Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Friday, March 14, 2008
Compiled by Melanie Bender

Bush Calls for Tighter Cybersecurity

USA Today

The increase and severity of data breaches in the United States in the past year have prompted Bush to recommend a 10 percent increase in cybersecurity funding for the coming fiscal year, to $7.3 billion. That's a 73 percent increase since 2004.

FCC Defends Its Database, Management Tools

InformationWeek

The Federal Communications Commission responded to a 53-page Government Accountability Office report that says the commission doesn't properly collect and analyze data, making it impossible to analyze the effectiveness of its enforcement. According to employees, the FCC has made some changes toward improvement and the GAO report is based on old information and inaccuracies.

D.C. Subway Moves Toward Cell Reception in Tunnels

The Washington Post

Metro is taking the first step toward building a new wireless system that would let all riders talk on their cellphones while riding the subway after years of customer complaints that only Verizon users can get reception underground. This network also would also support Metro's plan to provide real-time information and advertising on flat-panel monitors in rail cars, train stations and buses.

Project Management Skills Still in Short Supply, CIO Council Finds

Federal Computer Week

A CIO Council Information Technology Workforce Capability Assessment issued on Thursday found that the number of respondents who said they are project managers decreased by 3.4 percent since 2004, and their proficiency in the skills necessary has remained largely unchanged.

Congressman Issues Warning Over Contractor Bill

Washington Technology

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Thursday passed the Contractors and Federal Spending Accountability Act, and Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) is warning this could result in the removal of prominent government contractors.

Maxwell Air Force Base Has High-Tech Aims

The Montgomery Advertiser

The 754th Electronic Systems Group at Gunter Annex has changed its approach to cybersecurity. Recognizing that the enemy will, at times, access military networks, the group aims to protect information from within.

Md. Governor Joins Tech Tax Opposition

The Baltimore Sun

Gov. Martin O'Malley threw his support behind a growing effort to repeal a $200 million tax on computer services. The governor, a Democrat, said it was unfair to expand the sales tax to just one industry and echoed the sentiments of many lawmakers who believe the application of the levy was not thoroughly vetted when it was approved in November.

Cyber-Curious Seniors Explore the Digital Age

The Baltimore Sun

Senior citizens once adverse to the technology have begun exploring e-mail and instant messaging to stay in touch with friends, children and grandchildren. To aid them in their quest, senior centers, retirement communities and long-term care facilities have opened Internet cafes and have begun offering classes to teach older Americans what many of them swore they would never need.

FBI Found to Misuse Security Letters

The Washington Post

The FBI has increasingly used administrative orders to obtain the personal records of U.S. citizens rather than foreigners implicated in terrorism or counterintelligence investigations, and at least once it relied on such orders to obtain records that a special intelligence-gathering court had deemed protected by the First Amendment, according to two government audits released Thursday.