FDIC press release: Banks Resuming Operations in Hurricane-Affected Areas – Chairman to Tour Areas Hit by Storm, Meet with State Banking Commissioners Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: September 2005
Navy’s New Acceptable Use Net Policy
From Federal Computer Week, news that personnel may not access personal email accounts using agency PCs during work without prior approval. Continue Reading
Documents Released on FAA Response to 9/11
National Security Archive press release: “Ten minutes after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) controllers in New York saw United Airlines Flight 175 heading “right towards the city,” [p.13] but thought it was aiming for an emergency landing at… Continue Reading
Congress Approves and President Signs Emergency Aid for Katrina Recovery
From Congress Daily via USCongress.com, “Lawmakers approved a $51.8 billion emergency aid package Thursday, as Republican leaders in both chambers were preparing to formally announce as early as today a delay of budget reconciliation deadlines to give Congress even more time to focus on Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.” Related links: White House press release: On… Continue Reading
Challenge to FBI’s Use of National Security Letter Provision of Patriot Act Gains Ground
Following up on my September 1 posting, Will Librarian Go To Prison Over Patriot Act Challenge?, see this September 9 press release from the ACLU: “A federal judge today ruled that the FBI must lift a gag that is preventing an organization with library records from participating in the Patriot Act debate. The opinion comes… Continue Reading
NARA Announces E-Records Advisory Committee and Contract to Build E-Archives
National Archives Announces Advisory Committee for Electronic Records Archives NARA press release, September 8, 2005: “Today, Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein announced the award of a $308 million, six year contract to Lockheed Martin to build the Electronic Records Archives (ERA) system for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The ERA system… Continue Reading
FEMA Director Replaced in Wake of Katrina Disaster
FEMA chief relieved of Katrina duties – Move follows controversy over Brown’s qualifications, agencys response Related links: Discrepancies Found on FEMA Head’s History Casualty of Firestorm: Outrage, Bush and FEMA Chief (NY Times) Continue Reading
Just How Critical Is E-Government?
Homeland Security’s CTO Says Katrina Was A ‘Failure’ Of Incident Response: “Telecommunications problems, power outages, and slowness to update the department Web site contributed to delays getting aid to people who needed it, says Lee Holcomb, CTO of the Department of Homeland Security.” Continue Reading
Federal Judiciary Emergency Special Sessions Act of 2005
House Unanimously Approves Hurricane Katrina Emergency Courts Legislation (H.R. 3650) – “Bill authorizes federal courts to conduct business outside of geographic domains during emergency.” This bill was signed by the President on September 9. 2005. Continue Reading
Katrina Causes Widespread Damage to Weather Forecasting
Federal Computer Week reported that the government’s weather forecasting capabilities in the areas impacted by Katrina have been significantly impaired due to the severe damage sustained to the majority of its partner, WeatherBug Network’s, facilities. Related links: Some GOP Legislators Hit Jarring Notes in Addressing Katrina Future of Free Access to Net Weather Data In… Continue Reading
FEMA Blocks Journalists From Photographing Katrina’s Victims
Journalist Groups Protest FEMA Ban on Photos of Dead Related links Continue Reading
Net Founder Hired By Google
Google press release: Vint Cerf, a Founding Father of the Internet, Joins Google as Chief Internet Evangelist Interview: Cerf Discusses His Jump To Google Cerf’s Up for Google – Its hiring of Net luminary Vint Cerf signals it may be plotting a stronger push into VoIP and other Web-based telecommunications. Continue Reading
