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White House initiative pushes for more tiny satellites
Miniature satellites are increasingly a big deal, and for good reasons: they're not only less expensive and easier to deploy than the giant satellites of old, but can cover wider areas. And the White House wants to give them a helping hand. It's launching an initiative that will foster small satellites with the resources they need to flourish. To start, NASA is not only proposing as much as $30 million toward purchasing data from these tiny vessels, but creating a Small Spacecraft Virtual Institute that will offer know-how to organizations. A more direct effort has the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awarding Planet a $20 million contract for a fleet of small satellites that can capture images of "at least" 85 percent of the planet every 15 days.
US government sticking with BlackBerry, appreciates RIM's focus on security
Just when you thought RIM couldn't catch a break, The Washington Post is reporting the US government doesn't plan to jump smartphone ships anytime soon. According to the publication, Casey Coleman (chief information officer at the General Services Administration) says that while the agency may have handed out iPhone and Android phones to the staff, a big chunk of the 12,000 agency-issued handsets are BlackBerry devices. The main reason behind the choice of Berries is RIM's focus on security, which Coleman notes "is paramount for government use." Still, the GSA officer isn't ruling out switching to a different OS in the distant future, as platforms like iOS and Android start to become "equally secure." For RIM's sake, we hope the refocusing on enterprise pays off.
Federal Wi-Net bill proposes a femtocell and WiFi hotspot in every federal building
Here's one way to fix the spectrum crunch: set up wireless base stations and WiFi hotspots in every single one of the 9,000 buildings currently owned and operated by the US General Services Administration. That idea, along with the proposal that such installations be made mandatory in all future federal structures, was put before the US Senate this Friday. It's argued that installing femtocells at those locations would improve reception indoors, lighten network loads in busy areas, and expand accessibility for more rural locales. Ubiquitous WiFi routers, on the other hand, hardly require any justification beyond "common sense," but you should be aware that the Federal Wi-Net bill also asks for a $15 million budget for the performance of retrofitting and future installs. Full PR after the break.
