The federal government spends more than $80 billion annually on information technology (IT), with more than 75 percent of this spending used on operations and maintenance of existing legacy IT systems. On May 17, 2017, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2227, the Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2017 (MGT Act).
Trade Negotiations Should Review Findings of Special 301 Report
During President Trump’s campaign and throughout his first 100 days in office, there was a great deal of discussion about tearing up or renegotiating various trade agreements, especially the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. President Trump announced on April 27, 2017 that instead of withdrawing from NAFTA, as he often suggested during the campaign, he would instead renegotiate the agreement. While the President may be focused on what he views as unfair trade practices and their impact on jobs, he must not forget about intellectual property (IP) rights.
FedRAMP Gets a ReVAMP
The need to modernize federal information technology (IT) is being taken seriously by the Trump administration. One of the President’s early White House appointments was for Reed Cordish to become Assistant to the President for Intragovernmental and Technology Initiatives. He has also created the White House Office of Innovation, headed by Senior Advisor Jared Kushner, and has met with more than 100 business leaders and government officials to discuss issues related to technology.
Free File Should Remain Free
Members of Congress and big-government advocates who believe bureaucrats know best just cannot tolerate private sector success. For example, the well-established and popular Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File program, which provides taxpayers that make under $64,000 annually with an option of 12 tax preparation companies to file their taxes at no cost, is under attack.
New Bill Opens Discussion on Music Rights
On April 5, 2017, Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) introduced H.R. 1914, the Performance Royalty Owners of Music Opportunity To Earn Act of 2017 (PROMOTE Act). This legislation would grant sound recording copyright owners the exclusive right to prohibit the broadcast transmission of sound recordings by means of terrestrial radio stations. While […]
Restoring State Authority for Lifeline
In another sign of better times for taxpayers and consumers at the Federal Communications Commission, Chairman Ajit Pai is taking steps to address jurisdictional problems created by his predecessor, Tom Wheeler, regarding the Lifeline program. Citizens Against Government Waste has long reported on problems with the program, which is supposed to provide low-income households with […]
The Sky Is Clearing, Not Falling, on Internet Privacy
The hysteria and hyperbole about online privacy needs to stop following House passage of S. J. Res. 34, which invoked the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to rescind the Federal Communications Commission’s Privacy Order. The legislation simply begins to restore the status quo for privacy rules that had been in place for decades prior to the […]
The Risky Business of Federal IT
Information technology (IT) has consistently been a top priority for Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) since it was founded in 1984 following the release of the Grace Commission report. The commission found that the federal government’s computer systems were outdated and incompatible, and much more needed to be done to upgrade and improve the efficiency of federal IT.
Time to Address FCC’s Privacy Order
There is a point where over-regulation can lead to uncertainty. Such is the case with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Privacy Order. While the protection of individual privacy is important, the FCC’s Privacy Order, adopted on October 27, 2016, imposes a burdensome set of restrictions on providers and throws consumers a confusing set of options to decide how […]
Supporting the Petitions for Reconsideration of the FCC’s Privacy Order
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