DHS Accepts First Installment of Electronic Border Fence

GovernmentExcutive.com reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Department has conditionally accepted delivery of the first phase of a controversial electronic border fence from contractor Boeing Co., and awarded the company a $64 million contract to build the next phase. DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff accepted the delivery of the first phase of the Secure Border Initiative Network, a high-tech surveillance system consisting of radars, cameras and ground sensors connected by a wireless satellite network along a 28-mile section in southern Arizona. Before delivery, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, sent Chertoff a letter asking him to defer final payment and acceptance of Project 28 until Chertoff was satisfied it would meet the requirements in awarding the $2.5 billion contract to Boeing last year. Thompson has been concerned about Boeing’s efforts to fix technical problems with the fence, including systems integration, rain-activating radars and a lag time in displaying video images from field cameras. As a result, Boeing missed the June deadline to turn the first phase of the fence over to the Border Patrol. As of last week, Thompson was not convinced Boeing had fixed the bugs or if the fence was worth the investment.

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