FirstNet a top priority for US state CIOs

The US National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has announced its 2017 federal advocacy priorities, one of which is the successful implementation of FirstNet state plans.

According to a statement released by the association, “FirstNet appears again as an advocacy priority in 2017 because this year, governors will be making the decision to opt-in or opt-out of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network.

“Many state CIOs serve as FirstNet’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the state and all state CIOs serve as a trusted technology and business advisor to their governors.

“Thus, it is important that FirstNet communicate regularly with states as final state plans are delivered and acted upon.”

Other priorities for 2017 are for: state CIOs to seek strong intergovernmental partnership on cybersecurity; flexibility in federal funding regulations that encourage legacy system modernisation and cloud adoption; meeting citizen expectations on information sharing and safeguards.

“NASCIO’s 2017 advocacy priorities reflect the ways in which state CIOs hope to work collaboratively with the federal government. Chief among these priorities is cybersecurity,” said NASCIO President and Connecticut CIO Mark Raymond.

“Protecting public networks and reducing the risk to the digital assets of citizens and government is a shared mission across all levels of government and it is our hope that our federal partners will work with state CIOs to achieve a more secure cybersecurity posture.”

Image courtesy FirstNet.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook