More rumors from the east coast. Apparently in an effort to garner more monthly fees, NMCI has started digging in the weeds, looking for data circuits transiting base demarcs. A liberal interpretation of the NMCI contract allows EDS to charge for all data networks entering and leaving the boundaries of the facility.
In an effort to stem the fiscal hemorrhaging of the NMCI contract, EDS may start charging MCB Quantico and other facilities a monthly charge for data circuits even though the circuits were put in to service long before the NMCI rollout took place on the base. These include service-wide and joint networks such as the Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN), Defense Information System Network (DISN), Joint Training and Experimentation Network (JTEN) and several other DISA administered efforts. No word on how this confiscatory policy will be applied to tenant activities at these bases.
Speaking of DISA, it would be interesting to see the details of the agreement reached that allows NMCI to usurp the authority of the Defense Information Systems Agency. DISA is tasked with providing DoD interconnectivity and establishing the Global Information Grid. It would appear that NMCI has decided EDS is better positioned to provide this connectivity.
It is unclear what value NMCI is adding to these existing circuits they are now planning to tax. The base must still pay the telco recurring charges for these circuits as they always have. Since most, if not all, of the equipment used to terminate and transport these circuits is "legacy" equipment, NMCI is likely not maintaining or operating these networks. So whatever support systems the base had already established to perform O&M for these networks must still be maintained.
