Davis Stokes Telecom Heat

Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., is planning hearings June 13 on the General Services Administration's contracts for local telecommunications services.

Davis, chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on technology and procurement policy, is concerned that federal agencies in major cities have been too slow to use the Metropolitan Area Acquisition contracts, and that the GSA has not been active in promoting them.

Those 20 contracts are valued at about $4.1 billion, and the GSA has projected they could save taxpayers more than $1 billion compared to current costs.

Despite the awards, many local offices of federal agencies have not moved from their local provider to MAA providers, so the government is not realizing the cost savings, a Davis spokesman said.