As federal agencies reopen after a 44-day government shutdown, leaders across government are revisiting their priorities, processes, and modernization plans. Few understand the complexity of that restart better than Allen Hill, outgoing Chief Information Officer at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In a wide-ranging conversation on Fed Gov Today with Francis Rose, Hill offers a compelling and pragmatic look at what the shutdown reveals—and how agencies can use those insights to move forward smarter and faster.
Hill begins by framing the shutdown not as an isolated crisis, but as a stress test for the federal technology ecosystem. He says the event exposes gaps that have long existed rather than introducing new ones. To understand those gaps, Hill urges agencies to begin with three simple but powerful questions: What stopped? What slowed? What kept working? The answers, he explains, give agencies the business intelligence they need to prioritize modernization efforts, understand where human intervention is still essential, and identify where automation and cloud solutions can fill longstanding holes.
One of Hill’s central themes is the need to reduce dependency on manual processes. He notes that systems requiring human action are typically the ones that stop during a shutdown. If an application pauses simply because a person isn’t there to restart or monitor it, he says, that’s a clear indicator of where modernization must focus. The shutdown, in his view, becomes an opportunity to reduce these bottlenecks and strengthen resilience.
Hill describes the FCC’s own modernization journey, explaining that when he arrived, the agency still operated several systems in a traditional on-premises data center. Over time, the FCC works to migrate 95% of its systems to the cloud, leaving only five legacy applications still housed in the data center. Even those remaining systems, he says, are on the cusp of being transitioned. He sees cloud environments—particularly serverless architectures—as the future for agencies wanting to operate without relying on infrastructure that requires constant hands-on maintenance.
Moving to serverless, Hill says, enables agencies to sidestep many of the burdens of infrastructure management. Instead of worrying about maintaining servers or scaling systems as demand fluctuates, agencies can let the cloud provider handle those functions. That allows federal teams to focus on mission delivery rather than technical upkeep.
Another point Hill stresses is the importance of tight collaboration among CIOs, Chief Acquisition Officers (CAOs), and Chief Financial Officers (CFOs). Coming out of a shutdown, budgets need realignment, timelines need rebaselining, and projects require fresh planning. CIOs, he says, cannot do this alone. Acquisition leaders help align procurement strategies with modernization goals, while CFOs ensure funding flows appropriately and predictably, especially in the shadow of continuing resolutions (CRs).
Hill also acknowledges the human challenges agencies face after a lengthy shutdown. He notes that modernization projects often “kick down the road” when staff step away or vendors lose critical team members. Getting people back in place—not just systems—becomes part of the reopening challenge. Agencies may face delayed timelines or the need for acquisition extensions because the shutdown disrupts contractor staffing, internal capacity, and the continuity of modernization work.
Despite these challenges, Hill maintains a practical optimism. He encourages agencies to treat this moment as a chance to retool for the next 18 months. The shutdown, he explains, creates a natural breakpoint for agencies to pause, reassess, and re-prioritize. The insights gained from seeing which systems faltered or thrived now serve as a roadmap for upcoming modernization efforts.
When asked whether agencies will discover “broken stuff” as systems come back online, Hill admits that it’s likely—but not unexpected. He recalls arriving at the FCC and hearing that some systems had not been rebooted for years out of fear they wouldn’t start again. That fear, he says, is a symptom of technical debt, what he calls “an agency’s kryptonite.” The more technical debt an organization carries, the more it relies on human intervention to keep outdated systems alive. The path forward, in his view, is to accelerate modernization, move away from old infrastructure, and adopt flexible cloud-based approaches that update continuously rather than waiting for the next budget cycle.
Hill also underscores that transparency with agency leadership is essential. As he prepares to leave the FCC, he reflects on briefing the chairman about what’s working, what needs attention, and what the path ahead looks like. Clear roadmapping, he says, helps agency heads prioritize immediate actions while preparing for longer-term modernization needs.
Hill’s message is both realistic and forward-looking. The shutdown disrupts progress, but it also illuminates where agencies can make the most meaningful improvements. By focusing on automation, cloud migration, system consolidation, and cross-leadership collaboration, agencies can emerge stronger, more resilient, and better aligned with their mission needs. In Hill’s view, the end of the shutdown is not just a restart—it’s an opportunity to modernize with purpose.