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Telecommunications Network: NASA Could Better Manage Its Planned Consolidation

AIMD-96-33 Published: Apr 09, 1996. Publicly Released: Apr 09, 1996.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) plan to consolidate the management and operations of its wide area telecommunications networks.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Aeronautics and Space Administration The Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, should direct a team of agency officials, which includes team members not affiliated with any of the competing centers, to conduct an objective review of NASA's telecommunications needs and how best to satisfy them. This review should examine a broad range of alternatives, including but not limited to the existing proposals from the different centers and review team studies. Following this review, the most cost-effective approach should be implemented.
Closed – Implemented
NASA concurred with the recommendation and signed an agreement with the National Communications System to establish an independent objective review of NASA's telecommunications wide area network to determine the most cost-effective and technically feasible approach to meet NASA's needs. The review was conducted by Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc., which issued a final report on October 24, 1996. The report discusses NASA's telecommunications needs, examines alternatives for addressing them, and recommends an approach determined to be the most appropriate.

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Topics

Aerospace researchCentralizationComputer networksCost controlData transmissionTelecommunicationsTelecommunications equipmentWide area networksEarth observing systemCost savings