Wednesday Morning Federal Newscast – February 2nd

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Amy Morris discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air.

• The icy and snowy weather across much of the nation has millions of people trying to check out the National Weather Service website all at the same time. The Washington Post reports the site has been sluggish and sometimes inaccessible at the worst possible times. More than 100 million people are affected by the ice and snow storm moving through the nation’s midsection. A spokesman tells the Post that some equipment has been replaced and that the site should be stable now. On Tuesday afternoon, the site was getting 15-to-20 million hits per hour, compared to about 70 million on a typical day.
• A group of Senators has moved to stop governments from withholding a 3-percent tax from payments to most contractors. They’ve introduced legislation that would repeal part of a 2005 tax law that requires federal, state and local governments that spend more than $100 million dollars a year to withhold the tax. The requirement kicks in next January, and applies to contracts for products and services worth more than $10,000. GovExec reports seven Republicans and one Democrat are pushing for its repeal.
• The Transportation Security Administration is testing a new body scanning system to calm privacy concerns. It uses the same scanning machines, but new software that shows only the outline of a traveler’s body instead of every contour. If there’s something suspicious under your clothes, the system will highlight the object and screeners will begin a pat down. TSA is testing the system at three airports.
• Technology contractor Oracle Corporation has agreed to pay the U.S. $46 million to settle false pricing charges. The case dates to 2004, when whistleblowers said Sun Microsystems submitted false pricing information to the General Services Administration. They also charged Sun with paying kickbacks to resellers who agreed to recommend Sun products to federal customers. The Justice department joined the civil suit, which was filed under the False Claims Act. Sun was acquired by Oracle last year.
• Boeing will submit a new, final bid for the Air Force’s $35-billion tanker contract. A Boeing spokesman says the company met with the Air Force earlier this week to discuss its proposal. The firm will make some tweaks to its bid and submit the final version on February 11th.
• The tit-for-tat continues in the worldwide competition between Boeing and EADS. The two aerospace giants are in the running for a large and prestigious contract to supply new refueling tankers to the Air Force. National Journal reports the World Trade Organization told the European Union that Boeing has received illegal subsidies from the U.S. government. Two months ago, the WTO said European countries had illegally subsidized EADS. In the tanker competition, Boeing is bidding with a derivative of its 767 airliner. EADS is leading with a version of its Airbus A-330. GovExec reports the WTO rulings are unlikely to affect the Air Force’s decision.
• The Interior Department has a new Scientific Integrity Policy, the first one of its kind. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has also appointed a new Science Integrity Officer. The new policy applies to all employees and contractors with Interior whenever they’re involved in any way with scientific work. It is designed to uphold the principles of scientific integrity. It also establishes an impartial review process if necessary.
• The National Telecommunications and Information Administration will look at a new section of radio bandwidth to see if it can be converted to commercial broadband. Right now, the block of spectrum is used by the Defense Department, Federal law enforcement agencies, and other agencies. It carries signals from satellites, microwave equipment and surveillance gear. The Obama administration has pledged to make 500 megahertz of spectrum, now used by the government, available for conversion. NTIA is collaborating with the Federal Communications Commission to find that bandwidth. The latest block to be examined falls in the 1755 to 1850 megahertz zone.

More news links

Non-essential US gov’t staff begin to leave Egypt

Midwest buckles under storm, calls it a snow day

Trial of ex-CIA operative shifts to yacht to Miami

U.S. Snowstorm Seen From Space: Wild Weather Captured By NASA (Photos, HuffingtonPost)

THIS AFTERNOON ON FEDERAL NEWS RADIO

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** Is there a secret to programs that work? The Center for American Progress has spoke to more than 200 experts over the past six months. Their new report is just out. We’ll talk to them about those secrets.

** And have we abandoned IT security and are we all about cyber-security? Does this matter? We’ll talk about it…

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