As the new school year gets underway, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it has received requests for $5.137 billion to fund 9.1 million connected devices and 5.4 million broadband connections as part of the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. As a result of demand, the FCC said it was opening a second filing window for funding requests.

Shortly after announcing it was moving to online learning due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, Rice University in Texas learned that there was an issue with the COVID-19 tests the school was using.

Just as the fall semester has gotten underway, Rice University in Texas announced that the school will move to online instruction for at least the first two weeks of the semester.

State and local government IT spending in the United States is projected to total near $120 billion in 2021 – up about 10 percent on a year-over-year basis – and rising to $122 billion in 2022, according to figures published by Government Technology earlier this month.

As the school year gets underway, the K-12 Cybersecurity Act passed in the Senate.

Loyola University Maryland received a $54,852 grant from the Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Foundation to expand outdoor WiFi service for its main Evergreen campus, expanding learning beyond university buildings.

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report cites estimates from Department of Defense (DoD) officials that defense contractors have over $4 billion in paid leave costs that are potentially eligible for reimbursement under the CARES Act.

Top executives of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and CompTIA’s Public Technology Institute (PTI) briefed state and local government officials on July 28 about the latest trends in security, funding, and technology.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation July 20 to help bridge the digital divide in the state by investing $6 billion in expanding broadband infrastructure and services for unserved and underserved communities.

The City of Houston announced the launch of its new 311 platform that will enable citizens to more easily access city information and report non-emergency issues.