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Today's Top Stories
1. HHS mobility strategy shuns Android
2. FCC dedicates $300M to bridge 3G, 4G network gaps
3. Genachowski: FCC on track to meet spectrum milestone
4. Large minority of voters use cell phone to get campaign election info
5. DISA awards iPad, Galaxy tablet contracts Also Noted: Box
The surge of responsive design; United Kingdom to launch international 5G innovation center; and much more...  Follow @fiercegov on Twitter
More News From the FierceMobileGovernment Network:
1. After IWN's cancellation, DOJ continues to push for radio modernization
2. NASA shares tips for using Google+
3. Minneapolis puts Unisys in charge of BYOD
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Today's Top News 1. HHS mobility strategy shuns Android
 The Health and Human Service Department won't buy Android devices, the agency says in a mobility strategy (.pdf) that otherwise approves of BlackBerry, Windows OS-based and Apple iOS devices.
"Android-based devices have not been approved for government use due to the variances in OSs based on the device manufacturer," says the strategy document. In addition, Android devices are currently not certified under the government encryption standard FIPS 140-2, nor in the process of gaining certification, the strategy adds. The strategy was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and published Oct. 8 by GovernmentAttic.org, but the document indicates the strategy has been in place since Jan. 20, 2012. In instances where HHS operating division chief information officers allow employees to use personal mobile devices, employees can use any device they please--so long as the employee pays for the service and the added configurations that ensure security not inherent in the device, says the strategy. The strategy does not explicitly ban the use of Android devices for BYOD, or "bring your own device." It adds that employee-provided devices "can only be used in conjunction with explicit approval" from the division CIO after determining it complies with baseline security requirements. Division CIOs must also pay for the software needed to ensure a secure connection to HHS networks and a FIPS 140-2 compliant enclave or container. The strategy outlines eight security control requirements. At a minimum, a centralized management system must identify the device and associated user, and authenticate that the user has permission to access the device and its data. For government-furnished devices that means the Central BlackBerry Enterprise Service, Exchange ActiveSync service or a third party mobile device management solution. Personally-owned devices must use a secure enclave or container in place of an MDM. All mobile devices must also use an eight-character password which includes capital letters, numbers and special characters to access the device or the secure container, says the strategy. The devices or the contents of the container should be locked after six consecutive, failed password attempts, it adds. The division CIO is responsible for determining when two-factor authentication is necessary. Two-factor authentication for government-furnished devices should use HHS public key infrastructure certificates, personal identification verification cards, hardware tokens or two-factor soft tokens, says the strategy document. -->READ THE FULL ARTICLE Related Articles:
DoD releases comprehensive mobile strategy
VA happy to follow on BYOD, says Baker Read more about: GovernmentAttic.org, MDM
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2. FCC dedicates $300M to bridge 3G, 4G network gaps
The Federal Communications Commission announced Oct. 3 the winners of a reverse auction to build out 3G and 4G wireless networks across 83,000 miles of road, spanning 31 states. The infrastructure investment will close coverage gaps, according to the agency. "For too many, dead zones in mobile Internet coverage are too common," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski in an Oct. 3 statement. Winning companies are required to complete their infrastructure projects within 3 years and make networks available to other providers for roaming--to maximize the benefit to consumers. The $300 million in Mobility Fund awards went to bidders promising the lowest cost-per-mile prices for build out. As such, many were smaller, rural providers such as Alabama-based Pine Belt Cellular, Inc. and Vermont-based VTel Wireless, Inc. T-Mobile and some other larger players are involved, however. Allied Wireless received more than $45 million to cover 4,400 miles of road, and U.S. Cellular secured $30 million to provide coverage on more than 1,700 miles of road. For more:
- read the FCC press release
- read the public notice Related Articles:
FCC adopts LTE for national public safety broadband network
Spotlight: DHS competition aims to oust LMR in favor of 4G LTE Read more about: 4G, Pine Belt Cellular
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3. Genachowski: FCC on track to meet spectrum milestone
The Federal Communications Commission is on schedule to free up licensed and unlicensed spectrum for broadband as laid out in the National Broadband Plan. "We are on track to exceed our first benchmark of freeing up 300 megahertz of spectrum by 2015," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski during an Oct. 4 address before the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. "We're hitting the lion's share of our marks. A small number of potential opportunities haven't panned out, but a number of new opportunities have opened up," added Genachowski, according to his prepared remarks. The plan also called for the FCC to free up 500 MHz of spectrum by 2020, but without saying whether or not the commission was tracking to meet that milestone, Genachowski said 500 MHz might not be enough. Since the Obama administration issued the National Broadband Plan in 2010, the emergence of 4G LTE and tablets have "turbocharged mobile demand," he said. "Even as we work to meet the 500 MHz 2020 goal, we should remember that the clock won't stop in 2020, and data demand will continue to increase," said Genachowski. The FCC is bringing new spectrum online by focusing on traditional auctions, removing regulatory barriers to flexible spectrum use, clearing new bands for flexible broadband use and dynamic sharing, said Genachowski. The commission also plans to enable sharing between commercial broadband and military radar systems by enabling 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 gigahertz band. Better sharing could lessen the functionality and price gap between government and commercial communications equipment, said Genachowski. Federal agencies using shared bands will be able to tap into the global supply chain for commercial wireless equipment, he added. For more:
- listen to archived audio of Genachowski's remarks
- read Genachowski's speech before University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School Related Articles:
Spectrum sharing faces skepticism
FCC will act on PCAST spectrum recommendations
White House proposes public and private sector spectrum sharing Read more about: FCC
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4. Large minority of voters use cell phone to get campaign election info
 Registered voters who use their cell phones to get information about the 2012 election are the minority, albeit a substantial one, finds the Pew Research Center.
In the results (.pdf) of a poll published Oct. 9 based on landline and cell phone surveys of 1,005 adults in late September (margin of error ranges between 3,7 and 4.3 percentage points), Pew says 88 percent of registered voters own a cell phone of some kind. Of those, 27 percent have used their device this election campaign to keep up with election news or with political issues in general. Roughly half (48 percent) of cell phone-owning registered voters says their device is a smart phone--and among them, the most common political activity (at 45 percent of that group) is to read other people's comments regarding a candidate or campaign on a social networking site. The second most common (35 percent) is to use a smart phone to look up whether something they just head about a candidate or a campaign is true or not--perhaps confirming an unexamined thesis that feels correct based on anecdotal evidence that at least 35 percent of smart phone owners can't participate in normal conversation without interrupting it to "check something" on their device. Political apps play a minor role in connecting voters to candidates, the poll finds, since only 8 percent of registered voter smart phone owners have actually downloaded a campaign-related app during this election season. The Pew poll found no great variance between Democrats or Republicans in their responses, although those who self-identified as "liberal" (as opposed to "moderate" or "conservative") are slightly more likely to own a smart phone, use text messaging, and to use their phone to get political news. For more:
- download the Pew poll, "The State of the 2012 Election--Mobile Politics" (.pdf) Related Articles:
Presidential campaign apps FAIL
Presidential campaigns set up short code donations
Most Americans don't politic on social media sites Read more about: American elections, social media
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5. DISA awards iPad, Galaxy tablet contracts
The Defense Information Systems Agency awarded Sept. 26 two contracts for tablet devices to be used in a Defense Department mobility pilot. AT&T Mobility received a $393,708 award for third-generation iPads with 4G capability and 32 gigabytes of storage. Verizon Wireless secured a $155,976 contract for Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablets with 16 GB of storage. Both contracts, posted to FedBizOpps Oct. 4, also cover carrier access. In an explanation (.docx) of why the contract competition was not fully open, DISA notes that only AT&T, Verizon and Sprint support Defense Information Systems Network services. It also noted the mobile device management capabilities that Apple and Samsung provide on their devices. In particular, DISA highlighted Samsung's partnership with MDM market leaders to provide such tools on its devices. The contracts are part of the third phase of DISA's mobility project, which runs from November 2012 to March 2013 and includes a goal to deploy 1,500 Android and iOS mobile devices. By the end of the phase, DISA intends to have deployed 10 to 12 enterprise apps on an initial app store, the agency said (.pdf) in June. The competition was also limited because the three carriers control the majority of continental U.S. cell towers. The agency says that in the second phase of the mobility project, there have been problems with cell coverage and smaller carriers do not have enough cell towers to provide the service it needs. The final phase of the project is planned to run from April to August 2013 and culminate in DISA having deployed 6,500 Android and iOS devices. By then, the agency intends to have completed an app store and instituted an MDM solution. For the final phase DISA can open competition up among the carriers' resellers, which it calls a "major breakthrough" compared to the first two phases of the mobility project. For more:
- go to the AT&T award notification on FedBizOpps
- go to the Verizon award notification on FedBizOpps
- download DISA's justification for other than full and open competition (.docx) Related Articles:
DoD releases comprehensive mobile strategy
iPhone 5 in DISA's sights
Defense officials: Mobility key to retention, productivity Read more about: Samsung, tablets
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Also Noted | This week's sponsor is Box. | | Government IT leaders are increasingly turning to cloud-based solutions that centralize and control information, as well as meet the needs of today's highly mobile and collaborative workforce. Learn how Box delivers on the promise of cloud and mobility with secure collaboration that mitigates risk and reduces the cost of maintaining legacy file servers. Download this overview today!
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> The surge of responsive design. Post (MobileGov Blog)
> Android app development growing at a faster rate than iOS. Chart (GigaOm)
> Implications of the T-Mobile, MetroPCS merger. Article (InfoWeek)
> Taiwanese government asks iOS maps to obscure missile defense system. Article (The Next Web)
> United Kingdom to launch international 5G innovation center. Article (WSJ)
> Which tablet offers the most secure BYOD experience? Article (Lifehacker) And Finally… Who made the escape key? Article (NYT) > Whitepaper: Mobile Device Management for Box Accounts Government today is increasingly collaborative and highly mobile, with a growing number of workers accessing agency content outside the office. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management reports nearly 114,000 federal employees, or 5.7% of the federal workforce, spends some time teleworking. A comprehensive mobile strategy isn’t a nice-to-have, anymore – it’s a necessity. Learn how Box can help. Download this Whitepaper today! > Whitepaper: Empowering Your Mobile Workers Today’s most productive employees are mobile, and your agency’s IT strategy has to be ready to support them with easy, reliable, 24/7 access to the information they need, across a broad range of communication devices. Learn how your agency can meet the many needs of your mobile workers - without overwhelming your IT department. Download this whitepaper now! > Survey: Federal IT Reform Please take a moment to participate in our brief 15 question 'Federal IT Reform Survey' where we will take a look at security policies, compliance concerns and budget management issues. All participants will receive a free summary report and we will donate $5 to Fisher House in support of military families for each of the first 100 completed surveys. CLICK HERE to get started. | ©2012 FierceMarkets This email was sent to ignoble.experiment@arconati.us as part of the FierceMobileGovernment email list which is administered by FierceMarkets, 1900 L Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 628-8778.
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