The OIG applauds OIT for taking the first steps toward gaining control of its service
needs. We also believe that identifying OIT staff dedicated to managing the service
issues provides needed accountability. However, according to the Director of OIT,
Networx is not due to be transitioned to the Federal government until 2010. As with
many government-wide initiatives of this magnitude, this implementation date could slip
by months or years. In the meantime, the agency continues to spend $1,500 - $2,000
monthly on services it does not need. We suggest that the agency immediately terminate
unneeded lines and services as it continues to ready itself for Networx. This would result
in a recurring savings that could be put to better use on numerous IT or agency-wide
initiatives.

Most importantly, the agency needs to make a commitment to manage this program.
Assigned responsibility and an inventory are two basic steps in this regard. But agency
needs have to be assessed regularly. Lines belonging to separating employees have to be
terminated or suspended. Decisions regarding whether to provide multiple phone (and
phone lines) in one office have to be made. In other words, the inventory has tobe the
result of an active management. Management needs to manage the FMC’s phone service
as it would its own (i.e., residential) phone service. That means, essentially, only order
what is needed and do not pay for unused services.

10


Office of Inspector General
Audit of the Federal Maritime Commission’s Telephone Service

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) performed an audit of the Federal Maritime
Commission’s (FMC or Commission) management of its telephone service. The
objective of the audit was to assess controls in place to ensure that the agency receives
and pays for only those telephone services that it needs to carry out its mission. The audit
found that the agency is not managing its telephone service efficiently and could save
$1,500 - $2,000 monthly by implementing basic controls and applying minimal industry
best practices.

I. Background

Telephone service at the FMC is essential for.employees to carry out the agency’s
mission and for stakeholders to have access to FMC for various mission-related tasks.
The FMC provides telephone service for its employees at Headquarters in Washington,
D.C., and field locations in Miami, Florida; New York, New York; Los Angeles,
California; Houston, Texas; Seattle, Washington; and New Orleans, Louisiana. The
agency procures these services through the General Services Administration (GSA) to
take advantage of volume discounts. Payment is made through the Intergovernmental
Payments and Collections (IPAC) system.

In July 2006, the Office of Management Services (OMS) began a slow transition to
transfer responsibility for day-to-day telephone service management to the Office of
Information Technology (OIT). These responsibilities include procuring phone lines and
line features (e.g., voice mail), coordinating phone service maintenance and repair with
service-providers and approving monthly service provider invoices for payment. The
transition was completed in July 2007.

New employees are provided with telephone service on their first day on the job. All
employees receive, in addition to basic service, select features, to include voicemail,
three-way calling, call transfer and intercom capability. This “standard” service costs the
agency about $21 per employee. When employees leave the agency, they complete Form
FMC-25, Employee Clearance Statement, which notifies telephone service managers that
the employee’s assigned line will no longer be used by the employee. At any given time,
management should have an inventory of active lines which tie to the monthly billing
statement.

The agency has three options to manage the service vacated by departing employees,
each with associated costs: (i) terminate the line, saving the average monthly ($21)
service charge for each month the service is not needed. However, there is a one time
$70 — $140 charge to reactivate the line; (ii) suspend service on the line, saving one-half
the monthly charge. The line can be reactivated at no cost to the agency; and (iii)
maintain the activated line. While this option provides maximum flexibility, it also is the
most costly alternative. Clearly, circumstances surrounding the hiring of new employees,


3. Eliminate the hard copy telephone directory. Remind existing staff of the
availability of the Intranet directory and inform new hires of the Intranet
directory during new employee orientation.

Cc. Paying for Lines and Features the Agency Does Not Need

As of June, 2007, the agency was paying for 283 telephone lines at its headquarters (266)
and area office locations a73 Based on our review of these lines, we determined that
84, or 29 percent, were not needed to carry out the agency’s mission. Further, many of
these unneeded lines contained “premium” features, such as voicemail, conference
calling, etc. that added to their cost. We also identified one line in a field office that was
being maintained for months for a yet-to-be hired employee, resulting in a $44.29
monthly charge for this unused service. Even though individual line charges seem
miniscule, when the costs are totaled, the agency spent $1,500 - $2,000 per month on
phone service that it did not use.

The OIG concluded that the agency is not efficiently managing its telephone services. It
is paying for lines and phone features that, month after month in many cases, sit unused
on desktops or in telephone switch rooms. OIT staff indicated to the OIG that it is
preparing for the transition to GSA’s new phone service, Networx. The OIG is concerned
that, unless mechanisms are put into place and needs are actively assessed, the agency
will again revert to inefficient telephone service management practices, regardless of the
service provider.

As discussed previously, the agency has three alternatives when managing for the optimal
use of its phone service (termination, suspension and maintenance). Decisions have to be
made on telephone needs on an employee and office basis. Needs are determined from
the ground up. For example, each employee receives a dedicated phone line. Select
senior staff may be provided with two phones in the office, one on the desk and one near
asofa. Fax lines for each office and select other phones (elevator lobby, for example) are
provided as needed.

OIT prepared an inventory of lines when it assumed control of the telephone system.
This is a necessary first step to efficiently and effectively managing telephone services.
The OIG used this inventory as a starting point to identify the services the agency is
purchasing on a monthly basis. We observed several practices that contribute to waste of

phone services.

Unassigned lines

Using the agency’s inventory edited by the OJG with updated information, we identified
35 unassigned lines that the agency pays for monthly. Most are Centrex-like analog lines
that contain no additional features and cost the agency $7.49 per line per month. Others
are identified as Centrex-like analog lines with features that cost the agency $10 - $16 per

3 We did not include the Houston, TX area office in this total as the office was opened after October 2006,
the first month in the period of our review.


We conducted this performance audit from October — December 2007 in accordance with
generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable
basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the
evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on
our audit objectives.

III. Results of Audit

The FMC provides its employees with policy guidance on the use of agency’s electronic
equipment, including telephone usage. However, there are no specific internal policies or
guidelines on the management of the agency’s telephone service. Other agencies we
contacted also did not have dedicated policies or procedures for telephone service
management.

The OIT’s inventory of its telecommunication lines is inaccurate. There were 21
discrepancies between the OIT’s inventory and telephone service information collected
by the OIG directly from FMC bureaus and offices. We also identified inconsistencies
among intra-office directories. The telephone directory on the agency’s Intranet
contained, for the most part, updated and complete information for employee contacts.
On the other hand, we observed that the MS Outlook address book, the automated staff
directory tied to the agency’s e-mail system, was missing several employee telephone
numbers and office affiliation.

We concluded that many features that add a premium to the cost of each line were simply
not needed on all Commission lines. For example, the agency pays monthly for voice
mail and teleconferencing on several lines, to include lines in file rooms, elevator lobbies
and on fax machines. We also identified active lines that are unassigned, that continue to
be billed to, and paid for by, the agency. Further, the agency pays a premium for data
transmission capabilities on its phone lines even though this capability is not used by
staff. The OIG estimates that the agency is spending $1,500 - $2,000 each month for
services and features that it does not need.

To correct these deficiencies we recommended, among other things, that the agency
inventory all lines and features, update the MS Outlook address book; terminate features
not needed on lines, and depending on expected hiring efforts and results, suspend or
terminate unassigned and unused lines.

A. OIT’s Inventory of Agency Telephone Lines is not Accurate

In July 2007, OIT took over the management of the agency’s telephone lines. Upon
request, OIT provided the OIG with an inventory of the agency’s telephone lines, dated
March 13, 2007. While useful, we could not rely on this listing alone because of
discrepancies found when we reconciled inventory listings with directory information


the estimated time that service will not be needed, etc., will determine which option
represents the most efficient alternative to the agency.

In 2007, the agency paid for 283 lines at its Headquarters and field office locations that
cost the agency approximately $8,400 monthly.

II. Objective, Scope, and Methodology

The objective of the audit was to assess whether the agency receives and pays for only
those telephone services that it needs to carry out its mission. To address the objective,
the OIG reviewed the agency’s telephone invoices for October 2006 and June 2007 to
document basic line and feature charges and to identify monthly charges paid by the
agency. We also reviewed agency “telephone books,” to include the Microsoft (MS)
Outlook Address Book, FMC’s on-line telephone directory and the agency’s most recent
hard copy telephone directory, dated February 2006, to assess the accuracy and
completeness of the information provided; IPAC Transaction Reports for invoice
payment information; and OJT’s master inventory of the agency’s telephone lines, as of
March 13, 2007, as well as bureaw/office intra-office staff phone directories to match
current and former staff to active phone lines (i.e., lines the agency pays for monthly).

We interviewed the Directors of OMS and OIT and their respective staffs to document
their responsibilities concerning phone service management, and the Director of the
Office of Financial Management (OFM) to discuss the phone bill-payment process. The
OIG also interviewed representatives from its service-providers at Verizon and GSA to
gain an understanding of telephone services and costs and the role GSA plays in
providing services to the agency.

The OIG reviewed FMC’s Policy on Personal Use of Government Office Equipment,
dated September 9, 2005, and researched GSA guidance and regulations for government-
wide telephone management policies and procedures. GSA currently has no guidance
available for agencies to follow but has reserved Federal Management Regulation,
subchapter — Telecommunication, part 102-172, Telecommunication Management Policy,
for future use. Regardless, the lack of internal or government-wide policies on phone-
system management, best practices in the industry dictate that the agency should only
procure for items needed to accomplish its mission.

Using agency-provided telephone line inventories, we cross checked lines against
employee rosters supplied by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) to identify lines
belonging to former staff and verified with bureau/office intra-office directories that the
lines were not reassigned. We also calculated the length of time lines remained active
after staff left the agency. We performed analysis of each telephone line and its features
to determine whether we were paying for unneeded telephone lines or features.

' The amount identified above includes costs for message units, data services, regulatory “pass throughs,”
and other taxes and fees. Line and line feature charges cost the agency a little more than half of this total —
about $4,800 per month.


services. Incomplete and inaccurate records do not facilitate efficient management. To
lay a foundation for properly managing the program, the agency needs to update the
universe of lines and features it is to manage.

Recommendation:

1. We recommend that the Office of Information Technology update its
inventory of the agency’s telephone lines and service features.

B. Telephone Listing.in the MS Outlook Address Book

The agency produced its last hard-copy telephone directory in February 2006. A soft
copy is available on the agency’s Intranet. In addition’to the telephone directories, FMC
e-mail users can access staff telephone numbers in the agency’s MS Outlook address
book. The OIG reviewed all three directory listings to assist in the reconciliation of the
inventory. We found inconsistent information in the three directory sources. While the
Intranet directory was the most accurate of the three directory sources, no one source was
completely accurate.

The MS Outlook address book contains employee e-mail addresses, office and office
locations, and phone numbers. OIT is responsible for setting up these accounts for new
employees. Our review of this address book revealed that it was incomplete.

The MS Outlook address book contains 128 entries, including the names of three agency
contractors and three names we could not identify. We found 18 of the 128 entries did
not have telephone numbers or office affiliations listed, including staff in the offices of
the ALJ, OHR and the OIG. When we reconciled the address book to the office/bureau
inventory, we found 10 of the 128 employee entries listed in the address book were
inaccurate or could not be identified.

Potential problems accompanying inaccurate and incomplete telephone directory
information are mitigated by the largely accurate Intranet directory. However,
maintaining three directories with different information contributes to staff inefficiencies
when staff has to search multiple directories to make a phone call. Yet, it requires
relatively little effort to maintain multiple databases when control of the directory is
centralized. The most efficient and effective way to accomplish this is to assign control
to the individual responsible for managing the agency’s telephone service.

Recommendations:

2. Enter new employee telephone number and office affiliation in the on-line and
MS Outlook directories at the time the employee is issued an e-mail address.
Update the MS Outlook address book.


Audit of Agency’s
Telephone Service
A08-03

January 2008


ISDN Lines

Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) lines are provided to all FMC employees as
their “base” line. These lines, without added features, cost the agency about $16 per line,
more than double the base voice (Centrex) line charge of $7.49.

The agency has no demonstrated need to transmit data over individual phone lines with
the advances in the reliability and security of the Internet. The agency could save
approximately $8.50 per line monthly, or about $850, by moving toward a Centrex line
(without data transmission capability) for the majority of phones in use at the agency.

Line Features

In addition to line charges, agency telephone lines are provided select features that are
useful and often needed when performing job responsibilities. Important features include
three-way calling and voice mail. These features add approximately $8.00 to the cost of
each line. Hence their inclusion needs to be managed.

The OIG found that the agency was not managing these ancillary services efficiently and
effectively. For example, lines belonging to former employees that were maintained
monthly contained voicemail and other premium features. By suspending service on
these lines, as suggested above, the agency could terminate premium features and
reactivate them when needed.

The OIG also identified valid lines that contained features that were not needed. One of
the most common observations noted by the OIG was the voicemail feature on most of
the agency’s facsimile machines and on lines placed in select agency file rooms. The
following chart illustrates unneeded features on otherwise needed telephone lines:

Table 2. Unneeded Features on Valid Lines

6-way Additional

Office/Description Voicemail | Conference | Directory Total

Call Listing/

Number

Commissioner 2 0 0 2
Secretary 4 0 0 4
Bureau of Enforcement 1 1 0 2
Administration 5 0 1 6
General Counsel 1 0 0 1
Bureau of Trade 2) 0 0 2
Analysis
Operations 1 1 0 2h
Other Numbers 3 0 0 3
Total 19 2 1 22



line each month. The OIG believes that all unassigned lines could be terminated at a
recurring monthly savings of about $340.

Modem Lines

Prior to the widespread use of the Internet for connecting to the FMC network, the
agency relied on “dial up” or “modem” service for remote connections. With Internet
security enhancements and improved Internet transition capabilities, the agency no longer
supports modem transmission of data. We identified 26 modem lines that are unused but
continue to cost the agency $7.49 monthly per line. All modem lines should be
terminated for a recurring monthly savings of $195.

Separated Employees

When employees leave the agency, they are required to go through a “check-out”
process, which includes alerting OIT that phone service will no longer be needed for the
employee. At this point, the agency can suspend the line, saving the agency half of the
monthly service fee, or terminate the line saving all of the monthly fee. As discussed
previously, terminating the line, if needed again in the future, would cost the agency a
reactivation fee to reinstate the line. It appears from our analysis that service is not
suspended or terminated for separated employees.

The OIG identified 16 lines belonging to former employees that the agency continued to
pay for even though the positions were unoccupied. These 16 employees left the agency
at different times, with one leaving as early as March 2004. Most of these lines cost the
agency about $21 per month, as they are ISDN lines (see below) which contain both data
and voice capability. Depending on staffing needs, the agency could, at a minimum,
suspend lines of departing employees (assuming that these employees will be replaced),
saving half of the $21 monthly cost, or about $155 per month.

Redundant Line Usage

The OIG identified five lines that, for the lack of a better descriptive title, we refer to as
“redundant usage.” For example, we identified offices belonging to senior staff that has
two telephones: one for the desk and one next to a sofa. We recognize that seniority and
rank carry with them certain privileges, but we could not explain the need for different
lines on the two phones. One line with an extension would seem to us to be more
practical. We also identified phone lines in the Chairman’s office that should have been
suspended when he left the agency in December 2006. We recognize that the agency did
not have a crystal ball to predict when a new Chairman would be appointed, but it should
be the agency’s policy to suspend service when any employee leaves the agency unless a
new appointment has been made. We conservatively estimate that the agency could save
about $45 per month by more effectively managing existing services on these five lines.


provided to us by individual offices and bureaus. For example, we found 22
discrepancies in 9 of the 13 offices/bureaus” we reviewed as indicated in the table below:

Table 1. Discrepancies Found in OIT Inventory

Office/Location

OIT Inventory Listing

Actual Inventory/Analysis

Commissioners

Identified as Chairman’s sofa phone

Could not be found

Identified as “Old Line”

Found line in Chairman’s suite

Administrative Law

Listed as ALJ’s main number

ALJ’s staff number

Judge (ALJ)

Listed as ALJ’s staff number ALJ’s main number
Secretary (OS) Listed as Chairman’s number OS identified as Secretary’s

number

Listed as Chairman file room Secretary listed as vacant

number office number

Listed as staff number CADRS main number
Bureau of Listed as “Old Line” BOE assigned to staff
Enforcement (BOE)

Listed for a BOE staff BOE listed as another staff
Office of Listed two main numbers for its Only one number appears in
Administration respective office the agency’s telephone

directory

Listed number for computer room

Operations file room number

Bureau of Certification

Listed number as the Bureau of

BCL’s fax number

& Licensing (BCL) Trade Analysis’s fax number (2
instances)

Operations (Ops) Listed as Ops main number Ops fax number

T1 PRI T1 PRI (4 instances) Not found in the October 2006
invoice

Freight Elevator Listed in OIT’s inventory Not found in the October 2006
invoice

Guard’s Desk Listed in OIT’s inventory Not found in the October 2006
invoice

Health Unit Listed in OIT’s inventory Not found in the October 2006

invoice

The United States Government Accountability Office Standards for Internal Controls in
the Federal Government, dated November 1999, states that physical control over assets is
needed to secure and safeguard the agency’s assets. In addition, assets should be
periodically counted and compared to control records.

There needs to be a central repository for line information to enable managers to make
efficient and cost-saving decisions regarding the use and disposition of telephone

? The 13 offices contain two non-FMC stations: the guard’s desk and the health unit.

4



TABLE OF CONTEN

I. BACKGROUND .nsessssssesssessessssessecssecsssesussnssonssusenscenscuneensenssenssonssonecaneensensecsavennecanecenseenneese 1
Il. OBJECTIVE, SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY ........ssscssesssssnsssnessneesesssesnsesnneenneennesene 2

Ill. RESULTS OF AUDIT.

A. OIT’s Inventory of Agency Telephone Lines is mot Accurate.......s.sssssserssessessrneesee 3
B. Telephone Listing in the MS Outlook Address Book ..........ssssssssssssssssssssesssssssneenses 5
C. Paying for Lines and Features the Agency Does Not Need ......ssssssssssseessnseessnseesssee 6
D. Conclusion ........sssssssssssssssssnessssssssesnsssssenesscseencenscnsnnsaensonsenssnnsnsensnnsenceneensenseanenecensenees 9

TV. MANAGEMENT COMMENTS ..w..sesssscssssssssssssensesesenscnssenssansssnesenesascenecsnsennecanecsanesnnes 11


FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION
Office of Administration

Memorandum Date: January 17, 2008
To : Inspector General
From : Deputy Director of Administration

Subject : Comments on Draft Report Audit of the Federal Maritime
Commission's Telephone Service

I have reviewed the recommendations in the instant draft audit. Below are
corrective actions which will be effected to address the recommendations.

Recommendation 1. We recommend that the Office of Information Technology
update its inventory of the agency’s telephone lines and service features.

Response: OA agrees that the agency’s inventory of telephone lines and service
features should be updated. OIT will continue the comprehensive review process which
has been initiated, which will include all units of the agency. This review will tie in with
corrective actions taken under Recommendation 5 below. We estimate that the review
will be completed and a recommendation submitted to the Commission regarding an
updated inventory and service features by June 30, 2008.

Recommendation 2. Enter new employee telephone number and office affiliation in
the on-line and MS Outlook directories at the time the employee is issued an e-mail
address. Update the MS Outlook address book.

Response: OIT will consolidate the agency's telephone directories so as to maintain one
comprehensive on-line directory for employee use. OIT also will develop an SOP for
updating the on-line telephone directory. As part of the development of this SOP, OIT
will consider options for the timing and publication of updates, in what format to provide
the directory to employees, the use of desktop icons to make access easier for
employees, etc. The SOP will include actions to be taken to provide updates to the Office
of the Secretary to ensure that Office has appropriate, timely information with which to
update the Internet website's public telephone directory. These actions will be completed
by March 30, 2008.

Recommendation 3. Eliminate the hard copy telephone directory. Remind existing
staff of the availability of the Intranet directory and inform new hires of the Intranet.
directory during new employee orientation.

Response: A decision was made some time ago in the OA Director's Office (which
issued the hardcopy telephone directories) to abandon the hardcopy format as the
standard telephone directory, as more versatile electronic formats now exist. In the e-mail

aba


Fortunately, the agency has already begun to take steps to correct the observed
deficiencies. It began by preparing an inventory of all phone lines and services. This
enables managers to compare what hardware the agency has with what it needs to
perform its mission. OIT also assigned responsibility to one individual for managing the
service. This establishes accountability so that when waste is identified, one person is
responsible for taking action.

But the agency needs to do more. Rather than wait for a new phone system to be
procured for the agency by the General Services Administration, the agency should begin
immediately to eliminate wasted lines and phone features. It needs to manage the phone
service to ensure that all staff has everything it needs to do its job, and no more.

The OIG wishes to thank the Office of Administration, and specifically the Office of
Information Technology for their help and cooperation throughout the audit.
Management comments are attached to the report.

ce: Commissioners
Bureau Directors
Office Heads


FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION
800 North Capitol Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20573

January 23, 2008

Tel: (202) 523-5863

Office of Inspector General Fax: (202) 566-0043
E-mail: oig@fme.gov

TO: Peter King, Director
Office of Administration

FROM: Adam R. Trzeciak A J 3 )
Inspector General : <4

SUBJECT: Transmittal of OIG Audit Report

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently completed an audit of the Federal
Maritime Commission’s management of its telephone service. The objective of the audit
was to assess controls in place to ensure that the agency receives and pays for only those
telephone services that it needs to carry out its mission. The audit found that the agency
is not managing its telephone usage efficiently and could save between $1,500 - $2,000
monthly by implementing basic controls and applying minimal best practices.

We determined that many features that add a premium to the cost of each line, such as
voicemail and teleconferencing, were simply not needed on all Commission lines. For
example, the agency pays monthly for voice mail and teleconferencing on several of its
fax machines and file room lines. We also identified unassigned lines and no-longer-used
modem lines that continue to be billed to, and paid for by, the agency. Further, the
agency ‘pays a premium for data transmission capabilities on its phone lines even though
this capability is not needed nor used by staff.

The outcomes and inefficiencies identified by the OIG did not arise overnight. Rather,
the OIG believes that these resulted from years of not managing this service. When lines
were ordered, decisions were made to obtain certain features and capabilities, whether or
not there was a demonstrated need at that time. Agency managers must have surmised
that it would be better to have the capability and not use it than to need the capability and
not have it.


These 22 features on “valid” lines were not needed in these offices and cost the agency
$111 per month. The OIG identified another 36 features tied to unneeded lines.*

During the exit conference, management informed the OIG that it has already begun to
take steps to bring the inventory of telephones in line with agency needs, both in response
to, and independent of, our audit. For example, in anticipation of the government-wide
transition to the Networx system, OIT completed the GSA-required “Transition Baseline
Inventory Tool” to identify and eliminate unneeded telephone lines. OIT management
told us that it completed the inventory, according to GSA’s directions, and submitted it
by the December 2007 deadline. The inventory identified approximately 35 lines
(unassigned lines, T1 lines, etc.) which OIT wanted to eliminate immediately.
Subsequent to the submission, GSA informed OIT that the agency’s inventory needed to
be revised in order to “claim” those lines it wished to eliminate prior to eliminating them.
Due to the ambiguity of the guidance from GSA, OIT currently is engaged in additional
dialogue with GSA regarding the appropriate way to revise the inventory to allow FMC
to terminate the identified lines as soon as possible.

Recommendations:

4. The Office of Human Resources Update Form FMC-25, Employee
Clearance Statement, to reflect OIT’s telephone service responsibilities
related to employee check outs.

5. The Office of Information Technology suspend or terminate lines of
departed employees. Examine unused and unassigned numbers for
possible elimination.

D. Conclusion

The OIG believes that improvements in the agency’s management of telephone services
are needed. While we have identified instances of seemingly wasteful practices, we also
know that the agency recognizes that it needs to better manage this program. OIT took
the first step months before this OIG review and put together an inventory of all phone
lines and features, not an easy task.

Complicating OIT efforts to better manage the agency’s telephone service has been the
significant staffing changes in OIT over the past year, including changes in the Chief
Information Officer, the OIT Director and the Information System Security Officer
positions. These no doubt impacted actions to assess the agency’s telephone service
needs. During the exit conference with management informed the OIG that it has already
taken steps to address inefficiencies, many predating our audit.

* We do not estimate additional cost savings for these features because we assume the agency will
terminate these unneeded lines. We identified cost savings for terminated lines previously.

9


discussed in the paragraph below, OA will suggest that employees discard old versions
of the hardcopy telephone directory.

Occasional requests for “hardcopy” telephone directories now are fulfilled by
printing out the Intranet version and putting cover stock on them. It is up to individual
employees to print out new versions as employees leave the agency or new employees
come on board. However, on rare occasions a new hardcopy version of the telephone
directory is sometimes created, usually when a new Chairman or Commissioner comes
on board. But this is the exception, not the rule.

OA will issue an e-mail to all employees reminding them of the availability of the
on-line version of the telephone directory and suggesting they discard old hardcopy
directories, and OIT will include information regarding the on-line directory in its new
employee orientation. These actions will be completed by January 31, 2008.

Recommendation 4. The Office of Information Technology update Form FMC-25,
Employee Clearance Statement, to reflect OIT’s telephone service responsibilities
related to employee check outs.

Response. OA will review FMC-25 to ensure that the form is updated and will review
relevant Commission policies to ensure appropriate changes are made. This process will
be completed by March 30, 2008.

Recommendation 5. Suspend or terminate lines of departed employees. Examine
unused and unassigned numbers for possible termination.

Response. OIT previously identified approximately 35 unassigned telephone lines which
could be terminated; staff has been working with GSA for several months on finalizing an
inventory, and has begun working with Verizon to complete the process for terminating
the lines. Also, as part of the review process discussed under Recommendation 1, OIT
will work with program managers to review the use of lines assigned to their units.
Further, OIT will consult with GSA, which offers no-cost assistance in analyzing
telephone needs. OA notes that certain telephone lines, such as.those in the Chairman's
suite, are widely published outside the agency and thus consideration of suspension or
termination of such lines must be tempered by matters other than purely cost-to-agency.
This review will tie in with corrective actions taken under Recommendation 1 above.
Further, OIT will develop an SOP for future telephone line management, to include
routine inventories and updating of documentation. Corrective action on this
recommendation will be completed by June 30, 2008.

Keg Hag a
cc: Director of Administration

Director, Office of Information Technology

12