The $2.4 billion FTI program was introduced by the FAA in 2002 to replace seven FAA-owned and leased telecommunications networks. It provides a range of voice, data and video communication services for operations and mission support at more than 4,000 FAA and Defense Department facilities, according to Harris. The FTI network provides switching and routing services, as well as centralized infrastructure security monitoring services for the FAA.

An audit of the program released by the FAA's Inspector General last September cited concerns over delays in the project's implementation and doubts about the promised cost-benefits the network was supposed to yield. The report also noted several technical problems that had caused unscheduled outages to air traffic control operations.

"In some cases, these outages have involved simultaneous loss of both primary and back-up FTI services, which not only disrupts air travel but also creates potential safety risks," the inspector general report warned, pointing to several incidents in recent years.

On Sept. 25, 2007 for instance, all FTI services were lost at the Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Control Center (ARTCC), disrupting air traffic control for several hours and causing 566 flight delays, the report said. The problem stemmed from a "catastrophic failure" of an optical network ring that was supposed to offer built-in fault tolerance. The FAA was vulnerable to the same issues at Atlanta and in Jacksonville.

Another incident occurred on Nov. 9, 2007, when all primary and alternate FTI services were lost at Jacksonville, resulting in 85 flight delays. "We also found that when FTI outages occur, the services are not always restored within contractual timeframes," the inspector general's report said. In some cases, where services are supposed to be restored within three hours, Harris took twice as long to fix the problem. "Several areas remain critical watch items for decision makers as FAA moves forward with FTI," the report said.