rural broadband connectivity in Ames, Iowa.

California CIO Amy Tong this week unveiled a state IT modernization plan, creation of a new technology innovation office, and a series of broadband initiatives at the California Department of Technology’s (CDT) annual Vendor Day program.

State and local governments are on the front lines of delivering economic recovery from the pandemic. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley emphasized the role technology will play in helping cities and states come back from the pandemic recession faster, stronger, and more equitably during a live webinar on June 15.

Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Angus King, I-Maine, introduced a bipartisan bill that aims to close the digital divide and promote “digital equity” utilizing $250 million in annual grants, according to a press release.

The Education Department released guidance this month which intended to provide strategies for the safe operation of higher education institutions, as well as address the impact of COVID-19 on higher education students, faculty, and staff. Among other issues, the guidance specifically addressed helping higher education navigate online learning in a pandemic and broadband and device access for students, faculty, and staff.

Denver is hopping on the app-based voting bandwagon ahead of the 2020 elections.

In times of emergency, state governors have regularly called in the National Guard, for reasons such as assisting the recovery after natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or to suppress protests in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014. If voting systems are under siege, should they do the same?