Policy

Congress Reaches Deal to Fight Robocalls

“It’s time to put Americans back in charge of their phones,” lawmakers said.

Emerging Tech

How Lockheed Martin Is Trying To Link Everything on the Battlefield

Experiment by experiment, the company is weaving aircraft, ground vehicles, satellites, and the rest into a network that will someday give commanders unprecedented decision-support options.

Emerging Tech

China Said It’s Developing 6G. What Does That Mean?

While most mobile users operate on 4G, the country announced two working groups focused on advancing 6G.

Artificial Intelligence

DISA Previews Big Tech Opportunities for 2020

The Pentagon’s IT shop released a list of next year’s contracting opportunities, including 12 worth more than $100 million.

Modernization

Agriculture Funds More than $1 Billion in Projects to Boost Rural Infrastructure

The broadband and electric investments aim to benefit more than 1.5 million businesses and residents.

Modernization

First Small Business Gets Cleared to Accept Task Orders on GSA’s $50B Telecom Contract

The first of three small businesses on the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract got its authority to operate, giving agencies an option outside the big telecom offerors.

Ideas

5G: Investing in a Smarter Alternative 

The U.S. needs to deepen its commitment to research and development and a diverse supply chain.

Emerging Tech

Pentagon to Begin Testing 5G at Four Domestic Installations

The department will release a draft solicitation for the program in November.

Emerging Tech

Army Partners with UFO Researchers to Study Active Camouflage and Other Sci-Fi Tech

The partnership will explore metamaterials, quantum communications, beamed energy propulsion and other futuristic tech for use on the military’s ground vehicles.

Emerging Tech

Weapons Makers Unveil A Herd of Robotanks—As the Army Worries about Battlefield Bandwidth

The U.S. Army is determined to field a mid-sized combat robot vehicle, but the prototypes are outstripping the datalinks that would connect them.

Modernization

GSA Certifies Two More Vendors Ahead of Task Order Deadline on $50B Telecom Contract 

Two more authorities to operate bring the total to five, with four more vendors waiting to get certified to get a piece of GSA’s massive Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract.

Emerging Tech

Agencies Offer Sneak Peeks into Their 5G Plans

From fixing planes before they break to doctors performing surgery in real time from two continents, agency officials are already looking at how faster connections could change their missions.

Emerging Tech

Wi-Fi System Identifies People Through Walls By Their Walk

A new system uses video of a person walking to identify that person through walls using two WiFi transceivers.

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers Propose $1 Billion Purge of Chinese Telecom Equipment

The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act would help small and rural providers pay to replace equipment from Huawei, ZTE and other foreign vendors with safer alternatives.

Podcasts

Critical Update: The Hidden Threats of 5G

Nextgov goes inside the technology that will underpin billions of interconnected devices. 

Cybersecurity

The NSA Is Running a Satellite Hacking Experiment

Low Earth orbit will soon be awash in small satellites, and the national security community is increasingly concerned about their security.

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers Call on FCC to Reexamine Licenses for Two Chinese Telecom Firms

Sens. Chuck Schumer and Tom Cotton fear the state-owned companies present national security threats.

Emerging Tech

Device Offers a Way to Communicate During Disasters

A new tool called “Panacea’s Cloud” could give first responders a way to communicate during a natural or human-made disaster when devices such as cell phones may not work.

Digital Government

NIST Wants Help Investigating Deaths Caused by Hurricane Maria

The agency is specifically interested in how building failures contributed to the fatalities.

Policy

Phone Companies Make Pact with State Attorneys General to Combat Robocalls

As part of the agreement, 12 phone carriers pledged to implement call-blocking technology and to monitor their networks for illegal robocalls.