Roy Mark

The federal government awarded over 650 IT contracts worth more than $60 billion in 2002, according to a report released by research company Input. In terms of dollars awarded, the top five departments combined were responsible for $44 billion in awards. From an agency perspective, the Department of Transportation led the federal government in technology […]

If it’s true that the art of compromise involves crafting a decision that overall pleases no one but has a little something for everyone, then the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling on local phone and broadband competition Thursday is the mother of all of compromises. On a sharply divided 3-2 vote, the FCC ruled on […]

In all the controversy surrounding the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) ruling Thursday on local phone and broadband competition, a little noted provision of the decision involved the phasing out of a rule requiring the Bells to “line share” with competitors. The FCC said line sharing, which allows higher frequency DSL signals to coexist with voice […]

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) says it helped 245 consumers submit comments to the Librarian of Congress and the U.S. Copyright Office requesting protection for certain ordinary uses of CDs and DVDs. The consumer comments support the EFF’s Dec. 18 request to the government to grant four exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) […]

The regional Bell operating companies won one and lost one Thursday afternoon as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made sweeping, dramatic changes in its local phone and broadband competition rules. A sharply divided FCC ruled the Bells will no longer have to share their high-speed fiber lines with broadband competitors but also decided the Bells […]

Barring any last minute political maneuvering, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is scheduled to vote Thursday morning on the latest effort by the regional Bell operating companies to rid themselves of regulations requiring the Bells to lease some or all of their lines to competitors at reduced rates. The vote is set just one week […]

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao on Wednesday electronically signed into action the Labor Department’s E-Government Strategic Plan. The initiative hopes to make government services and products more user-friendly and establish Labor as a federal leader in implementing E-Gov programs. Labor officials said the plan includes more than a dozen programs to be completed […]

A week after sending Americans scurrying to stores for bottled water and duct tape following a heightened security alert, the new Homeland Security Department (HSD) has unveiled a Web site, Ready.gov, as part of HSD’s national publicity campaign for terrorism preparedness. The new site contains information about biological, chemical and radiation threats and explosions and […]

House Government Reform Committee chairman Rep. Tom Davis (R.-Va.) has reorganized the committee to put IT issues under the purview of a new subcommittee. Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) will now handle IT issues through the Technology and Procurement Policy subcommittee. Davis charged the new subcommittee with oversight responsibility for implementation of the E-Gov initiatives, the […]

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced 13 new awards to higher learning institutions under its Scholarship for Service (SFS) program, effectively doubling the number of students that may be trained under SFS as information assurance professionals. The SFS program, generally known as the Cyber Corps, is an outgrowth of a White House initiative to […]

Wireless infrastructure subsystems supplier Andrew Corp. is acquiring Allen Telecom in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $500 million. The Orland Park, Ill.-based Andrew said the deal positions it to support CDMA, TDMA and GSM wireless standards, as well as emerging 3G technologies. Under terms of the agreement, Allen shareholders will receive 1.775 shares of […]

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reports more than half a million Americans have already filed their tax returns through the IRS’ Free File program. The almost 640,000 returns represent about 22 percent of the 2.9 million returns filed electronically so far this tax season. The IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, Congress mandated that […]