Bill aims to improve communication between first responders

Several senators are co-sponsoring legislation to authorize $3.9 billion for a national architecture to enable wireless communication among first-responder agencies.

Subcontractor plans may be added to past FAR performance evaluations

Government contractors would be evaluated on past performance as well as on how they handled subcontracts, under a proposed rule change to the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Lieberman decries duplicative anti-nuke efforts at DHS

Creating a new Domestic Nuclear Detection Office that reports to the Homeland Security secretary is a "stovepiped" strategy that is likely to undermine DHS' existing scientific research, according to Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.).

Private eyes, public gains

Sitting at a sidewalk cafe in London recently, Alan Lipton, chief technology officer of ObjectVideo Inc. in Reston, Va., noticed an outdoor video camera pointed in his direction. But Lipton felt no anxiety about prying eyes.

Retailers join DHS information network

Retailers are among industry groups being invited to join a recent incarnation of the federal Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) intended for critical infrastructure owners and operators and designed to share unclassified information to guard against terrorism.

L-3 responds to mismanagement allegations

L-3 Communications Inc. today rebutted allegations by the inspector general of the General Services Administration that a company it owns mishandled a federal contract to install and integrate surveillance cameras and sensors along U.S. borders.

Senate DHS bill moves forward

A Senate Appropriations subcommittee has approved a $30.8 billion budget for the Homeland Security Department for fiscal 2006?a cut of 3.5 percent from the $31.9 billion departmental budget passed by the House last month.

Biometric passport requirements delayed

Officials in Europe now expect the United States to ease its requirement that all 27 visa-waiver countries begin issuing biometric passports by Oct. 26.

Study finds slowing e-gov adoption

The Presidential e-Government Initiatives have lost steam because people still prefer to interact with agencies over the telephone, according to a new report.

DHS seeks info to get ID management off the ground

The Homeland Security Department is looking for ideas on how to launch a major enterprise-level Identity Management Project for its 180,000 employees, as well as for state, local and federal contractors and officials.

Skinner: DHS IT systems not ready should disaster strike

The Homeland Security Department is not adequately prepared to recover its IT systems following a disaster, according to DHS acting Inspector General Richard Skinner.

SAIC ponders IPO to fund acquisitions

Science Applications International Corp. is considering changing its long-standing tradition of employee ownership and sponsoring an initial public offering to raise cash for acquisitions.

Agencies move to fine-tune emergency XML

A group of emergency management agencies and IT industry representatives, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are moving to refine their Extensible Markup Language protocol for emergency public warnings.

IGs to investigate major homeland security deals

Major homeland security IT contracts awarded to Northrop Grumman, Accenture and Unisys are among IT programs coming under scrutiny by Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General.

Too easy to identify

The nation's new electronic passports may be more vulnerable to privacy breaches than government officials originally claimed.

DHS Ops Center creates a hub of opportunities

By federal standards, a $38 million price tag for a computer networking project is relatively small. But the Homeland Security Department's plan to expand information networks at its operations center next year could bring a substantial payoff to contractors down the road.

Sun buys into fast-growing storage market

Sun Microsystems Inc.'s $4.1 billion purchase of Storage Technology Corp. is taking place against the backdrop of a rapidly growing data storage industry.

New home for Information Sharing Environment draws criticism

President Bush's decision to place Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte in charge of the Information Sharing Environment will reduce the powers of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, one critic says.

AT&T unit takes on IP transition project

AT&T Government Solutions has won a contract to plan the move of the National Communications Systems' existing emergency telecommunications service onto a new Internet Protocol network.

Cox tapped for SEC post

President Bush today picked House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) as the next leader of the Securities and Exchange Commission.