Access Control
& Security Systems

The Transportation Security Administration has entered the second phase of a program to test ways of controlling employee access to secure areas of airport facilities, but Congress is growing tired of testing while waiting for full-scale implementation.
Officials are using the Airport Access Control Pilot Program to evaluate biometrics and other technology that could enable only authorized employees to enter secure areas, with the first phase testing RFID, advanced video surveillance and antipiggybacking technologies. Officials also tested various combinations of biometric technologies in eight airports.
Surveys and interviews of the approximately 2,600 participants will follow in the second phase.
Critics question the usefulness of the pilot and the feasibility of a one-size-fits-all solution, Federal Computer Week reports. Such solutions could include technology that is not fully proven, and some critics question how much imperfection agency officials should tolerate.
Lawmakers argue that officials at TSA and the Homeland Security Department are investing too much time and energy in running pilot tests rather than fielding solutions.

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