FAA seeks new e-mail route

The Federal Aviation Administration is in the early stages of soliciting

proposals for a new enterprisewide e-mail capability.

The FAA's current system, cc:Mail, will not be supported after Oct. 31,

2001. Therefore, the FAA must replace the system with a next-generation

messaging capability, according to an FAA announcement.

A decision to procure a new system is pending an "investment decision,"

which is expected to be made by the FAA's Joint Resources Council in July.

In the meantime, the FAA will release a screening information request to

find out what products are commercially available.

An initial requirements document includes several requirements that would

be best supported by a public-key infrastructure, which would enable users

to sign, encrypt and decode messages and interoperate with the Defense Messaging

System, according to the document.

If the Joint Resources Council approves the investment, the FAA plans to

request proposals for a replacement system in September.

The agency has not decided whether the procurement will include replacing

portions of its infrastructure, such as servers and operating system software.