Podcast
Priorities Podcast
Hosted by StateScoop · EN
Each Wednesday, StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast explores the latest in state and local government technology news and analysis. Listen to in-depth conversations with government and industry’s top executives, and learn about trending stories affecting state and local IT leaders ranging from modernization and digital accessibility to the latest advances in generative artificial intelligence.
30episodes
Episodes
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The pole problem: A hidden challenge for BEAD deployment
4d ago00:27:32Summary readyMichael Santorelli of the New York Law School said the BEAD program will involvle as many as four million utility poles across the country, and complex regulations and rules around their use could slow dow broadband deployment. Santorelli joins the podcast to discuss the his organization's recent report that evaluates the problem with utility poles when it comes to BEAD deployment. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.
SummaryChief AI officer role is ‘part strategy, part operator, part change leader’
2w ago00:22:32Summary readyChief AI officer role is ‘part strategy, part operator, part change leader’ A growing number of states are hiring officials whose primary job is to ensure the considerate deployment of artificial intelligence. In Oklahoma, that’s Tai Phan, who last November was named the state’s first chief artificial intelligence and technology officer. Phan said the role is unique because AI is infused into all aspects of his state’s enterprise technology. “This is one sport, if you will, that requires everybody to be involved: legal, procurement, risk, cybersecurity, policymakers. We’re increasingly seeing a need to get those leaders involved early on because the decision for AI should be done collectively, and it does take a village to drive the transformation well,” he said on the Priorities Podcast. “This role is no longer a technical role, at least in Oklahoma. It’s part strategy, part operator, part change leader.” Phan said building trust around AI is also a key part of the job, a challenging task, but also one that’s “fun to do.” This week’s top stories: Several state technology officials last week brought before a House Homeland Security subcommittee a request that Congress reauthorize funding for the expired State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and renew cybersecurity programs inside the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that have been decommissioned under the Trump administration. Colin Ahern, New York State’s director of security and intelligence, said “our states are on the front lines of multiple cyber conflicts, yet we are being asked to manage nation-state risks while our federal partners step back.” The Trump administration’s Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council is proposing one of the most significant restructurings of federal disaster response in decades, a shift that could dramatically expand the responsibilities of state and local emergency management agencies. A report published by the council this month calls for expanded communications systems and new systems for tracking assets across the various levels of government. California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week signed an executive order directing agencies to prepare workers, small businesses and the public for the potential economic disruption brought on by artificial intelligence. The order directs agencies to study potential labor market shifts tied to AI adoption, including layoffs, hiring changes and skills gaps. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.
SummaryThe digital divide is shrinking, but 'there's still a long way to go'
3w ago00:33:46Summary readyLopez and Varn discuss how states are implementing BEAD while dealing with uncertainty, technical debates around the program and the core challenge of access versus adoption.
SummaryWill we return to the 'golden age of FEMA'?
4w ago00:30:36Summary readyThe Federal Emergency Management Agency could be headed for one of the biggest overhauls in its history. Samantha Penta, associate professor at the University of Albany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, describes for the Priorities Podcast what it might look like for the nation to return to what she called the “golden age of FEMA.” This week’s top stories: Code for America, the civic tech nonprofit, has announced it's partnering with Anthropic, the developer of Claude, to build new AI-powered tools aimed at helping government caseworkers navigate public benefits policies. The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General has warned the public about a man falsely claiming to be the state’s chief technology officer, both at national conferences and on online platforms. California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week launched Engaged California, a public participation platform designed to gather resident feedback on how artificial intelligence is affecting workers, government services and the broader economy across the state. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.
Summary'Now is the time to build bridges,' says Code for America CEO
May 600:25:54Summary readyThe civic tech nonprofit Code for America is hosting its annual summit, in Chicago, this week. Amanda Renteria, the group’s chief executive, said the event is “one moment you get in community on this marathon,” the marathon being the long stretch of challenges facing government technology leaders: changing budgets, changing federal policy and new technologies that are both offer promise and challenge agencies. “Now is the time to build bridges,” Renteria said on the Priorities Podcast, adding that joining the event is a way for people who work on services for the public to see that “you can do technology for people first.” Top stories this week: A guidebook published Tuesday by the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity at UC Berkeley provides a thorough look at the various state-led and community-led cybersecurity efforts that have grown more common in recent years. The guidebook shows that such groups, like regional security operations centers and state cyber corps, provide vast economic benefit wherever they’re established. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of State on Tuesday announced that the agency filed a lawsuit against Character.AI over its artificial intelligence-powered companion chatbots impersonating medical professionals. One of the chatbots, according to the suit, even provided a fake license number. Gov. Abigail Spanberger last week announced she’s selected David Wilkinson, a former Obama White House official, to serve in her Cabinet as Virginia’s chief transformation officer. In a press release, Wilkinson said he plans to deliver “practical solutions on the issues that matter to Virginians.” New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.
SummaryThe nation's public safety communications is at a crossroads
Apr 2900:21:54Summary readyThe House of Representatives this month approved legislation that would extend the legal mandate of the FirstNet Authority through 2037. Such a long-term authorization would come with both “a positive and a negative impact,” according to Paul Rosenzweig, a lawyer who served in the Department of Homeland Security’s policy directorate about two decades ago, when the idea of a fully interoperable public safety communications network was still being formed. The advantage, he said, would be a “better planning certitude” and the ability to stick to long-term policy plans. The downside: “We don’t know what’s next. We don’t have a real sense, for example, of how deployed artificial intelligence might impact communications technologies.” Rosenzweig thinks FirstNet is “great,” but like others, has noticed that sometimes — like during a widespread outage on Feb. 22, 2024 — it isn’t living up to the industry’s performance expectations. This week’s top stories: The number of state CISOs who described themselves as “extremely” or “very” confident in their ability to secure the government’s data has plummeted, from 48% in 2022, down to 22% this year. This and other findings were published on Monday in a report detailing a recent survey of state chief information security officers, conducted by the National Association of State CIOs. Alabama has promoted Aaron Wright, the state’s director of application development, as its first chief artificial intelligence officer. Wright’s appointment comes two years after Gov. Kay Ivey signed in an executive order creating a generative AI task force. More than 80 groups representing schools and libraries last week called on the Federal Communications Commission to reject the proposed creation of an online bidding portal for its E-Rate broadband subsidy program. The groups argued a new requirement to use the portal would deter schools, libraries and ISPs from participating in E-Rate. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.
SummaryHow Utah’s AI policy office is laying the foundation for governance
Apr 2200:20:38Summary readyZach Boyd, director of the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, said in a recent interview that he’s trying to “lay the foundations for AI governance.” His office doesn’t regulate or enforce AI policy, but acts as “a developer of legal frameworks” and “manager of pilot” projects in the private sector. Body said he thinks successful AI policy will come from including many different types of stakeholders and focusing on “what went wrong, not who did wrong.” “Our philosophy is that no one is going to have the whole answer,” he said, “and we have to be bold and put out some attempts first, but then also be listening really carefully to understand the consequences of our decisions and make modifications rapidly.” This week’s top stories: The Department of Justice has delayed the compliance dates for its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, giving states and large cities an additional year to bring their digital assets and content into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Philadelphia has published a new data dashboard aimed at helping city agencies coordinate efforts to revitalize the low-income neighborhood of Kensington. One official said the effort is part of Mayor Cherelle Parker's vision to create a government the public can "see, touch and feel." Veritone, the AI company, on Tuesday announced a partnership with the nonprofit Cold Case Foundation, lending the group new technology that’s hoped to help solve old cases. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.
SummaryMeet Texas's new CIO, Tony Sauerhoff
Apr 1500:24:48Summary readyTony Sauerhoff has been serving as Texas’s interim chief information officer since January, after Amanda Crawford, the former statewide CIO, stepped down. Last month Gov. Greg Abbott removed Sauerhoff’s interim status, leaving him to head the state’s IT policy work, from AI to cyber. “I think AI is going to play a big part of where we're headed and what we're focused on going forward,” he said on the latest episode of the Priorities Podcast. This week’s top stories: Two nonprofit civic tech outfits, the Center for Civic Futures and the Recoding America Fund, this week announced a new, $10 million round of grant funding aimed at repairing states' benefit systems. Organizers said the goals are "reducing administrative burden, closing enrollment gaps and improving the experience of both benefit recipients and government staff." The Supercomputer Center at the University of California San Diego last month powered on a new data hub called the California Wildfire Commons, playing a central role in helping the state modernize how it shares and uses wildfire data. Late last month, Oklahoma’s governor signed into law a new consumer-focused bill offering residents new data rights, though one data-privacy expert said that there are some industry trends that could supercede some of the changes. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.
SummaryLawsuits, soundwaves and broadband — A look at state IT's latest headlines
Apr 800:24:27Summary readyThe fire department of San Bernardino County, California, is testing a new firefighting technology that uses low-frequency sound waves, rather than water or chemicals, to suppress flames. The Paiute Tribe of Bishop, California, on Thursday became the first group to connect to the state’s middle-mile broadband network when it linked its education and community centers. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the state’s Board of Public Works has announced a new resource-sharing agreement to expand the state’s middle-mile fiber network — an extension valued at $3.5 million, but that will only cost the state a fraction of that amount. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health last month settled a class-action lawsuit by a handful of Android users who claimed that the state had worked with Google to automatically install a COVID-19 contact-tracing app on their phones, and the phones of more than one million others, tracking their locations and transmitting their personal information. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.
SummaryMeet CODE PA's new executive director
Apr 100:17:07Summary readyThe Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience, Pennsylvania’s digital services bureau, also called CODE PA, has a new executive director. Sara Hall recently took over the office, with plans to build on the “strong foundation” built by Bry Pardoe, now the state’s chief information officer, she told the Priorities Podcast. Hall said the office is busy as April’s federal accessibility compliance deadline approaches and the state closes in on several projects she’s excited about, including permitting and identity platforms designed to unify agencies in one digital location: “These are solutions that can scale across agencies instead of building one-offs.” This week’s top stories: A majority of Americans want stronger oversight of the data practices of all levels of government, according to a report published Tuesday by the nonprofit advocacy group Center for Democracy and Technology. The group’s report was based on a survey, which also found that nearly 8 in 10 support holding government agencies accountable for privacy violations. Nevada’s technology agency on Monday announced the hire of Bertrum Carroll, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, as the state’s new chief information security officer. Carroll most recently spent eight-and-a-half years at the workers’ compensation insurance firm Employers, where he was CISO and a vice president. Technologists with the New Jersey Innovation Authority last week announced major upgrades to the state’s in-house generative AI assistant. The assistant, which launched in 2024, now includes more transparent responses, conversation control and built-in trainings. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.
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