United States General Accounting Office

GAO Report to the Chairmen, Committee on

Appropriations and Committee on

Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate

June 1997 INTERNET AND

ELECTRONIC DIAL-UP

BULLETIN BOARDS

Information Reported by

Federal Organizations

GAO/GGD-97-86

GAO United States

General Accounting Office

Washington, D.C. 20548

General Government Division

B-272843 

June 16, 1997

The Honorable Ted Stevens, Chairman

Committee on Appropriations

United States Senate

The Honorable Fred Thompson, Chairman

Committee on Governmental Affairs

United States Senate

This report responds to your request for information on Internet and

electronic dial-up bulletin board system (BBS) activities in the executive

branch of the federal government.

The Internet is a global information system comprising a world-wide

network of networks. Users are able to access and transmit data across

this global network in many different ways, including using electronic mail

(e-mail) and the World-Wide Web (WWW). E-mail allows users to easily

send primarily text-based messages between computers. The WWW

employs a “point and click” technology, which allows users to easily

access information on other computers as well as establish WWW sites that

incorporate graphics and other multimedia features. Electronic dial-up

BBSs, on the other hand, do not require use of the Internet. A BBS typically

consists of a personal computer, modem(s), and BBS communications

software that allows users to send and receive messages and files and is

based on direct dial-up computer-to-computer connections.

Specifically, for executive branch agencies, you requested information on

(1) fiscal year 1994 through 1996 expenditures for Internet and BBS

activities, (2) the number of WWW sites and electronic dial-up BBSs, and

(3) the number of employees with government-provided Internet e-mail

and WWW access. In addition, this report provides information on benefits

agencies associate with these activities and on guidance for Internet

activities; and it discusses the issue of employee misuse of

government-provided Internet resources at a few agencies.

To respond to your request, we sent a data collection form to 43 federal

organizations—14 Cabinet-level departments and 29 independent agencies.

Appendix II lists the 43 federal organizations. As agreed, because of the

broad scope and relatively short time frame for completing this request,

we did not independently verify the accuracy of the information provided.

We did, however, perform additional work at three judgmentally selected

agencies to gain a better understanding of federal Internet and BBS

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activities. These three agencies included the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), within the Department of Commerce;

the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), within the Department of the Interior;

and the Social Security Administration (SSA). It should be noted that on

occasion, concerns over privacy and security issues relating to federal

WWW sites have been raised in the media and elsewhere. Assessment of

these issues was beyond the scope of this review.

We conducted our work from May 1996 through May 1997 in accordance

with generally accepted government auditing standards. See appendix I for

a more detailed discussion of our scope and methodology. We requested

comments on a draft of this report from the Director of the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) and on excerpts of this report from the

heads of the three agencies at which we performed additional work. The

agencies’ comments are addressed at the end of this letter.

Results in Brief Although the federal organizations provided us with expenditure data for

their Internet and BBS activities, it should be emphasized that these data

are based largely on estimates. Some reporting officials told us that they

relied on estimates because they do not typically account for Internet and

BBS expenditures separately from other information technology

expenditures.

Of the 43 federal organizations to which we sent data collection forms, 42

responded1

 and estimated spending a total of about $349 million on

Internet and BBS activities in fiscal years 1994 through 1996. In all, they

estimated spending about $59 million in fiscal year 1994, about

$100 million in fiscal year 1995, and about $190 million in fiscal year 1996.

The bulk of these estimated expenditures—about $325 million—were for

Internet activities to provide employees access to the Internet and to

establish and maintain WWW sites. The remainder of the estimated

expenditures—about $23 million for the 3-year period—were for

establishing and maintaining electronic dial-up BBSs.

The 42 federal organizations reported having a total of about 4,300 WWW

sites and about 215 electronic dial-up BBSs. Because of your interest in

identifying the number of distinct WWW sites and to encourage consistent

reporting, we provided the federal organizations with a definition of a WWW

site. All 42 organizations reported having at least one WWW site, but some

reported that they did not use our definition or did not list all sites

1

As of May 30, 1997, the Department of State had not responded to our data collection form.

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generally because they do not track this information, and it was not readily

available.

The 42 federal organizations estimated that they provided Internet e-mail

access to about 1.7 million, or about 50 percent, of their civilian and

military employees and WWW access to about 1 million, or about

31 percent, of their employees.

The Internet has become a valuable and widely used means of

communicating and sharing information. Federal organizations associated

numerous benefits with their Internet and BBS activities, including

communicating more effectively with colleagues and with the public;

easily accessing professional, scientific, or technical information;

disseminating information quicker and more cost effectively; and reducing

paperwork by conducting the work of the organization electronically.

While there is no governmentwide policy or regulations that specifically

govern employee use of the Internet, most federal organizations that had

guidance for their employees’ use of the Internet prohibit any use of

government-provided Internet resources for nonofficial uses. A few

organizations allow limited personal use. Although OMB is working on

governmentwide guidance on establishing and maintaining WWW sites, half

the federal organizations reported having developed their own guidance

for employees to use to establish and maintain WWW sites.

The potential for misuse of government-provided Internet resources

exists—as it does for other types of government-provided resources, such

as telephones and copying machines. Although we did not assess the

appropriateness of employee use of government-provided resources

during this review, some of the federal organizations reported instances of

what they considered to be employee misuse to us. These included

accessing what the agencies considered to be inappropriate material on

the Internet and establishing WWW sites without approval.

Background The Internet’s origins can be traced to communications technology

research sponsored by the federal government as early as the 1960s. Since

then, collaboration between government, educational, and commercial

interests has led to the present day Internet infrastructure.

Users access the Internet infrastructure in a variety of ways. E-mail, one of

the earliest ways to access the Internet, allows people to easily send and

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receive text messages between computers. Another more recent way for

users to access the Internet is through use of the WWW, which is credited

with the explosion of Internet usage in recent years because of its “user

friendly” aspect. Using software, referred to as server software, the WWW

allows users to organize computer files into WWW sites consisting of “web

pages.” Using other software, referred to as web browser software, users

can view web pages displaying text and graphics and other multimedia

elements such as sound and video. A defining feature of the WWW is its use

of hyper text transfer protocol (http), which allows text or images to be

defined as pointers or “links.” Within WWW pages, a user can select “links”

that quickly and easily take the user to other pages within that site or to

other sites located on computers throughout the world. Each page of a

WWW site may also be accessed by its unique Internet address.

In setting up a WWW site, an organization can employ an Internet service

provider for space on a computer and for the connections, which can be

used to host the WWW site. Or, an organization can set up its own WWW site

using its own hardware and software. In general, costs involved for setting

up a site could include connections, hardware, software, personnel,

training, and contractor support.

Electronic dial-up BBSs use communications software that typically allows

users to send and receive text-based messages and data or program files.

BBS technology was originally developed on the basis of a direct dial-up

computer-to-computer connection, which does not require use of the

Internet. Currently, however, many computers running BBS

software—while still accessible through dial-up (non-Internet)

means—can also be linked to the Internet providing an additional means

of access.

OMB has responsibility for oversight of executive branch information

collection and dissemination as well as information technology, which

would generally include Internet-related activities. A number of laws and

guidance, such as the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,2

 the Electronic

Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996,3

 and OMB Circular

A-130,4

 require agency information to be made available to the public

electronically. In addition, the National Performance Review (NPR) sets a

2

Public Law 104-13, 109 Stat. 163 (1995).

3

Public Law 104-231, 110 Stat. 3048 (1996).

4

OMB Circular A-130, Management of Federal Information Resources, 61 FR 6428 (Feb. 20, 1996).

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clear expectation that government should take advantage of information

technology to quickly deliver services to the public.5

Estimated

Expenditures for

Internet Increased

Significantly While

BBS Expenditures

Remained Relatively

Constant

Federal organizations responding to our data collection efforts estimated

spending about $349 million during fiscal years 1994 through 1996 for

Internet and BBS activities. Of this amount an estimated $325 million was

for Internet activities, and an estimated $23 million was for BBS activities.

As shown in table 1, expenditures for Internet activities increased

significantly over this period, while BBS expenditures remained relatively

constant. Appendixes III and IV provide estimated Internet and BBS

expenditures for each of the 42 federal organizations.

Table 1: Total Estimated Expenditures

for Internet and BBS Activities for 42

Federal Organizations, Fiscal Years

1994-1996 Estimated expendituresa

Dollars in millions

Activity FY 1994 FY 1995 FY 1996 Total

Internetb $50.9 $92.2 $182.3 $325.4

Electronic dial-up BBS 7.8 8.0 7.3 23.1

Total $58.7 $100.2 $189.6 $348.5

aEstimated expenditures include both capital and operating expenditures. Capital expenditures

are for items that are generally depreciated or amortized over more than one accounting period.

We did not ask organizations to depreciate or amortize the capital expenditures, but to report the

expenditure in the year it was made. Operating expenditures are expensed in the year in which

they were made.

bIncludes expenditures for providing Internet access to employees and for establishing and

maintaining WWW sites.

Source: GAO analysis of data provided by 42 federal organizations.

All 42 federal organizations reported increases in Internet expenditures

from fiscal year 1994 to fiscal year 1996. Within federal organizations,

Internet expenditures of some major components increased while those of

others decreased.

BBS expenditures, however, showed more variations. Of the 29 federal

organizations that reported BBS expenditures, 15 estimated spending less

5

The NPR, under the direction of the Vice President, was a major management reform initiative by the

administration and was intended to identify ways to make the government work better and cost less.

The NPR’s report, From Red Tape to Results: Creating a Government That Works Better and Costs

Less, was issued in September 1993.

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in fiscal year 1996 than in fiscal year 1994, and 14 estimated spending

more. For example, SSA reported that BBS expenditures increased primarily

as a result of system improvements to its Online Wage Reporting BBS. In

contrast, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that BBS

expenditures were decreasing because of increased use of the WWW as a

means of disseminating information.

The expenditure data provided by federal organizations were largely based

on estimates. Some reporting officials told us that they do not typically

account for Internet and BBS expenditures separately from other

information technology expenditures, and they had difficulty making

reasonable estimates. For example, expenditures for the portion of

personnel time and for connections associated with the Internet were

difficult to estimate.

Furthermore, some federal organizations told us that they did not report

all expenditures. For example, the information reported by the Executive

Office of the President did not include personnel expenditures for White

House and OMB Internet activities. The organization reported that

personnel expenditures for Internet activities were not tracked, and there

was no reasonable basis upon which to make an estimate. Furthermore,

the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not provide

information for three of its components—the Administration for Children

and Families, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, and the

Health Research and Services Administration.

Federal Organizations

Maintain Many WWW

Sites and Fewer BBSs

All 42 federal organizations reported having established a WWW presence

on the Internet, with the number of WWW sites totaling about 4,300 at the

time of our review. Not all components within a federal organization had

their own WWW sites. Twenty-nine federal organizations reported having

215 electronic dial-up BBSs.

The definition of a WWW site can vary. Because of your interest in

identifying the number of distinct WWW sites and to encourage consistent

reporting, we defined a WWW site as a file or group of files organized under

a homepage, that is accessible on the Internet with web browser software.

A WWW site’s homepage is typically the index, welcome, or menu page for a

distinct WWW activity or service. As expected, federal organizations

reported a large number of WWW sites that reflect the large number of

activities within the federal government.

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A WWW site can also be broadly defined as the entire WWW presence for an

organization. Under this definition, for example, NOAA would have one WWW

site at Internet address “http://www.noaa.gov.” Furthermore, a WWW site can

be defined as the distinct computer that hosts the WWW pages. Using this

definition, NOAA would have 85 WWW sites because 85 different computers

actually host its WWW presence. Using our definition, NOAA reported having

383 WWW sites, that is, 383 distinct activities or services on the WWW being

maintained within NOAA.

Although we contacted federal organizations where we had questions

concerning whether they understood our definition of a WWW site, due to

the large number of reported WWW sites, we could not verify that all federal

organizations used our definition. Furthermore, some federal

organizations reported that the list they provided of their WWW sites was

not in accordance with our definition or was not complete. Some reported

that they do not centrally track this type of information and to obtain these

data would have involved a major data collection effort.

A supplement to this report entitled World Wide Web Sites Reported by

Federal Organizations (GAO/GGD-97-86S, June 1997), which is available

electronically on the Internet at

“http://www.gao.gov/cgi/bin/getrpt?GGD-97-86s”, presents the

approximately 4,300 WWW sites federal organizations reported to us. It

should be noted that WWW sites change rapidly. Organizations can easily

create or eliminate WWW sites. As a result, the approximately 4,300 WWW

sites are current only as of the date that the federal organizations provided

us with the information.

Of the 42 federal organizations, 29 reported having a total of 215 electronic

dial-up BBSs. The remaining 13 federal organizations reported having no

BBSs at the time of our review. Appendix V presents the electronic dial-up

BBSs reported to us.

Employee Internet

Access Varied

Significantly Among

Federal Organizations

The 42 federal organizations reported having about 3.4 million civilian and

military employees, to which they provided e-mail access to about

1.7 million employees, or about 50 percent. Furthermore, they provided

about 1 million employees, or about 31 percent, with WWW access. It should

be noted that more employees may have access to the WWW through their

organization’s library or common workstations, but we sought information

only on those having access at their workstations.

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When viewed organization by organization, the extent that federal

organizations provided e-mail access to their employees varied widely. For

example, the Department of Justice reported providing about 8 percent of

its approximately 102,000 employees with e-mail access, while the

Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

reported providing e-mail access to 100 percent of their approximately

5,000 and 11,000 employees, respectively. All 42 federal organizations

reported providing at least a portion of their employees with Internet

e-mail access.

Similarly, WWW access varied significantly. The Departments of Justice and

the Treasury reported providing about 8 percent of their approximately

102,000 and 144,000 employees with WWW access, while HUD reported

providing 100 percent of its 11,000 employees with WWW access. All but one

federal organization reported providing at least a portion of their

employees with WWW access at their workstations.6

 Appendix VI provides

the information reported to us on the number of employees having

Internet e-mail and WWW access in each federal organization.

Federal Organizations

Reported Benefits of

Internet and BBSs

Based on its rapidly growing usage throughout the world, it is evident that

the Internet has provided many benefits to individuals and organizations.

Benefits of electronic dial-up BBSs, while much less publicized, are also

generally accepted, particularly by those who do not have Internet access.

Federal organizations also associated numerous benefits with their

Internet and BBS activities.

Although we have previously reported on the technological challenges of

the “information superhighway,” we also recognize its potential.7

 Our

literature search indicated that the WWW is accelerating international

cultural interaction. But perhaps more importantly, the WWW is changing

the way private and public organizations do business. The Internet

provides employees with tools they can use to increase their performance

levels, to interact, and to gather knowledge. Organizations believe that the

Internet offers the ability to continuously update and disseminate

information. Corporations are increasingly using the Internet for such

things as web-based conferencing and on-demand training for employees.

6

The Corporation for National Service reported providing WWW access to its employees only through

common workstations, not at individual employees’ desktop workstations.

7

See Information Superhighway: An Overview of Technology Challenges, (GAO/AIMD-95-23, Jan. 23,

1995) and Managing Technology: Best Practices Can Improve Performance and Produce Results

(GAO/T-AIMD-97-38, Jan. 31, 1997).

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The benefits that federal organizations associated with their Internet and

BBS activities included being able to communicate better within their

organizations and with the public, disseminate information about their

organization and mission to a larger audience than ever before, and

conduct their business quickly and efficiently. A few specific examples of

reported benefits include

• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission reported that the agency’s use of the

WWW and BBSs has facilitated the rulemaking process by providing the

public with electronic access to the text of proposed rules and a means by

which the public may comment.

• The National Institutes of Health within HHS reported that the Internet has

allowed it to share a wealth of medical information with the public. For

example, it’s WWW site includes the Combined Health Information

Database, which contains over 70,000 medical references, allowing users

to identify medical publications, books, and pamphlets on a variety of

topics and indicating where a user may obtain the item.

• The Federal Communications Commission reported that it has

implemented electronic filing on a limited basis, which gives businesses

the opportunity to file required forms.

• The Executive Office of the President reported that the White House WWW

site provides the public interactive access to commonly requested federal

services, press releases, speeches, and public documents. Users may also

provide feedback to the President and Vice President through e-mail.

• The National Science Foundation reported benefits associated with one of

its grants projects. It said, internally, the use of the WWW has reduced the

number of status inquiry phone calls, reduced staff time in performing data

entry, and has allowed for timely and accurate transfer of data. It said,

externally, benefits have included more timely notification of National

Science Foundation funding decisions and real-time acknowledgement of

valid proposal, review, and report submissions.

• The Commodity Futures Trading Commission reported that the Internet

allows staff to monitor the activities related to commodity trading, which

has resulted in action against individuals who were illegally soliciting

customers over the Internet.

Benefits reported to us by NOAA, FWS, and SSA, the three agencies at which

we performed additional work, are included in appendix VII.

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Federal Organizations

Reported Developing

Guidance for Their

Internet Activities

Many federal organizations reported having developed guidance related to

their Internet activities. Of the 42 federal organizations responding, 28

reported having organizationwide guidance for their employees’ use of

Internet resources, covering activities such as sending and receiving e-mail

and accessing or “surfing” WWW sites on the Internet. Twenty-one federal

organizations also reported having developed guidance on establishing

and maintaining WWW sites.

Most Internal Guidance

States That

Government-Provided

Internet Resources Are for

Official Purposes Only

There is no governmentwide policy or regulations that specifically govern

employee use of the Internet. While most federal organizations that have

guidelines prohibit any use of government-provided Internet resources for

nonofficial purposes, a few organizations allow limited personal use. It

was beyond the scope of our review to assess the appropriateness of these

guidelines.

Twenty-eight federal organizations reported having organizationwide

guidance for their employees’ use of government-provided Internet

resources, and five additional federal organizations reported that they

were drafting guidance. Our review of this guidance showed that it varied

greatly. Some organizations had a notice displayed on their employees’

computer screens reminding employees that the Internet resources were

for official use only. Other federal organizations had issued several pages

of guidance detailing appropriate use, inappropriate use, and penalties for

inappropriate use. Although we summarized only the organizationwide

guidance of the federal organizations, we noted that major components of

those organizations frequently had also developed guidance specifically

addressing employees’ use of government-provided Internet resources.

Our review showed that for 25, or 89 percent, of the 28 federal

organizations having guidance, the guidance specifically stated that the

government-provided Internet resources were for official use only and/or

prohibited specific activities. Some of the agencies’ guidance referred to

5 C.F.R. 2635.704,8

 which states that employees shall protect and conserve

federal property and shall not use it for other than authorized activities, as

the basis for their guidelines. Examples of nonofficial or prohibited

activities stated in the guidance of the various federal organizations

included playing computer games; gambling; using abusive language in

either public or private messages; displaying and printing material or

images that are sexually explicit, discriminatory, or intended for

8

This provision is included within the standards of ethical conduct for employees of the executive

branch issued by the Office of Government Ethics. See 5 C.F.R. Part 2635.

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harassment purposes; pursuing personal interests, such as hobbies,

avocations, or alternative lifestyles; and pursuing private commercial

activities, among other actions.

In contrast, the guidance of three federal organizations permitted

employees to use their government-provided Internet resources for

incidental personal use. While these organizations allow personal use, the

guidance still identified certain activities that are prohibited.

While it was beyond the scope of our review to contrast federal practices

with the private sector, we noted a recent study conducted by the Bureau

of National Affairs, Inc., which concluded that formal, written Internet

policies were rare among U.S. employers it surveyed.9

 It reported that just

10 percent of the companies surveyed that used the Internet had

developed written policies that govern employees’ Internet activities. The

study noted, however, that many respondents reported plans to develop

formal policies in the near future.

Half of Federal

Organizations Have

Guidance for Establishing

and Maintaining WWW

Sites

Twenty-one, or 50 percent, of the 42 federal organizations reported having

developed organizationwide guidance for establishing and maintaining

WWW sites, and three additional federal organizations reported that they

were drafting guidance. Again, this guidance varied widely among the

federal organizations. In some cases, the guidance was a “how to” manual

on the design of pages for a WWW site. In other cases, the guidance was an

expression of basic policy covering issues such as security, which sites are

inappropriate for the organization to “link to,” and who within the

organization can establish or approve establishing WWW sites.

We limited our review of this guidance to determining whether the

guidance stated who within a federal organization could approve content

being placed on the WWW. Our review showed that the guidance of 18

federal organizations stated who within an organization could approve

WWW page content.

In July 1996, OMB informally circulated preliminary draft guidance to a

limited number of agencies on many of the issues surrounding the use of

the WWW. OMB officials told us that the agencies raised a number of issues

and concerns about the draft guidance, and it had not yet been issued as of

May 20, 1997. Among the issues raised by OMB in its draft guidance was

how federal organizations’ WWW sites complied with provisions of the

9

Special Survey Report: Employers on the Internet, Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., Jan. 2, 1997.

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Privacy Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, Federal Records Act, and Freedom

of Information Act. It was beyond the scope of our review to evaluate the

guidance of federal organizations with regard to these issues.

Potential for

Employee Misuse of

Internet Resources

Exists

The potential for misuse of government-provided Internet access

exists—just as it does for other types of government-provided resources.

During our work, we became aware of reported instances of employee

misuse of government-provided resources. However, our review was not

intended to specifically identify or define employee misuse of Internet

resources.

• Department of Energy (DOE) guidance on appropriate use stated that

nearly 100 employees of a national laboratory were disciplined for

inappropriately using computers to access adult-oriented Internet sites.

The guidance also stated that in another instance, nearly 30 percent of the

activity on one particular Internet site included personal listings from DOE

employees dealing with subjects such as scuba diving and boat racing. As

a result of this use, DOE issued a memorandum to all DOE employees and

contractors, which stated that use of government equipment and official

duty time for nonwork-related activities is a violation of law and the

standards of conduct. The DOE memo stated that several employees had

been counseled, officially reprimanded, or had their employment

terminated and that in one instance DOE had filed criminal charges against

an employee.

• The Air Force Audit Agency recently reported WWW site and BBS control

problems. Specific problems included site operating procedures and

approvals, making available inappropriate or unapproved information, and

inadequate user access controls. As a result, the Air Force released

additional guidance on establishing WWW sites and BBSs and set standards

for the information that is made available through them.

• An investigation by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Inspector

General (OIG) revealed that a Department employee provided private

citizens with free access to Internet services through Department-operated

networks. A personnel action was initiated against the employee that

resulted in a letter of counseling. After the investigation, the OIG issued a

memorandum to the heads of all components in the Department, which

discussed the potential for abuse of Internet resources and cited the

employee’s use as an example. The OIG stated that abuse problems could

be addressed by establishing and disseminating departmentwide policies.

A Department official told us that a policy on the use of Internet resources

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by employees has been drafted and was undergoing management review

and clearance.

• NOAA reported that two employees were given 14-day suspensions for

downloading sexually explicit material, and dismissal proceedings were

initiated against one employee for sending threatening e-mail.

Officials at the three federal organizations at which we performed

additional work told us that the detection of misuse of Internet access is

primarily a supervisory responsibility. They told us that other than

supervisory monitoring, they do not routinely or systematically monitor

employee use of the Internet. Our review of the 28 federal organizations

having guidance showed that at least 16 stated that employees’ use of

government-provided Internet resources may be monitored.

Agency Comments On April 18, 1997, we requested comments on a draft of this report from

the Director of OMB. We also requested comments on excerpts of this

report from the Secretary, Department of Commerce; the Secretary,

Department of the Interior; and the Acting Commissioner, SSA, where we

performed additional work.

The Branch Chief of OMB’s Office of Information Policy and Technology

provided oral comments, which consisted of technical corrections that we

incorporated into the report where appropriate. He also stated that the

report provides a valuable benchmark on the executive branch’s Internet

and dial-up BBS activities. The Secretary of Commerce provided written

comments that said the excerpts of the draft report conformed to input

provided by NOAA representatives during our review and that the

Department found the excerpts to be very helpful and informative. The

Department of the Interior’s Acting Director, Office of Information

Resources Management provided technical comments, which we

incorporated into the report where appropriate. An official from SSA’s

Audit Liaison office said the agency had no comments.

We are sending copies of this report to the Director of OMB, the Secretaries

of each executive department, the head of each independent agency, the

Ranking Minority Members of your Committees, and the Chairmen and

Ranking Minority Members of other interested congressional committees.

We will make copies available to others upon request.

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Please contact me at (202) 512-4232 or James H. Burow, Assistant

Director, on (202) 512-3941 if you or your staff have any questions. Major

contributors to this report are listed in appendix VIII.

Bernard L. Ungar

Associate Director, Federal Management

 and Workforce Issues

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Page 15 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Contents

Letter 1

Appendix I 

Scope and

Methodology

18

Appendix II 

Federal Organizations

Surveyed by GAO

21

Appendix III 

Federal Internet

Expenditures

23

Appendix IV 

Federal Electronic

Dial-Up BBS

Expenditures

25

Appendix V 

Electronic Dial-Up

Bulletin Board

Systems Reported by

Federal Organizations

27

Appendix VI 

Number of Federal

Employees With

Internet Access

35

Page 16 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Contents

Appendix VII 

Internet and BBS

Activities at Three

Selected Agencies

37

Appendix VIII 

Major Contributors to

This Report

44

Tables Table 1: Total Estimated Expenditures for Internet and BBS

Activities for 42 Federal Organizations, Fiscal Years 1994-1996

5

Table III.1: Estimated Expenditures to Provide Internet Access to

Employees and to Establish and Maintain WWW Sites, by Federal

Organization, Fiscal Years 1994-1996

23

Table IV.1: Estimated Expenditures to Establish and Maintain

Electronic Dial-up BBSs, by Federal Organization, Fiscal Years

1994-1996

25

Table V.1: Electronic Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems Reported

by Federal Organizations

27

Table VI.1: Number of Federal Civilian and Military Employees

With Government-Provided E-Mail and WWW Access, by Federal

Organization

35

Abbreviations

BBS Bulletin Board System

DOE Department of Energy

FWS Fish and Wildlife Service

HHS Health and Human Services

HUD Housing and Urban Development

http hyper text transfer protocol

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NPR National Performance Review

OIG Office of Inspector General

OMB Office of Management and Budget

PEBES Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement

SSA Social Security Administration

WWW World-Wide Web

Page 17 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix I 

Scope and Methodology

We developed a data collection form to accomplish the objectives of

providing information for executive branch agencies on (1) fiscal year

1994 through 1996 expenditures for Internet and BBS activities, (2) the

number of WWW sites and electronic dial-up BBSs, and (3) the number of

employees with government-provided Internet e-mail and WWW access. The

data collection form also requested information on benefits that federal

organizations associate with Internet and BBS activities and guidance that

federal organizations had developed on Internet activities.

To ensure that our data collection form was as comprehensive and

complete as possible, we researched Internet materials and discussed the

types of Internet and BBS related expenditures with knowledgeable

persons both inside and outside the federal government. We pretested the

data collection form with seven major components within three federal

organizations. Comments obtained during the pretests were used to

further refine the form’s content and format to help ensure its

effectiveness as a tool for identifying Internet and BBS information.

We asked federal organizations to report fiscal year 1994 through 1996

expenditures for providing employees with Internet access and

establishing and maintaining WWW sites and electronic dial-up BBSs.

Because, during our pretest, federal organizations told us that they were

not generally required to budget separately for the Internet and BBS

activities, we indicated in our final data collection form that estimates

were acceptable. To guide federal organizations on the types of

expenditures that were to be included for these activities, we requested

that respondents report both capital and operating expenditures for

connection, hardware, software, personnel, training, and other

expenditures for each of the three years. We did not ask the organizations

to depreciate or amortize capital expenditures but to report the

expenditures in the year they were made. We asked federal organizations

to exclude expenditures for WWW sites accessible only internally

(commonly referred to as InTRAnets).

To determine the number of WWW sites and BBSs, we asked the federal

organizations to report the names and Internet addresses of their WWW

sites and the names and telephone numbers of their electronic dial-up

BBSs. Because of your interest in identifying the number of distinct WWW

sites and to encourage consistent reporting, we provided the federal

organizations with a definition of a WWW site. We defined a WWW site as a

file or group of files organized under a homepage, accessible on the

Page 18 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix I 

Scope and Methodology

Internet with web browser software. A WWW site’s homepage is typically

the index, welcome, or menu page for a distinct WWW activity or service.

To determine the number of federal employees with government-provided

Internet access, we asked each federal organization to report the total

number of employees in its organization and the numbers of employees

with government-provided Internet e-mail and WWW access. For WWW

access, we sought information only for employees having access at their

workstations rather than those who have access through their

organization’s library or common workstations.

To address benefits that federal organizations associate with Internet and

BBS activities, we requested they describe, and quantify if possible, any

benefits related to these activities.

To obtain information on guidance that federal organizations had

developed for their Internet activities, we asked federal organizations to

provide us with copies of guidance. We reviewed the guidance to enable us

to summarize the contents, but we did not determine the appropriateness

of the guidance. We also discussed the status of draft governmentwide

guidance on establishing and maintaining WWW sites with OMB officials.

To better understand federal Internet and BBS activities, we judgmentally

selected three federal organizations—the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), within the Department of Commerce;

the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), within the Department of the Interior;

and the Social Security Administration (SSA) at which we performed

additional work. We selected these three federal organizations on the basis

of the wide diversity of their activities and missions.

To address the issue of misuse of government-provided Internet resources

by employees, we discussed this issue with officials from the three

judgmentally selected organizations and reviewed any information

regarding this subject, which some federal organizations provided during

the course of our data collection effort.

As agreed with the requestors, we sent the data collection form to 43

federal organizations—all 14 departments and 29 independent agencies,

asking each department to also provide information for major component

organizations. As agreed, we included only independent agencies with 500

or more employees. We received responses from 13 departments, which

included responses for their major components and from 29 independent

Page 19 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix I 

Scope and Methodology

agencies. As of May 30, 1997, the Department of State did not provide a

response to our request for information. The Department of Health and

Human Services did not provide information for three of its

components—(1) the Administration for Children and Families, (2) the

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, and (3) the Health Research

and Services Administration. We asked the Executive Office of the

President only to provide information for OMB and the White House.

We did not independently verify the accuracy of the information provided

by the federal organizations, as agreed with our requestors. As previously

discussed, much of the expenditure information is based on estimates, and

the basis for federal organizations’ estimates could vary significantly. We

did, however, discuss responses with officials at each organization to

confirm that our report presented the information accurately.

Our work was done by staff in our headquarters office in Washington, D.C.

and our Dallas, Texas, field office, from May 1996 through May 1997 in

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. We

requested comments on a draft of this report from the Director of the

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and on excerpts of the report

from the Secretary, Department of Commerce; the Secretary, Department

of the Interior; and the Acting Commissioner, Social Security

Administration, where we performed more detailed work.

Appendix II includes a list of the federal organizations to which we sent

our data collection form. Appendixes III through VI present the

information reported to us by the federal organizations in response to our

data collection form. Appendix VII contains a description of the Internet

and BBS activities at the three federal organizations at which we performed

additional work.

Page 20 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix II 

Federal Organizations Surveyed by GAO

The following is a list of the 43 federal organizations to which we sent our

data collection form.

Agency for International Development

Armed Forces Retirement Home Board

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Corporation for National Service

Department of Agriculture

Department of Commerce

Department of Defense

Department of Education

Department of Energy

Department of Health and Human Servicesa

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Department of the Interior

Department of Justice

Department of Labor

Department of Stateb

Department of Transportation

Department of the Treasury

Department of Veterans Affairs

Environmental Protection Agency

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Executive Office of the Presidentc

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Federal Reserve System Board of Governors

Federal Trade Commission

General Services Administration

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Archives and Records Administration

National Credit Union Administration

National Labor Relations Board

National Science Foundation

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Personnel Management

Peace Corps

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

Railroad Retirement Board

Securities and Exchange Commission

Small Business Administration

Page 21 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix II 

Federal Organizations Surveyed by GAO

Smithsonian Institution

Social Security Administration

Tennessee Valley Authority

U.S. Information Agency

aThe Department of Health and Human Services did not provide information for three of its

components—(1) the Administration for Children and Families, (2) the Agency for Health Care

Policy and Research, and (3) the Health Research and Services Administration.

bAs of May 30, 1997, the Department of State did not provide us with the information we

requested.

cWe asked the Executive Office of the President to provide information only for the Office of

Management and Budget and the White House.

Page 22 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix III 

Federal Internet Expenditures

Table III.1: Estimated Expenditures to Provide Internet Access to Employees and to Establish and Maintain WWW Sites, by

Federal Organization, Fiscal Years 1994-1996

Expendituresa

Dollars in thousands

Federal organization FY 1994 FY 1995 FY 1996 Totalb

Agency for International Development $298 $313 $432 $1,043

Armed Forces Retirement Home Board 0 0 3 3

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 10 26 124 160

Corporation for National Service 0 0 103 103

Department of Agriculture 1,849 4,963 7,812 14,623

Department of Commerce 4,196 6,883 14,079 25,158

Department of Defense 23,061 36,366 86,178 145,604

Department of Education 553 1,798 1,759 4,110

Department of Energy 2,051 4,443 5,138 11,632

Department of Health and Human Servicesc 1,326 2,032 3,895 7,253

Department of Housing and Urban Development 82 1,191 3,621 4,894

Department of the Interior 1,259 4,800 6,423 12,482

Department of Justice 0 834 1,488 2,322

Department of Labor 695 2,136 2,650 5,481

Department of State d d d d

Department of Transportation 662 1,106 3,939 5,707

Department of the Treasury 386 823 4,053 5,262

Department of Veterans Affairs 213 511 815 1,538

Environmental Protection Agency 3,436 5,174 9,622 18,232

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 14 32 54 100

Executive Office of the Presidente 38 238 443 718

Federal Communications Commission 0 390 642 1,032

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 437 503 616 1,557

Federal Emergency Management Agency 370 1,088 1,027 2,486

Federal Reserve System Board of Governors 219 597 951 1,767

Federal Trade Commission 36 120 215 371

General Services Administration 94 918 3,810 4,822

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 7,382 9,139 13,532 30,053

National Archives and Records Administration 51 519 403 973

National Credit Union Administration 0 37 227 264

National Labor Relations Board 0 17 28 44

National Science Foundation 255 1,317 1,776 3,348

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 827 965 1,315 3,107

Office of Personnel Management 14 54 418 486

(continued)

Page 23 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix III 

Federal Internet Expenditures

Expendituresa

Dollars in thousands

Federal organization FY 1994 FY 1995 FY 1996 Totalb

Peace Corps 0 194 169 363

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 10 10 252 272

Railroad Retirement Board 2 34 66 102

Securities and Exchange Commission 4 475 687 1,165

Small Business Administration 403 468 459 1,330

Smithsonian Institution 325 657 614 1,596

Social Security Administration 86 576 910 1,572

Tennessee Valley Authority 137 122 824 1,084

U.S. Information Agency 164 295 686 1,145

Total $50,944 $92,162 $182,259 $325,364

aExpenditures include both capital and operating expenditures. Capital expenditures are for items

that are generally depreciated or amortized over more than one accounting period. We did not

ask organizations to depreciate or amortize the capital expenditures but merely to report the

expenditure in the year it was made.

bNumbers may not add to totals due to rounding.

cThe Department of Health and Human Services did not provide information for three of its

components—(1) the Administration for Children and Families, (2) the Agency for Health Care

Policy and Research, and (3) the Health Research and Services Administration.

dThe Department of State did not provide information.

eWe asked the Executive Office of the President only to provide information for OMB and the

White House.

Source: GAO analysis of data provided by federal organizations.

Page 24 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix IV 

Federal Electronic Dial-Up BBS

Expenditures

Table IV.1: Estimated Expenditures to Establish and Maintain Electronic Dial-Up BBSs, by Federal Organization, Fiscal

Years 1994-1996

Expendituresa

Dollars in thousands

Federal organization FY 1994 FY 1995 FY 1996 Totalb

Agency for International Development $0 $0 $0 $0

Armed Forces Retirement Home Board 0 0 0 0

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 0 0 0 0

Corporation for National Service 0 0 0 0

Department of Agriculture 146 396 322 864

Department of Commerce 929 589 485 2,002

Department of Defense 666 748 792 2,206

Department of Education 365 950 661 1,976

Department of Energy 311 82 61 454

Department of Health and Human Servicesc 712 549 287 1,548

Department of Housing and Urban Development 575 270 195 1,040

Department of the Interior 3 2 2 7

Department of Justice 25 46 17 87

Department of Labor 90 72 53 216

Department of State d d d d

Department of Transportation 305 325 180 810

Department of the Treasury 178 285 375 837

Department of Veterans Affairs 4 189 151 343

Environmental Protection Agency 1,912 1,865 1,759 5,537

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 0 0 0 0

Executive Office of the Presidente 0 0 0 0

Federal Communications Commission 0 55 66 121

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 30 33 31 94

Federal Emergency Management Agency 102 103 103 308

Federal Reserve System Board of Governors 0 0 0 0

Federal Trade Commission 0 0 0 0

General Services Administration 300 20 25 345

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 245 237 233 715

National Archives and Records Administration 10 4 4 18

National Credit Union Administration 10 2 2 14

National Labor Relations Board 0 0 0 0

National Science Foundation 0 0 0 0

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 261 601 506 1,367

Office of Personnel Management 305 308 333 946

(continued)

Page 25 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix IV 

Federal Electronic Dial-Up BBS

Expenditures

Expendituresa

Dollars in thousands

Federal organization FY 1994 FY 1995 FY 1996 Totalb

Peace Corps 0 0 0 0

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 0 0 0 0

Railroad Retirement Board 4 3 2 8

Securities and Exchange Commission 5 25 28 58

Small Business Administration 148 37 42 228

Smithsonian Institution 0 0 0 0

Social Security Administration 72 130 455 657

Tennessee Valley Authority 68 70 72 211

U.S. Information Agency 14 15 15 44

Total $7,795 $8,009 $7,256 $23,060

aExpenditures include both capital and operating expenditures. Capital expenditures are for items

that are generally depreciated or amortized over more than one accounting period. We did not

ask organizations to depreciate or amortize the capital expenditures but merely to report the

expenditure in the year it was made.

bNumbers may not add to totals due to rounding.

cThe Department of Health and Human Services did not provide information for three of its

components—(1) the Administration for Children and Families, (2) the Agency for Health Care

Policy and Research, and (3) the Health Research and Services Administration.

dThe Department of State did not provide information.

eWe asked the Executive Office of the President only to provide information for OMB and the

White House.

Source: GAO analysis of data provided by federal organizations.

Page 26 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix V 

Electronic Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems

Reported by Federal Organizations

Table V.1: Electronic Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems Reported by Federal Organizations

Federal organization/

Major component Name of BBS BBS telephone number

Department of Agriculture:

Agricultural Marketing Service AMS Market News (202) 690-4126

Greeley CO Livestock & Grain (970) 353-8642

Madison, WI Livestock, Grain & Dairy (608) 224-5090

Agricultural Research Service Hank Davis (970) 220-5512

GRIN (301) 504-6227

Economic Research Service Call ERS/NASS (202) 219-0377

Farm Service Agency FSA-BBS (816) 823-1521

CORP-BBS (800) 246-3877

Food Safety Inspection Service Export Library (202) 501-7608

Forest Service FS-RO2F06a a

FS-R03F05a a

FS-R04F03a a

FS-R04F07a a

FS-R04F12a a

FS-R05K a

FS-R05F10 a

FS-R05F13a a

FS-R05F0?a a

FS-R06C a

FS-R06F21a a

FS/BLM a

FS-R08F06A a

FS-R09F19A a

Department of Commerce:

Bureau of the Census Census/BEA Electronic Forum (301) 457-2310

Economic Development Administration Office of Economic Conversion Information (800) 352-2949

Economics and Statistics Administration Economic Bulletin Board (202) 482-2167

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric

Administration

NMNS Federal Register BBS (301) 713-4200

NMFS Alaska Region BBS (907) 586-7259

National Ocean Service BBS (301) 713-4181

(301) 713-4182

Boise BBS a

National Climatic Data Center BBS (704)271-4286

NMFS NW Region BBS (206)526-6405

Marine Data Computer BBS (301)713-4573

(continued)

Page 27 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix V 

Electronic Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems

Reported by Federal Organizations

Federal organization/

Major component Name of BBS BBS telephone number

Space Environment Laboratory BBS (301)497-7788

National Technical Information Service Fedworld BBS (703) 321-3539

Office of the Secretary Office of Computer Services (703) 487-4166

Patent and Trademark Office Patent and Trademark Office BBS (703) 305-8950

Department of Defense:

Ballistic Missile Defense Organization BMDO Acquisition Reporting Bulletin Board (703) 769-8394

Small Business Innovative Research/DOD

Small Business Technology Transfer

Program

(800) 946-2636

Defense Contract Audit Agency DCAA Information Server (901) 452-2093

Defense Finance and Accounting Service DFAS Enterprise BBS (800) 290-8674

HRD BBS (317) 542-6384

Defense Investigative Service DISLINK (800) 572-9055

Defense Logistics Agency DISC EBB (215) 697-0717

DSCR-EBB (804) 279-1301

DNABBS (800) 305-8203

(616) 961-5193

Item Name (800) 841-4431

DSCC-EBB (614) 692-1394

(614) 692-6841

DoD-Demil/TSC BBS (703) 767-1541

Medical BBS (800) 360-6945

DLABBS (http://131.78.201.501) (800) 458-7904

Defense Security Assistance Agency EDA Bulletin Board (703) 604-6470

(703) 604-6471

Defense Technology Security

Administration

ELISA (703) 602-4740

Department of the Air Force AFOSC Bulletin Board (703) 693-1045

DSN 223-1045

AFMEA Bulletin Board DSN 487-5823

Department of the Navy SPAWAR BBS (703) 602-9494

BUPERS Access (800) 346-3217

Pers-84 BBS (703) 695-3398

Nav Mil Pers BBS (757) 464-7792

SDS User Assistance BBS (757) 523-8207

EPMAC BBS (504) 678-3090

NEOCS/NOCCS BBS (901) 874-7111

Public Works Remote BBS (800) 228-6375

Micro-EAR (805) 982-5300

Judge Advocate General’s Info Net (703) 325-0748

(continued)

Page 28 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix V 

Electronic Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems

Reported by Federal Organizations

Federal organization/

Major component Name of BBS BBS telephone number

Naval Justice School BBS (501) 841-3990

(501) 841-4134

On-Site Inspection Agency DTIRP (703) 810-4741

Department of Education:

Office of Chief Financial Officer ED Board BBS (202) 260-9950

Office of Educational Research and

Improvement

OERI Toll-Free BBS (800) 222-4922

Office of Postsecondary Education SFA - BBS (800) 429-9933

Office of Special Education Research RSA BBS (202) 205-5574

Department of Energy:

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Clearinghouse

(800) 273-2955

Energy Information Administration EPUB (202) 586-2557

Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center PETC Internal BBS a

Department of Health and Human

Services :

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention

CDC Wonder (800) 232-4636

Food and Drug Administration FDA BBS (800) 222-0185

LOS-DO Broker Information System (310) 831-5825

NY Import BBS (718) 965-5096

(718) 965-5097

Buffalo Import BBS (716) 551-3815

FDA CDRH ED BBS (800) 252-1366

Health Care Financing Administration HCFA BBS (410) 786-2202

Indian Health Service HIS Mailman System (505) 248-8311

National Institutes of Health ENTER BBS b

AIG (NIH Apoptosis Interest Group) (301) 402-2221

ANIMAL (guides, publications, legislation) (301) 402-2221

CERTAN (reprocurement) (301) 402-2221

DCGINFO (Office of Contracts

Management Info)

(301) 402-2221

DRGLINE (Grant Line for PHS Program

Information)

(301) 402-2221

EEO-OFFR (EEO) (301) 402-2221

INTERFAC (Index & article summaries) (301) 402-2221

MANUALS (manual chapter information) (301) 402-2221

MOD-TIPS (Information for BBS moderators) (301) 402-2221

NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) (301) 402-2221

NIHEDNET (NIH Office of Education) (301) 402-2221

(continued)

Page 29 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix V 

Electronic Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems

Reported by Federal Organizations

Federal organization/

Major component Name of BBS BBS telephone number

NIHLIBR (Library tutorials & classes) (301) 402-2221

NUPUD (Users of public use data) (301) 402-2221

OPHTHNET (National Eye Institute/AFIP

Ocular Registry)

(301) 402-2221

PEF (Pediatric Exercise Forum) (301) 402-2221

PHSOTTO (Technology transfer

opportunities)

(301) 402-2221

PLASMIDS (DNA sequences of available

plasmids)

(301) 402-2221

RADSAFE (Radiation Safety Branch

Information)

a

SAFETY37 (Safety & security issues in NIH

Bldg 37)

(301) 402-2221

SANCTION (ORI Sanctioned Individuals) (301) 402-2221

SAS (Statistical Applications System News) (301) 402-2221

STUDPROG (NINDS Minority and Student

Programs)

(301) 402-2221

TRY-IT (Try out “ENTER BBS” just for fun) (301) 402-2221

Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration

SAMHSA BBS (800) 424-2294

PREVLine (800) 773-8546

KEN (800) 790-2647

Department of Housing and Urban

Development

HUD Online (800) 546-2500

Public Affairs (202) 708-3563

Department of the Interior:

Office of the Secretary Office of Environmental Policy &

Compliance BBS

(202) 208-7119

(202) 501-6946

U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Information BBS (703) 648-7799

Department of Justice:

Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys EOUSA News BBS a

EOUSA BBS a

Federal Bureau of Prisons BOP.BBS (202) 307-6203

Department of Labor:

Employment and Training Administration Foreign Labor Certification Disclosure BBS (202) 219-3375

Office of the Solicitor SOL BBS (202) 219-9374

(202) 219-8918

(202) 219-9256

(202) 219-9257

(202) 219-9258

(202) 219-9363

Department of Transportation:

(continued)

Page 30 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix V 

Electronic Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems

Reported by Federal Organizations

Federal organization/

Major component Name of BBS BBS telephone number

Bureau of Transportation Statistics BTS BBS (800) 493-4287

Federal Aviation Administration Master Minimum Equipment List (202) 267-5231

Aviation Rule Making Advisory Committee (202) 267-9548

(800) 322-2722

AEE BBS (202) 267-9647

Airports BBS (202) 267-5205

FAA Corp. BBS (800) 224-6287

FAA New England (207) 780-3297

FAA Pilot Examiner Section BBS (405) 954-4530

(800) 858-2107

Pilot Examiner BBS (888) 750-8324

Federal Highway Administration FHWA Electronic Bulletin Board System

(FEBBS)

(800) 337-3492

(202) 366-3764

(202) 366-3175

Federal Railroad Administration RISPC (888) 372-7477

Federal Transit Administration FTA Safety Bulletin Board (800) 231-2061

Maritime Administration Marlinspike (202) 366-8505

Office of the Secretary and the

Administrative Support Center

TABBy BBS (202) 493-2359

DOT HRM BBS (405) 954-3660

Research and Special Programs HMIX/Hazardous Materials Information

Exchange

(630) 252-3275

U.S. Coast Guard NIS Bulletin Board (703) 313-5910

Department of the Treasury:

Financial Management Service FMS Inside Line (202) 874-6817

FMS Fax on Call (202) 874-8616

FMS Voice Info System (202) 874-6995

Internal Revenue Service IRIS (703) 321-8020

AFS (301) 492-5400

Electronic Filing (606) 292-4137

Procurement (202) 799-0943

Information Returns Program (304) 264-7070

IRS Statistics of Income Bulletin Board (202) 874-9574

Little Rock PAO Practitioner (501) 324-7118

U.S. Customs Service Customs Electronic Bulletin Board (703) 440-6155

Department of Veterans Affairs:

Office of Management VA Vendor Bulletin Board System

(VAGBBS)

(800) 735-5282

Veterans Health Administration VA Online (800) 871-8387

VA World (304) 264-4993

(continued)

Page 31 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix V 

Electronic Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems

Reported by Federal Organizations

Federal organization/

Major component Name of BBS BBS telephone number

SLC BBS a

Environmental Protection Agency ATTIC (513) 569-7272

(513) 569-7610

CEAM (706) 355-8328

TTN (919) 541-5742

Cleanup Information (301) 589-8366

REGION10 (800) 781-2241

Region5 Wtr a

NPS (301) 589-0205

EFIN (919) 549-0720

(800) 291-0349

NSFC (800) 624-8301

ORD BBS/CERI (513) 569-7610

Pesticide Information Network (703) 305-7499

PIPES (703) 749-9216

Wastewater Treatment Information

Exchange

(800) 544-1936

REIS (R7) (703) 551-7715

PSR&RIS (703) 308-7224

CSO (800) 700-7837

(703) 790-0825

AMRB (919) 541-1325

DWIE (800) 932-7459

(304) 293-7108

Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission

EEOC Bulletin Board System a

Federal Communications Commission FCC State Link (CCB) (202) 418-0241

Public Access Link (OET) (301) 725-1072

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation FDIC Fax/Bulletin Board System (804) 642-0003

Federal Emergency Management Agency Emergency Management Institute (301) 447-1259

Hazardous Materials Information Exchange (800) 874-2884

State and Local Emergency Management

Data Users Group

(800) 538-4408

(630) 739-1312

General Services Administration Multi-Use File for Interagency News

(MUFFIN)

(202) 205-3890

GSBCA BBS (202) 501-1981

(202) 501-2982

(202) 501-2308

Federal Real Estate Bulletin Board (800) 776-7872

(202) 501-6510

Great Lakes FEB BBS (312) 353-3798

(continued)

Page 32 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix V 

Electronic Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems

Reported by Federal Organizations

Federal organization/

Major component Name of BBS BBS telephone number

Consumer Information Center BBS (202) 208-7679

TeleConX BBS (202) 501-7741

National Aeronautics and Space

Administration

NASA Spacelink (205) 895-0028

Network News (202) 358-4488

E-Mail (800) 380-0674

SBIR/STTR (301) 918-8177

Earth Science Branch Photo Data Base (713) 483-2500

JPL Info (818) 354-1333

NODIS (301) 286-4000

Planetary Data System (818-306-6914)

National Archives and Records

Administration

FRIEND (Federal Register Electronic News

Delivery)

(202) 275-0860

(202) 275-0898

(202) 275-1538

(202) 275-0920

Atlanta FRC (404) 763-7474

National Credit Union Administration NCUA BBS (703) 518-6480

Nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC Online (FedWorld) (800) 303-7672

(703) 321-3580

Tech Spec Plus (800) 679-5784

Public Meeting Notice System (800) 952-9676

Decommissioning Rule (800) 880-6096

Bibliographic Retrieval (800) 270-2787

Office of Personnel Management OPM Mainstreet (202) 606-4800

PayPerNet (202) 606-2675

Federal Job Opportunities Board (912) 757-3100

Railroad Retirement Board Field BBS (312) 751-4722

Quality Reporting Service Center BBS (312) 751-7122

Small Business Administration SBA Online (800) 697-4636

SBA Software Clearinghouse (202) 205-6269

Social Security Administration Chicago Region a

KaCee (Kansas City) a

Online Wage Reporting (410) 966-8450

DCO Village a

Region 1 BBS a

San Francisco BBS a

Employer Information (410) 965-1133

Information Center BBS a

Tennessee Valley Authority Lake Information Line (800) 238-2264

(continued)

Page 33 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix V 

Electronic Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems

Reported by Federal Organizations

Federal organization/

Major component Name of BBS BBS telephone number

Lake Information Bulletin Board (423) 632-4721

United States Information Agency USIABBS (202) 619-4710

(202) 619-4711

(202) 619-4712

(202) 619-4713

(202) 619-4714

I BUREAU BBS (202) 554-6320

(202) 554-6321

(202) 619-5952

Note: Of the 42 federal organizations, 29 reported having a total of 215 electronic dial-up BBSs.

aThe federal organization reported that the BBS is either for internal use only, restricted, or not

available for the general public.

bThe National Institutes of Health reported 23 BBSs within “Enter BBS.”

Source: Information provided by federal organizations responding to GAO survey data collection

form.

Page 34 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix VI 

Number of Federal Employees With Internet

Access

Table VI.1: Number of Federal Civilian and Military Employees With Government-Provided E-Mail and WWW Access, by

Federal Organization

Employees with E-mail addresses Employees with WWW access

Federal organization Number

Percentage of

total employeesa Number

Percentage of

total employeesa

Total number

of employees

Agency for International Development 2,000 66.7 1,500 50.0 3,000

Armed Forces Retirement Home

Board

23 2.6 23 2.6 896

Commodity Futures Trading

Commission

600 100.0 200 33.3 600

Corporation for National Service 518 100.0 0b 0.0 518

Department of Agriculture 55,882 50.8 26,066 23.7 110,115

Department of Commerce 27,635 75.9 16,086 44.2 36,418

Department of Defense 1,113,485 49.5 771,593 34.3 2,250,192

Department of Education 4,694 100.0 3,348 71.3 4,694

Department of Energy 15,500 87.3 13,389 75.4 17,763

Department of Health and Human

Servicesc

42,061 80.6 35,207 67.5 52,161

Department of Housing and Urban

Development

11,000 100.0 11,000 100.0 11,000

Department of the Interior 59,340 83.4 25,830 36.3 71,158

Department of Justice 8,039 7.9 8,126 8.0 101,977

Department of Labor 13,127 80.2 7,813 47.7 16,372

Department of State d d d d d

Department of Transportation 61,989 62.6 16,299 16.5 99,054

Department of the Treasury 78,605 54.6 11,090 7.7 144,053

Department of Veterans Affairs 65,000 26.0 10,000 4.0 250,000

Environmental Protection Agency 17,177 100.0 7,000 40.8 17,177

Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission

18 0.7 24 0.9 2,676

Executive Office of the Presidente 922 100.0 922 100.0 922

Federal Communications

Commission

2,100 100.0 2,100 100.0 2,100

Federal Deposit Insurance

Corporation

9,800 100.0 9,800 100.0 9,800

Federal Emergency Management

Agency

2,400 100.0 2,400 100.0 2,400

Federal Reserve System Board of

Governors

1,200 69.3 1,000 57.7 1,732

Federal Trade Commission 1,000 100.0 1,000 100.0 1,000

General Services Administration 12,500 80.7 11,000 71.0 15,500

(continued)

Page 35 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix VI 

Number of Federal Employees With Internet

Access

Employees with E-mail addresses Employees with WWW access

Federal organization Number

Percentage of

total employeesa Number

Percentage of

total employeesa

Total number

of employees

National Aeronautics and Space

Administration

25,489 99.3 25,539 99.5 25,680

National Archives and Records

Administration

2,500 83.3 2,500 83.3 3,000

National Credit Union Administration 950 100.0 200 21.1 950

National Labor Relations Board 1,900 95.0 750 37.5 2,000

National Science Foundation 1,200 100.0 1,200 100.0 1,200

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 3,200 100.0 1,700 53.1 3,200

Office of Personnel Management 2,600 66.7 250 6.4 3,900

Peace Corps 714 79.3 714 79.3 901

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 764 100.0 100 13.1 764

Railroad Retirement Board 19 1.4 21 1.5 1,412

Securities and Exchange

Commission

2,503 89.8 180 6.5 2,788

Small Business Administration 3,500 100.0 3,250 92.9 3,500

Smithsonian Institution 4,200 64.7 4,200 64.7 6,496

Social Security Administration 26,000 40.0 5,000 7.7 65,000

Tennessee Valley Authority 8,131 51.9 7,000 44.7 15,659

U.S. Information Agency 5,405 78.9 2,900 42.3 6,850

Total 1,695,690 50.4 1,048,320 31.1 3,366,578

Note: We asked federal organizations to report the number of employees with WWW access at

their desktop workstations.

aPercentages calculated by GAO based on data provided by organizations.

bThe Corporation for National Service provides WWW access to its employees through four

common workstations, not to employees’ individual desktop workstations.

cThe Department of Health and Human Services did not provide information for three of its

components—(1) the Administration for Children and Families, (2) the Agency for Health Care

Policy and Research, and (3) the Health Research and Services Administration.

dThe Department of State did not provide information.

eWe asked the Executive Office of the President only to provide information for OMB and the

White House.

Source: GAO analysis of data provided by federal organizations.

Page 36 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix VII 

Internet and BBS Activities at Three

Selected Agencies

We performed work at three judgmentally selected agencies to gain a

better understanding of federal Internet and BBS activities. These agencies

were (1) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), within

the Department of Commerce; (2) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), within

the Department of the Interior; and (3) Social Security Administration

(SSA). The following summaries provide a more in-depth look at Internet

and BBS activities at these agencies than can be obtained from presentation

of only the expenditure and other information provided earlier in this

report. We did not verify the accuracy of the information contained in

these summaries. We did, however, provide the agencies with a draft of

the summaries to ensure that we had accurately represented the

information they reported to us.

National Oceanic and

Atmospheric

Administration

NOAA has approximately 13,500 employees nationwide. The principal

mission of NOAA is to describe and predict changes in the earth’s

environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to

ensure sustainable economic opportunity. NOAA is responsible for

providing a variety of environmental data and information services, such

as meteorological, oceanographic, geodetic, and seismological data.

Agencies within NOAA include (1) National Environmental Satellite, Data

and Information Service; (2) National Marine Fisheries Service;

(3) National Ocean Service; the (4) Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric

Research; and (5) National Weather Service.

Agency Internet Policy NOAA has a written telecommunications policy covering areas such as

planning, management, security, and employee use of Internet resources.

The policy’s stated purpose is to facilitate use of Internet products and

services in management and decisionmaking processes, ensure

compliance with federal laws and regulations, reinforce security

safeguards, and increase user confidence in NOAA’s Internet products.

Benefits NOAA policy states that use of the Internet greatly facilitates user access to

NOAA data and information services and, thus, furthers NOAA’s mission of

disseminating its data and information to the public, scientific community,

and other government agencies. For example, electronic data transfer

reduces NOAA employee paperwork as well as time spent on data entry.

Further, the public benefits by being able to access NOAA information in a

timely manner.

Page 37 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix VII 

Internet and BBS Activities at Three

Selected Agencies

Oversight While NOAA has issued guidance on the use of the Internet, this guidance

does not specifically address whether employees are authorized to use

Internet resources for other than official government business. NOAA

oversight of employee Internet activities is primarily the responsibility of

supervisors within NOAA program and staff offices. NOAA has taken

disciplinary actions against three employees for improper use of their

Internet access.

Internet and BBS Activity NOAA reported maintaining about 383 distinct WWW sites on about 85

computers, providing access to about 95 databases of various NOAA Earth

system information, all linked through the NOAA homepage

(http://www.noaa.gov). The NOAA WWW presence includes meteorological

data and satellite images of the earth’s geography and weather. In a recent

report to the Congress, NOAA described the information it provides through

the Internet.10 For example, in 1995 NOAA provided information, such as

National Weather Service surface and upper air observation data from its

system of satellites, aircraft, and buoys, to about 15,000 users per month.

Internet users are able to search for, view, and obtain satellite data and

images. Other examples of NOAA WWW data include (1) changes in land

cover for the Chesapeake Bay region, (2) historical daily maximum and

minimum temperature and precipitation data and climatological

summaries for 2,200 locations worldwide, and (3) sea-level data for

selected areas of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

NOAA estimates that user demand for its data will approach a half million

inquiries each month by the beginning of the 21st century. NOAA reported

that, from 1991 to 1995, requests for digital data increased a hundredfold

and online inquiries grew to over 200,000 per month.

According to NOAA, about 95 percent of its employees have Internet e-mail

access, and about 44 percent have access to the WWW at their workstations.

As an example, NOAA said its employees use their WWW access to connect

with 13 separate NOAA offices through the Campus Connectivity

Demonstration project. This Internet project allows employees to freely

share databases and information of differing formats, procedures, and

protocols over a common information infrastructure.

NOAA reported maintaining nine electronic dial-up BBSs during fiscal years

1994 through 1996, one of which was discontinued at the end of fiscal year

1996. BBSs do not play a significant role in NOAA’s information

10Progress and Challenges: A Report to Congress on NOAA Data Management, August 1996.

Page 38 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix VII 

Internet and BBS Activities at Three

Selected Agencies

dissemination strategy and are maintained to provide a low-end access

method. These BBSs provide information such as geodetic and global

positioning data, local forecasts and warnings, and climate data for

building and road designs.

Internet and BBS

Expenditures

NOAA estimated Internet expenditures of about $6.5 million for fiscal years

1994 through 1996—$1.3 million for 1994, $2.0 million for 1995, and

$3.2 million for 1996—for providing Internet access to employees and

establishing and maintaining WWW sites. NOAA estimated BBS expenditures

of approximately $29,000 for the 3-year period.

Fish and Wildlife

Service

The mission of the FWS is to conserve, protect, and enhance fish and

wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American

people. FWS activities include biological monitoring, pollution surveillance,

fish and wildlife population studies, and environmental impact

assessment, among others. The Service is responsible for leadership in

identifying, protecting, and restoring endangered species of fish, wildlife,

and plants. FWS has approximately 7,000 employees in over 400 different

locations nationwide.

Agency Internet Policy FWS Internet guidance covers a variety of information management issues,

including issues such as copyright protections, WWW publishing,

appropriate use, and security. Regarding employees’ use of the Internet,

the guidance describes it as another tool available for employees to do

their jobs and encourages employees to use the Internet to do

work-related tasks more effectively.

Benefits FWS cited a number of examples to illustrate the range of benefits to the

agency that the Internet provides. For example, distribution of FWS

National Wetlands Inventory maps tripled at a time when its support staff

was being reduced. Also, it said posting new publications on the WWW and

implementing an automated e-mail service has been very beneficial. E-mail

service provides news releases, bulletins, and other information to about

1,800 subscribers. The service reported that it has increased public access

to new publications, saved on printing costs, and reached a variety of

interest groups without increasing the public affairs staff or manually

maintaining large mailing lists.

Page 39 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix VII 

Internet and BBS Activities at Three

Selected Agencies

Oversight On April 5, 1996, FWS issued a memorandum on use of the Internet to all its

employees. The FWS memorandum, issued in response to a Department of

the Interior Inspector General’s review, reminded managers that they have

considerable latitude in deciding how the Internet should be used; but it

also emphasized that FWS computers, networks, e-mail services, and

telephone facilities are for government business and are not for personal

use. The memorandum also provided several examples of prohibited

activities. According to FWS, it has taken no disciplinary actions against FWS

employees for inappropriate use of Internet access.

Internet and BBS Activity FWS said it maintained 52 Internet WWW sites at the time of our review. FWS

reported eight computers nationwide, which host the WWW sites. Each of

the WWW sites is linked to the main FWS homepage (http://www.fws.gov).

According to FWS each of its seven regions also has WWW sites, each with

numerous links to other FWS sites as well as news and information about

the wildlife refuges, hunting and fishing permits, and other programs

managed by the region. Examples of other FWS sites include the

Endangered Species Program WWW site and the National Wetlands

Inventory office, which has three sites—its homepage, the Wetland Values

Database, and the Maps Database. The Endangered Species site provides

information such as lists of endangered species, the full text of the

Endangered Species Act, regional news, maps, photographs, and

regulatory information for private landowners.

FWS estimated that approximately 5,000 employees, or 71 percent, have

Internet e-mail access and that about 2,500 employees, or 36 percent, have

access to the WWW from their desktop workstations.

Internet and BBS

Expenditures

For fiscal years 1994 through 1996, FWS estimated spending $929,000 for

providing Internet access to employees and for establishing and

maintaining WWW sites. FWS estimated that its expenditures for each of the

fiscal years were $252,000 for 1994, $329,000 for 1995, and $348,000 for

1996. FWS did not maintain any dial-up BBSs.

Social Security

Administration

SSA, an independent agency, administers various federal programs for

retirees, the disabled, and their survivors. SSA also assigns social security

numbers to citizens and maintains records of reported earnings for

individuals assigned a social security number. SSA currently pays benefits

to over 48 million people, annually processes 235 million earnings reports

Page 40 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix VII 

Internet and BBS Activities at Three

Selected Agencies

from 6.5 million employers, and issues 17 million Social Security cards.

Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, SSA operates 10 regional offices, 6

program service centers, 1,300 field offices, and 140 hearings offices, with

a total workforce of about 65,000 employees.

Agency Internet Policy The Administration has issued guidance that addresses management of

and employees’ use of SSA’s Internet services. The policy states that SSA

will “promote Internet access for SSA employees who have a

business-related need as determined by their respective components.” The

policy also addresses WWW and Internet matters such as appropriate WWW

site content and maintenance and Internet security. The policy addresses

compliance with federal laws such as the Privacy Act and Computer Fraud

and Abuse Act as well as OMB guidance. The policy clearly states that

Internet access is only for official SSA business and that employee usage

“may be monitored for traffic, statistical and security purposes.”

Benefits SSA’s Internet policy states that the WWW and related Internet technologies

hold great potential for providing information to the public more quickly,

extensively, and efficiently than ever before. The recent growth of the WWW

and its use by the public, the policy states, make it an increasingly

attractive and effective dissemination channel for SSA. SSA reported a

variety of Internet benefits to both SSA employees and the general public.

These benefits included being able to (1) quickly access technical tools

and resources, including software, that are essential to employees’ jobs

and SSA’s mission; (2) search vendor resources and make online purchases

for supplies at the lowest possible cost; (3) provide increased public

access to over 300 SSA information publications in English and Spanish;

and (4) provide information on assistance available from local SSA offices.

SSA also reported similar benefits from its BBSs. Through regional BBSs,

managers have access to historical agency reports without having to call

the regional office or maintaining cabinets full of paper reports. It said the

Online Wage Reporting BBS, currently in the pilot testing stage, enables it

to process wage reports electronically, and SSA believes that when fully

implemented, the BBS could provide savings as companies file forms online

rather than by paper or on disk.

Oversight Other than supervisory monitoring, SSA system managers currently do not

monitor employee Internet use. SSA does maintain documentation of the

Page 41 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix VII 

Internet and BBS Activities at Three

Selected Agencies

resources accessed through the Internet, however, and is examining

software that could be used to limit access to appropriate Internet sites.

Officials from SSA’s personnel and OIG offices told us that they were not

aware of any disciplinary actions for employees’ improper use of Internet

resources.

Internet and BBS Activity SSA has been a participant on the Internet since 1989, providing statistical

data to educational facilities and other researchers. In May 1994, SSA began

providing public access to “Social Security Online”—SSA’s main Internet

WWW site (http://www.ssa.gov). At the time of our review, SSA reported

having a total of 22 Internet WWW sites. These sites included those for

regional and program offices as well as specific SSA programs, such as SSA’s

Quick Reference Guide for Employers, benefit information publications,

and Social Security welfare reform information sites. In accordance with

SSA policy, all sites are to be maintained on one central computer and

linked to Social Security Online.

SSA also said it recently began experimenting with online personal earnings

statements and benefits applications. In April 1996, SSA introduced a

service to allow the public to make an online request for a Personal

Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement (PEBES). Through the WWW, a

person was able to complete the form, send it to SSA via the Internet, and

receive a PEBES statement in the mail within about 2 weeks. In March 1997,

SSA began providing the PEBES results online, but suspended the service in

April 1997 in response to public concerns raised about the authentication

elements used and the potential for fraud. To address these concerns, SSA

said it is seeking expert and public input through a series of national

forums. SSA’s goal remains to provide the PEBES results online in a

real-time, secure, interactive environment, provided the full range of

privacy and disclosure issues have been addressed. SSA reported that more

than 1.2 million people have accessed Social Security Online, 102,372 in

the month of March 1997 alone. More than 100,000 people have requested

their PEBES by mail since the program began. During the 1-month period

that the PEBES results were available online, more than 71,000 people

requested and received their PEBES results instantly.

SSA reported that about 26,000 employees, or 40 percent, have access to

Internet e-mail and approximately 5,000 employees, or 8 percent, have

access to the WWW at their desktop workstations.

Page 42 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix VII 

Internet and BBS Activities at Three

Selected Agencies

SSA also said it provides public and employee access to its information

using eight BBSs. SSA is currently pilot testing its Online Wage Reporting

BBS. Other BBSs provide employers with information such as changes in

Social Security reporting procedures and forms, or they provide SSA

employees access to SSA policies and reports.

Internet and BBS

Expenditures

SSA reported significant increases in expenditures for providing Internet

access to employees and for establishing and maintaining a WWW presence.

During fiscal years 1994 through 1996, SSA estimated spending about

$86,000, $576,000 and $910,000, respectively.

SSA also reported significant increases in estimated expenditures for its

BBSs over the last 3 fiscal years—$72,000 in 1994, $130,000 in 1995, and

$455,000 in 1996. SSA reported that the increase in BBS expenditures was

due to costs associated with its Online Wage Reporting BBS for system

improvements such as increasing the number of telephone lines, modems,

computers, and printers, and to provide additional training to BBS

personnel.

Page 43 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
Appendix VIII 

Major Contributors to This Report

General Government

Division

James H. Burow, Assistant Director

Michael W. Jarvis, Senior Evaluator

Don D. Allison, Senior Evaluator

Michael A. Tovares, Evaluator

Thomas M. Beall, Social Science Analyst

Stuart M. Kaufman, Social Science Analyst

Vasiliki Theodoropoulos, Senior Evaluator/Communications Analyst

Accounting and

Information

Management Division

Larry J. Modlin, Assistant Director

Mirko J. Dolak, Technical Assistant Director

Office of Information

Management and

Communication

Stephen F. Palincsar, Webmaster

Jane K. Ervin, Publications Graphic Specialist

Joseph Carmel, Computer Specialist

Kenneth L. Cooper, Electronic Publications Specialist

Office of General

Counsel

Susan Michal-Smith, Senior Attorney

Dallas Field Office Linda J. Libician, Evaluator-in-Charge

Marcia B. McWreath, Evaluator

Christina M. Nicoloff, Evaluator

James L. Rose, Evaluator

Enemencio S. Sanchez, Evaluator

James W. Turkett, Evaluator

(410045) Page 44 GAO/GGD-97-86 Internet and Dial-Up Bulletin Boards
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