A new survey from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) finds that state chief information security officers (CISOs) have gained considerable strength and authority over the past few years.

Did you know the average IT worker spends up to 10 hours a week – that’s one whole financial quarter per year – on completing manual tasks that should be automated? These are tasks like onboarding and offboarding users, name changes, department changes, password resets, etc.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has issued a request for information (RFI) intended to gather recommendations and ideas for how to provide affordable, quality, and reliable internet service options that meet the needs of communities most burdened by the digital divide. The city’s goal is to improve access to high-quality internet and internet adoption for residents living in historically underinvested communities.

Twenty-three more Tribal entities have been awarded more than $600 million in the latest round of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative, according to a press release published on Oct. 11.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced that applications are now open for $95 million in funding to expand high-speed internet access across the state. The funding will be part of the Connect Maryland Network Infrastructure Grant Program. The Connect Maryland initiative is designed to expand the state’s investment in broadband and help close the digital divide.

The overwhelming majority of parents and educators believe it is necessary to have online educational technology in place to prevent students from accessing harmful or explicit content. New polling from Morning Consult found that parents and educators alike have significant concerns for student mental health and a high level of support for schools using online technologies to help keep kids safe.

The City of Pittsburgh, along with Allegheny County, Pa., has launched the Pittsburgh Digital Equity Coalition (PDEC), which is tasked with producing and implementing a five-year plan to close the digital divide in the region by the end of 2027.

At its fall conference in Louisville, Ky., this week, the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO), with the support of Grant Thornton, published its 2022 annual state CIO survey – entitled The People Imperative – with workforce challenges emerging as a pervasive theme in both the report and at the conference.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the tentative agenda for its October Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Oct. 27, at which the agency plans to consider a notice of proposed rulemaking to strengthen the operational readiness of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts, including by reducing the vulnerability of these systems to cyberattacks.

State CIOs and about 900 of their closest vendor friends gathered once again for the National Association of State CIO’s (NASCIO) 53rd annual fall conference October 9-12 in Louisville, Ky. – with hints of both autumn and possibly employment changes in the air.