Manila Welcomes Locally Engineered Electric “Tram” To the Walled City
The Philippine Department of Science and Technology and Intramuros administration have introduced the country’s first locally engineered electric tram, an 18‑seat low‑speed vehicle operating in Manila’s historic walled city since March 19. Developed jointly by DOST‑NCR, the Industrial Technology Development Institute, the University of the Philippines Diliman and Cagayan State University, the e‑tranvia uses a lithium‑ion battery, an abaca‑fiber composite body and a vintage‑styled exterior to blend heritage with modern sustainability. Each unit costs roughly 2.5 million pesos (about $45,000) and the program aims to expand with additional vehicles for Intramuros, South Cotabato, Cagayan and even Malacañang Palace, while courting private investors for scale‑up. The project is positioned as a pilot for greener urban mobility and a catalyst for domestic electric‑vehicle engineering in the Philippines.
Water Bankruptcy and the Path to Resilient Water Systems in the U.S.
U.S. water utilities face growing risk of “water bankruptcy,” as illustrated by Corpus Christi, Texas, where reservoirs are at historic lows and a desalination project ballooned from $220 million to $1.2 billion before being cancelled. Aging pipes, unpredictable supply and rising industrial...
‘DVLA Is Pushing the Boundaries of AI’
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is rapidly embedding artificial‑intelligence tools into its customer‑service operations. A large‑language‑model now powers ChatGPT‑style searches across 2,500 knowledge articles, helping advisers answer queries faster. In partnership with the Government Digital Service, the DVLA...
Nevada Lacks Laws Governing Automated License‑Plate Reader Cameras
Nevada state lawmakers have not enacted any statutes to regulate automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) cameras, even as Clark County operates at least 200 units and Washoe County 180, with an additional 120 purchased in 2025. Lawmakers and privacy advocates warn...
Administration Releases Cyber Strategy, Executive Order on Cybercrime and Fraud
The administration released a National Cyber Strategy aimed at keeping the United States unrivaled in cyberspace, outlining six policy pillars that stress AI deployment and reduced regulation. An accompanying Executive Order directs agencies to develop plans for dismantling transnational cybercrime...
Singapore: Smart Measures Strengthen Critical Network Resilience
Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) swiftly investigated recent mobile network disruptions affecting the nation’s largest telecom operator, Singtel. The outages, traced to mechanical faults and software challenges, were not cyber‑attacks and are being addressed through coordinated regulator‑provider actions. IMDA’s...
EU Child Abuse Detection Rules Lapse Before 2026 Law
EU lawmakers have days to act. On 3 April, the rules allowing platforms to detect and remove child sexual abuse material expire — and permanent legislation won't be finalised until July 2026 at the earliest. We have been here before. 🧵...
The Ocean’s Enforcement Gap
Governments worldwide have pledged to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, yet many marine protected areas (MPAs) remain unenforced, limiting ecological gains. Research shows that visible, credible enforcement matters more than the sheer size of MPAs. New tools—satellite imagery,...
DHS CISO Departs After Driving AI, Risk-Based Security
Hemant Baidwan stepped down as the Department of Homeland Security’s CISO after a two‑year tenure focused on scaling secure artificial intelligence and accelerating zero‑trust adoption. Under his leadership, DHS transitioned from a compliance‑driven posture to a risk‑based cybersecurity model anchored...
KC-135 Crash in Iraq Spurs Calls for Communications Upgrades
On March 12, a KC-135 tanker crashed in western Iraq, killing six airmen, while a second tanker landed safely in Israel. The tragedy revived calls from former Air Mobility Command leaders to modernize the aging fleet’s communications, highlighting limited battlespace...
Sweden Trials eRoadArlanda: Charging EVs on the Move
Sweden Tests eRoadArlanda Electrified Road That Charges #EVs While Driving by @_fluxfeeds #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation #Tech https://t.co/beRq3hfFwZ
Ann Arbor to Launch Its Own Clean Energy Utility
Ann Arbor, Michigan, prepares to launch its own clean energy utility #energysky -- via Canary Media: https://t.co/BKweRPU2zr
Xplore Asks for Pause on Decision for SpaceX Use of E-Band
Rural broadband provider Xplore has asked Canada’s Innovation, Science and Economic Development department (ISED) to pause approval of SpaceX’s request to use the 71‑76 GHz and 81‑86 GHz E‑band for satellite backhaul. Xplore argues that the World Radiocommunication Conference has not yet...
Illinois Probes Data Center Cost Consumer Protections
Illinois regulators launch investigation into consumer protection against data center costs #energysky -- via pv magazine usa: https://t.co/aw3WBbqTms
Tulsa Public Schools Proposal Seeks $105M for Technology
Tulsa Public Schools’ Proposition 3 seeks roughly $105 million from a $609 million bond to overhaul classroom technology, including $68.3 million to replace laptops and other devices. The district plans a five‑year refresh cycle, but inflation and tariffs have pushed costs up from the...
DOW’s Acquisition Overhaul: From Impenetrable Fortress to Innovation Magnet
The Pentagon is overhauling its acquisition system by replacing traditional program managers with Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs) who oversee capability portfolios. A new Challenge‑Based Acquisition model will post problem statements on a unified marketplace, inviting commercial solutions through flexible contracting....
HHS Finalizes HIPAA Transaction Standard for Health Care Attachments
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a final rule on March 20 establishing a uniform electronic format for health‑care claim attachments under HIPAA, along with mandatory electronic signature requirements. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services projects the...
Strategic Alliance Aims to Accelerate Federally Funded R&D Into Real-World Tech
The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) has entered a three‑year strategic partnership with FedTech to close the gap between federally funded research and market‑ready products. The alliance will list patented lab technologies on the FLC Business portal and task FedTech with...
Virtual Power Plant Demonstration Sets up in Washington, D.C.
Ecosuite and Ecogy Energy have been chosen by the District of Columbia Public Service Commission for a five‑year pilot that tests virtual power plant (VPP) concepts on the city’s grid. The project will install Ecosuite’s open‑source software and edge compute...
Human ATC Errors Cost Lives; Automation Needed
Unpopular opinion: Today two pilots lost their lives because we have an air traffic control system inherently vulnerable to human error. Even great humans make mistakes sometimes. Machines should be issuing clearances, not human controllers.
CFTC and SEC Announce Memorandum of Understanding on Regulatory Harmonization
On March 11, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize coordination across their regulatory domains. The agreement creates a Joint Harmonization Initiative targeting product definitions, clearing and margin frameworks,...
Pendleton UAS Range and Gambit Partner to Deliver Red Force as aService for Counter UAS Testing and Training
Pendleton UAS Range and AI‑focused firm Gambit have teamed up to deliver a Red Force as a Service offering for counter‑UAS testing, validation, and operator training. The integrated capability creates realistic, coordinated multi‑aircraft threat scenarios within a controlled, FAA‑approved airspace,...
US and UK Teaming up to Destroy Underwater Drones
The U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit has issued the Robotic Exclusion and Engagement Framework (REEF) solicitation, inviting commercial solutions to detect and neutralize underwater drones threatening ports and critical waterways. The program seeks AI‑driven sensor suites, sensor fusion,...
Liberia’s National ID Issuance Grinds to Halt over $1.7M Debt to Service Provider
Liberia’s national ID issuance has been stalled since June 2025 after the government failed to pay roughly $1.7 million owed to Techno Brain, the Kenyan firm that operates the country’s biometric registration system. The suspension follows a series of technical glitches,...
Taceo Network Enables ‘Private Shared State’ for Hosting Sensitive Parts of Workflow
Austrian startup Taceo has opened public access to its Taceo Network, a private execution layer that lets organizations run sensitive identity, biometric and payment logic on shared digital infrastructure without exposing raw data. The platform uses coSNARKs, a cryptographic tool...
Age Assurance a Baseline Requirement for AI in New White House Framework
The White House’s new National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence places child safety at the forefront, requiring every AI service likely to be accessed by minors to implement age‑assurance mechanisms. The policy defines age verification as a foundational, privacy‑preserving control...
Even AI-Free Agencies Should Be Standing Up the Data Foundation Now
Civilian agencies are urged to build AI‑ready data foundations before adopting generative or agentic models. The roadmap includes establishing data‑governance guardrails, deploying zero‑trust network segmentation, and upgrading hardware to GPU‑enabled servers with DDR5 RAM. Bandwidth must jump from legacy 1‑Gbps...
UPDATE: March 20, 2026 Deadline for Comments on GSA’s Proposed AI Clause Extended to April 3, 2026
On March 6, 2026 the General Services Administration issued a draft contract clause, GSAR 552.239‑7001, that would embed AI‑specific safeguarding requirements into GSA Schedule contracts. The comment deadline was extended from March 20 to April 3, 2026, and the clause will be considered...
Colorado’s Artificial Intelligence Law Could Be on the Chopping Block
Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed the state’s AI law (SB 24‑205) in 2025, but warned that its complex compliance regime could stifle innovation. The governor’s AI Policy Working Group has drafted a bill to roll back many employer obligations while preserving...
Virginia Presses To Reinstate Social Media Time Limits
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones is urging the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to lift a district‑court injunction that halted enforcement of a state law requiring social‑media platforms to verify users’ ages and limit minors under 16 to one hour...
Port of Gioia Tauro Secures Funding for 5G Network Development
The Port Authority of the Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas secured roughly €2 million (about $2.2 million) from Italy’s Fund for Technological Innovation and Digitalization to build a private 5G network at the Port of Gioia Tauro. The project, which earned a top‑score...
Maryland’s Data Lead Reflects on Ongoing ‘Culture Shift’
Maryland has intensified data‑driven decision making under Governors Larry Hogan and Wes Moore, with Chief Data Officer Natalie Evans Harris describing a statewide "culture shift" toward breaking data silos. The state is building a centralized governance structure and an enterprise...
UK Government Under Fire Over £1.5 Billion Jaguar Land Rover Cyber‑Bailout
The British government has approved a £1.5 billion bailout for Jaguar Land Rover following a high‑profile cyber‑attack, prompting criticism from industry leaders and opposition politicians. The move raises questions about the UK’s cyber‑resilience strategy and the need for a formal incident‑response...
FAA Wants Feedback on UAS Airport and Droneport Integration
The Federal Aviation Administration has opened a public comment period, ending April 22, to gather input on how unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) should be incorporated into existing airports and emerging droneports. The request targets airports, operators, and other stakeholders to...
From Phoenix to Dayforce: Auditor General Warns of Risks
The Canadian federal government is replacing the troubled Phoenix payroll system with the Dayforce platform, a project now projected to cost more than $3 billion USD. An Auditor General report warns that slow simplification of pay rules has led to costly...
Conn. Lawmakers Push for EMS Response Time Transparency
Connecticut lawmakers are advancing SB 238, which would require the Department of Public Health to build an online dashboard that publicly displays EMS response times broken down by geography, call type, and time of day. Current EMS data is two years...
Japanese Operators Join Forces to Launch Emergency Roaming
Japan’s five major mobile carriers—NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank, Rakuten and Okinawa Cellular—are launching a nationwide emergency roaming service called “Japan Roaming” on April 1, 2026. The service lets subscribers temporarily use another carrier’s 4G LTE network if their primary network is disrupted...
New Zealand to Enable Digital ID Credentials, Age Checks via Govt.nz App Wallet
New Zealand will embed a digital identity wallet into the existing Govt.nz app by the end of March 2026, allowing government and private entities to issue credentials directly to users’ phones. The first credential, the Kiwi Access Card, will replace...
Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation at Scale.
In this episode of the Business of Government Hour, host Michael Keegan talks with Jason Wild, co‑author of *Genius at Scale*, about how leaders can drive innovation across organizational and sector boundaries. Wild explains the book’s ABC framework—Architects who build...
Marshall Islands Advances Pacific Connect Cable Project
The National Telecommunications Authority of the Marshall Islands signed an agreement to join the Pacific Connect initiative, adding the Iokwe subsea fiber‑optic cable that will connect Majuro directly to Google’s Halaihai system. Backed by U.S. Trade and Development Agency funding,...
When Publishing Stops Being the Endpoint
Artificial intelligence is now the primary interpreter of local government information, exposing the fact that traditional publishing systems were built for human readers, not machines. Because agency authority, jurisdiction, and update recency are often implicit, AI models frequently misattribute guidance...
As Communities and Policymakers Push Back, Can Batteries Make Data Centers Better Neighbors?
Virginia’s legislature passed a bill that, starting in July, will block air‑quality permits for data centers unless their onsite generators meet federal Tier 4 emissions standards, reflecting growing community backlash over noise, pollution and water use. The measure, which originally required...
America’s Drone Future
The FAA forecasts that nearly two million drones will operate in U.S. airspace within a few years, yet state and local governments lack affordable, real‑time monitoring solutions. Federal proposals such as Part 108 and expanded JIATF‑401 authority aim to tighten counter‑UAS...
The Future of the CA Age-Appropriate Design Code Act- What Remains, What’s Still Open to Be Contested, and What Companies...
The California Age‑Appropriate Design Code Act (CAADCA) faces ongoing constitutional challenges after NetChoice’s lawsuits. In March 2026 the Ninth Circuit ruled that the law’s broad coverage definition and age‑estimation requirement likely survive facial challenges, but found data‑use and dark‑pattern provisions unconstitutionally...
'What We Do and Why We Do It': Pa. FD Launches Podcast to Boost Community Engagement
Valley Regional Fire & Rescue in Butler Township, Pennsylvania, launched a podcast called “116‑The Frequency” in November, hosted by Captain Kenny Cunningham and part‑time firefighter Jack Jones. The show aims to boost community engagement by sharing behind‑the‑scenes stories, answering resident...
How the CPUC Handles AV Permits, Data, and Enforcement (Pat Tsen)
In this episode, Pat Tsen, Deputy Executive Director for Consumer Policy, Transportation, and Enforcement at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), explains how the CPUC regulates autonomous vehicle (AV) passenger services, detailing the permit process, data collection requirements, and enforcement...
Avaya Finds Louder Voice for Mission-Critical Comms Platform
Avaya has launched Nexus, a mission‑critical voice platform aimed at regulated sectors such as public safety, healthcare, financial services and defence. The solution promises always‑on resiliency, hardened security and cloud‑native flexibility, while exposing APIs for AI‑driven transcription, authentication and analytics....
OPINION: Why Good Data Matters More than AI in Transport
Australian transport leader ITS Australia argues that high‑quality, governed data is the true catalyst for AI‑driven improvements on roads. A national research project showed that integrating real‑time vehicle and bicycle data with traditional traffic feeds can predict conflicts, optimise signals...
BigID Achieves FedRAMP Certification Partnering with Knox Systems
BigID has earned FedRAMP authorization through a partnership with Knox Systems, allowing U.S. federal agencies to deploy its data discovery, classification, and AI‑governance platform under federal security standards. The certification validates BigID’s ability to protect CUI, PII, PHI and support...
Irish Government Launches CNI Resilience Plan
The Irish government unveiled a National Strategy on the Resilience of Critical Entities to meet the EU’s Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive, with implementation required by October 2026. The plan targets essential services such as digital infrastructure, water, energy, transport and...