New Audit Announcements

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is modernizing its National Airspace System (NAS) through its Next Generation Air Transportation System. Included in this modernization effort is a plan to replace analog voice switches with digital technology. These changes will allow greater flexibility in maintaining communication continuity in the event of a system failure at an air traffic control facility and facilitate integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the NAS. In 2014, FAA extended a contract valued at $294 million for the NAS Voice System (NVS) program to achieve these changes, but in December 2018, terminated this contract. The Agency is currently developing a new voice communication program—the Voice Communication System (VCS).

 

Because of FAA’s termination of the contract, the ranking members of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its Subcommittee on Aviation have asked us to assess certain issues related to NVS and VCS. Accordingly, we are initiating this audit. Our audit objectives will be to assess (1) NVS program costs, expected benefits, and FAA’s reasons for the contract termination, and (2) the information on NVS development that the program provided to FAA management and Congress. The request also asks us to review FAA’s development of VCS which we will address in a separate audit.