Census and Handhelds Back in the News

It's been a while since Nextgov reported on the Census Bureau's troubled plan to use handheld computers to help count households during the 2010 decennial census. Last time we checked, Census and handheld contractor Harris Corp. were close to reaching an agreement over the contract's final cost and had improved their working relationship.

Over the last week, however, a couple different reports have resulted in the issue once again showing up in the papers. First, the Fayetteville Observer reported that Census field workers in North Carolina are testing the Harris handhelds. There are no doubt many people on the Hill who will be checking the Observer for any news on their performance.