The adoption of wireless communications has grown from 48.7 million subscribers in 1997 to 321.7 million subscribers in 2012. Despite the increased use of this innovative technology, the wireless industry is one of the most heavily taxed in the nation. The U.S. average state and local sales tax for most goods and services is currently […]
Software Management Necessary to Save Taxpayer Dollars
On May 10, 2013, Citizens Against Government Waste hosted a briefing on “Saving Taxpayer Dollars through Better Software Management’ to bring light to the need for sound software procurement policy, particularly in these times of fiscal constraint. The panelists were the former Department of Homeland Security Chief Information Officer and former Chief Information Officer for the Aviation Traffic Organization at the Federal Aviation Administration Steven I. Cooper, and Eric Cho, a procurement policy analyst for the Department of Homeland Security currently on assignment with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The event was moderated by this author.
Slow Progress, but Progress Nonetheless
On May 21, 2013, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced the approval of Amazon Web Services as an authorized cloud service provider for the federal government under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) submitted the application for Amazon Web Services to receive its provisional authority […]
The Proof is in the Metrics
On Tuesday, May 14, 2013, the House Oversight and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operations held a hearing on “Data Centers and Cloud Computing: Is the Government Optimizing New Information Technologies to Save Taxpayer Dollars?” Citizens Against Government Waste’s (CAGW) most recent cloud computing report, the 2012 Federal Cloud Review discussed the potential for savings […]
ECPA Reform Necessary to Prevent Unwarranted Searches
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) was enacted in 1986, long before widespread use of the Internet. Today’s society communicates in a dramatically different manner than in 1986, with an increasing amount of data stored digitally with third party providers.
The Devil is in the Details on STEM Consolidation
There is little doubt that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs are essential to the nation’s ability to compete in the global economy.
ECPA Reform Moves Forward
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) applauds approval by voice vote today of S. 607, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013, by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Spectrum Auction Winners or Losers
The federal government is once again picking winners and losers.
Next Steps for Net Neutrality
With the recent announcement by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski of his impending departure, the new commission chair will take charge of what has been called in The Atlantic Wire as “one of the more powerful regulatory bodies in the United States government.”
DOD and VA Stumble Over Interoperability
The private sector was mandated by the HITECH Act to use an Electronic Health Records Systems (EHRs) that has the electronic capability to exchange key clinical information with other healthcare providers.