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.
40episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
NTIA plans to restore Digital Equity Act funding, but what comes next?
4d ago00:17:55Summary readyAfter the Trump administration canceled the Digital Equity Act last May, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance sued the federal government. Now, more than a year later, there’s a path toward restoring at least some of that funding. In a joint status report filed last week, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration said it plans to reopen the program and restore funding — a development that could give communities and organizations working to close the digital divide some much-needed clarity. But for Angela Siefer, executive director of NDIA, the potential restoration doesn’t undo what was lost during the past year, when programs were disrupted and communities were left uncertain about the future of federal digital equity funding. “I find it kind of surprising that those who care about competitiveness have not recognized how important it is that we bring everybody along on this journey,” she said. “And so when the Digital Equity Act was canceled, it was a blow, not just to the NDIA and to all of our affiliates, but I feel like to the whole country because we really were on a path to be able to more clearly define which strategies work in which communities and under what circumstances.” Top stories this week: A recent audit of Oregon’s decades-old prison information systems found that the aging tech threatens the corrections department's ability to manage its prisons safely. The audit, which was released by the Oregon Secretary of State, found that the decades-old mission-critical systems that support inmate records, sentencing, parole and probation, security operations and other core functions pose growing operational risks if they are not modernized. The auditors argued that the decades-old systems threaten the department’s ability to manage prisons safely, collect meaningful operational data and implement reforms. They urged state lawmakers to take action and make modernization a priority. As the 2026-2027 school year gets underway, the nonprofit Consortium for School Networking on Monday released a new, free guide to help school districts navigate the growing number of state and local policies regarding screen time and technology use in schools. A number of states, including Alabama, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah, have new rules on the books this school year, with some mandating districts institute written technology use or screen time policies with minutes-based use, or directing them to develop their own rules around things such as designated lesson use, AI use and age-appropriate use. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom on Tuesday announced the launch of a statewide Teen Tech Council, to give young people a bigger role in shaping conversations around technology, social media and digital wellness across the Golden State. The council’s launch comes as debates over youth technology use increasingly move beyond social media to include AI tools, online safety and the role of technology in schools. 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.
SummaryWater utility cyberattacks product of expedient decisions, IT staff shortages, experts say
2w ago00:31:43Summary readyLast week’s cyberattacks against water and wastewater facilities in Minnesota have actually affected at least 12 states, according to ABC News. The federal government has said it’s looking into whether Iran is responsible for the coordinated attack, but has not formally attributed it to any particular party. On the Priorities Podcast, Patrick Gillespie, OT practice director at the firm GuidePoint Security, said the attacks are not sophisticated, but opportunistic: “The reason this is happening right now is these are inherently insecure devices that are directly connected to the internet.” Mauricio Papa, a computer science professor at the University of Tulsa, said that although cybersecurity practitioners have warned against such vulnerabilities for decades, attacks like this continue to occur because “technology is always evolving … and we want to connect everything to the internet, it’s so convenient.” Top stories this week: The Department of Justice has announced it’s expanding its strategy for combating fraud in Medicaid, SNAP and other taxpayer-funded programs by deepening partnerships with state governments aimed at improving data sharing, investigations and fraud detection. Work with Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina is designed to improve information sharing, identify fraud earlier and coordinate prosecutions across jurisdictions. A recent report from the National Conference of State Legislatures outlined bipartisan policy recommendations for strengthening state childcare systems, including addressing disparities in tech systems between state agencies and local providers, and the need for better data-sharing across agencies. In an interview, Jenna Bannon, associate director of the conference’s children and families program, explains why it’s critical to use technologies that simplify state systems. The National Governors Association has announced a new partnership with RAISE US, a nonprofit workforce initiative launched in June by two former governors, aimed at helping states develop effective AI workforce initiatives. The new, $1 million project will, according to organizers, “identify and amplify new policy models.” 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.
SummaryInside Texas' next-generation flood warning system
3w ago00:17:50Summary readyOne year after catastrophic flooding killed more than 100 people along the Guadalupe River, another round of deadly July flooding swept across Central and South Texas, creating flash flood emergencies that forced evacuations and rescues along the Guadalupe River and in Kerr County. To give emergency managers earlier, more precise warnings, a team at the University of Texas at Arlington is leading a new $4 million effort to build a next-generation flood monitoring and warning system that combines advanced sensors, weather data and real-time modeling. Nick Fang, a civil engineering professor who is helping to lead the project, said the university will use National Weather Service data and partner with Texas Tech for additional weather stations and radars. If successful, he said, the system could become a model for flood-prone communities nationwide. Top stories this week: More than 30 Minnesota communities saw their water and wastewater utilities disrupted by a coordinated cyberattack this week. Though none of the local governments reported anything more than a lapse in operation, analysts said they are concerned that the U.S. will continue to face similar threats, particularly as attackers are aided by frontier AI models. California Chief Information Security Officer Vitaliy Panych will step down after seven years leading the state’s cybersecurity strategy, he announced on social media. Panych, whom Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed in 2021, after serving nearly two years in an acting capacity, helped steer California through a period of rapidly evolving cybersecurity threats — including the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating ransomware attacks and the state’s growing adoption of artificial intelligence. Following recent updates to nationwide broadband-availability data, some states may be required to cut one-third of the awards to satellite internet companies through the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, according to an independent review published last week. The Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute released its findings as the BEAD program moves into its final phases. 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.
SummaryIt’s getting really hot. How can state and local governments mitigate the negative effects?
4w ago00:27:40Summary readyExtreme heat is becoming one of the fastest-growing challenges facing state and local governments across the country, an issue that affects far more than public health. Rising temperatures threaten infrastructure, electric grid reliability, worker productivity, agriculture, emergency management and government budgets. Grace Wickerson, a senior manager of climate and health with the Federation of American Scientists, and the co-author of a recent report outlining best practices for governments seeking to mitigate extreme heat, said the publication sought to fill a void discovered in recent years. “What should be all the tactics and strategies that governments should employ to address extreme heat?” she said. “What are the evidence-based practices? How can we actually prevent all those real negative impacts?” Top stories this week: John Cohen, executive director of the office of strategic programs and initiatives at the Center for Internet Security, said it’s a sign of the times that considerations of digital intrusion were this year put on equal footing with more traditional, physical threats during planning for the FIFA World Cup. In an interview, Cohen said: “The threat environment has changed.” The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has told several state broadband offices that satellite internet projects approved for federal grant funding must be reviewed. Approval of the BEAD funds will be revoked, the agency said, if states can’t refute new FCC data showing the locations are no longer eligible. At least one municipal government was among those to see their internet service disrupted after a cyberattack against a Maine telecommunications firm Sunday caused an outage affecting 23 towns along the state’s midcoastal region. 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.
SummaryAI-charged cyber threats are especially tough for small organizations
Jul 1500:31:12Summary readyThe democratization of technology is ordinarily considered a good thing, but as AI models become more powerful, people working in cybersecurity, in particular, have raised concerns about what that is doing to the threat landscape. The availability of models that can find vulnerabilities in software and rapidly exploit them is troubling for even the most powerful governments. But for cities, towns and small public utilities, researchers at the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity said it’s an especially onerous threat, and one that’s too often going unspoken. Sarah Powazek, program director for the center’s Public Interest Cybersecurity initiative, said “the way AI is impacting those small organizations is very, very different than the conversation going on at the national level, which is mainly focused on export controls and U.S.-China relations.” And Grace Menna, the program’s senior fellow, explained to the Priorities Podcast how the center’s work is attempting to “help bridge this gap.” This week’s top stories: The nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance this month launched three new satellites, which will soon be used by emergency managers to monitor for wildfires. They’ll spend three months undergoing testing before entering service and providing far more frequent updates on fire-prone regions. Arizona has launched two new locations for its regional security operations center initiative. Operated out of community colleges in the Phoenix area, they’re hoped to provide additional cybersecurity services and bolster the state’s workforce pipeline. Pennsylvania’s health department this week launched a new data dashboard to help the public stay apprised of measles cases. The state’s health secretary said the dashboard boosts access to information and increases government transparency. 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
Is ‘privilege debt’ creating cyber risk in your organization?
Jul 800:22:02Summary readyThings like identity management and threat intelligence are important for cybersecurity, said Kevin Greene, the public sector chief cybersecurity technologist with the software firm BeyondTrust, but limiting access is the key. The fast pace of change in technology has led organizations to become “very reactive,” he said, when instead they’d be served better by getting “ahead of the attack lifecycle.” This, Greene said, is done by repairing the “structural conditions” in organizations’ IT environments. “We know that privilege is the fuel that drives the success of these campaigns with threat actors,” he said. Top stories this week: One year after deadly floods in Texas Hill Country, many regions are updating their warning systems, but adoption still remains uneven. Twenty-nine counties have signed agreements with the state, but in the state’s more than 200 remaining counties, many communities still lack warning sirens, largely due to cost. Ralph Johnson, who has spent the last three-and-a-half years as Washington state’s chief information security officer, announced in a LinkedIn post on Friday that he’ll step down from his role in September. “Cybersecurity has never been just a job for me,” Johnson wrote. “It has been a mission, a responsibility, and a professional community that I care deeply about.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker this week signed a bill into law that adds a new layer of oversight for developers of advanced AI systems operating in the state. The Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act requires large AI developers to publicly disclose their safety and security practices, report significant AI safety incidents and maintain internal compliance programs. 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.
SummaryFor digital government, trust is essential, says Estonia official
Jul 100:30:28Summary readyWhen Estonia escaped Soviet occupation and regained its independence in 1991, it took a propitious turn to the internet. In seeking to establish a new, democratic government, the northern European nation began building digital services, setting a foundation that would lead it eventually to become one of the world’s most thoroughly connected governments. Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Estonia’s minister of justice and digital affairs, told the Priorities Podcast that it was natural for the country to select “the cheapest, most effective” way to deliver digital services. Today, she said, Estonia’s digital services enjoy a high level of confidence from the public, even when the government itself does not enjoy that same level of trust. “The most important lesson learned, though, was that you can’t build a digital state without trust,” she said. “And trust is the most important thing.” Drawing on lessons from private industry, particularly the banking industry, Pakosta said, Estonia developed digital services that gave users the impression that they were in control. Moreover, the aim was always to provide those services to everyone: “People have a right to be full members of digital society, even if they don’t have a single gadget.” Top stories this week: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced that the state has negotiated a contract with Anthropic to provide agencies access to Claude, the company’s AI assistant, at half cost. Newsom said the aim is to aid the work of state workers, not replace them. The Federal Communication Commission voted last week to approve a broad review of the federal E-Rate broadband subsidy program. Advocacy groups said the review, which could lead to limiting or even eliminating the program, is an attack on schools and libraries. In a commentary for StateScoop, two experienced election administrators wrote that last-minute changes to the nation’s election systems that are being imposed by the Trump administration could come at a high cost. Changes, especially those on tight timelines, they wrote, increase the risk of operational errors, technical failures and voter confusion. 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.
SummaryFunding AI-powered building-code permitting
Jun 2400:30:37Summary readyThe Department of Housing and Urban Development last month offered state and local governments up to $3 million to deploy AI-powered building code permitting systems. Julia Richman, the former chief transformation officer of Colorado and a vice president of the software company Clariti, said on the Priorities Podcast that her company offers a solution to some of these common challenges with permitting, and is helping governments to apply for the grant funds before the mid-July deadline. “Our AI studio is aimed to help communities really understand how AI could apply in their workflows and also what are the right kinds of AI to be considering,” Richman said. Top stories this week: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the launch of a “one stop shop” website for comprehensive information related to the New World screwworm, and the state’s response to the spread of the flesh-eating parasite across parts of Texas and New Mexico. The website provides information on the outbreak of New World screwworm cases and resources for farmers, veterinarians and residents. California officials recently kicked off the pilot phase of the state’s Career Passport, a new digital credentialing tool designed to help workers showcase skills and qualifications gained through education, military service, job training and work experience, regardless of whether they hold a four-year degree. The effort builds on California’s broader push to modernize workforce development and reduce barriers to state employment for workers without bachelor’s degrees. North Carolina’s Department of Information Technology announced that it has selected Tanium as the statewide endpoint management and cybersecurity platform for SecureNC, the state’s collaborative cybersecurity program. Tanium will help consolidate the state’s management and security operations on a single platform, with real‑time data and automated investigations of security threats. The voluntary initiative will roll out in phases across local governments, higher education institutions and other public entities that participate in SecureNC. 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.
SummaryA Home for Every Child Initiative eight months in: PIPs and predictive algorithms
Jun 1700:25:30Summary readyAssistant Secretary Adams joins the podcast to discuss the "A Home for Every Child Initiative," and how modernizing child welfare systems with predictive algorithms and automated tools can better support families in need. 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.
SummaryThe AIDE initiative: How AI can help emergency managers better prepare for disasters
Jun 1000:24:33Summary readyGreenberg joins the podcast to discuss the AIDE initiative and how it fits into the national effort to use emerging technologies in emergency management 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