As the regulatory agency for telecommunications in the U.S., one might expect the Federal Communications Commission to be on top of the latest technology, but the FCC (News - Alert) is turning to some outside help in moving to the cloud. The FCC has signed an agreement with AT&T to support mobile and cloud-based applications.

"Our set of strategic services can help the FCC modernize its technology and use cloud services in a highly secure manner," Mike Leff, civilian vice president of AT&T (News - Alert) government solutions, said.

The two organizations have signed a five-year agreement that will link the FCC’s offices around the country. The agency will be able to connect to other cloud service providers. The FCC will be able to change its networks and Internet requirements to meet its needs in the future.

Because AT&T is dealing with a government agency, it has to comply with stricter security regulations than it would be when dealing with a civilian business. The company’s solution is compliant with the Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Service (MTIPS) requirement.

Cloud services are becoming more popular in many businesses because they save on a lot of overhead. They just sign up with a provider and IT departments can deploy immediately to their users without having to install anything.

With the cost and time savings, it’s obvious that Uncle Sam would want a piece of the action with a Republican Congress bent on cutting what it sees as excessive government waste.

The FCC has recently become a friend of the Internet after years of skepticism as an example of “regulatory capture.” The agency has stunned activists by staunchly supporting the principle of net neutrality against major carriers.

The FCC likely recognizes the flexibility that the Internet has offered to users and wants some of that for itself, which is why even the FCC can’t resist the pull of the cloud.