Radio-frequency IDs eyed at U.S. entry

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection yesterday announced the awarding of a $62 million task order to Unisys Corp. to implement radio frequency identification and new license-plate-reader technologies along the nation"s borders.

"We are committed to creating more efficient borders that will allow a more convenient crossing experience, as well as contributing to the overall security of our nation by knowing the identity and citizenship of every traveler," said CBP Commissioner W. Ralph Basham.

"This technology deployment is a tremendous step toward both of those goals."

The program is a technology upgrade that Mr. Basham said will enable the nation"s top 39 land ports to read secure radio frequency identification-enabled (RFID) documents. The 39 ports account for 95 percent of all land border crossings into the United States.

Mr. Basham said the technology upgrade includes the passport card, slated for production by the State Department this spring, as well as enhanced driver"s licenses to be produced by several states beginning this month and by the Canadian provinces.

The traveler"s information, he said, is transmitted via a unique number that connects to CBP"s secure databases, where biographical, citizenship and identification data are stored. He noted that no personal information is stored on the cards themselves or in the RFID chips.

RFID technology has been described by CBP as early as October 2006 as a solution to both security concerns and in expediting needs for border management. The technology has been used in CBP"s trusted-traveler programs NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST since 1995 and, Mr. Basham said, is a proven means of speeding traffic while automating law-enforcement security checks otherwise performed manually by CBP officers.

The award and acquisition were made through an open, best-value competition among 16 prime vendors. The task order is a firm-fixed-price-type contract, with a total performance period of five years — a one-year base period and four one-year option periods.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Program Management Office within CBP serves as executive agent for this acquisition and deployment.

The initiative requires all citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer"s identity and nationality to enter or depart the United States from within the Western Hemisphere.

Congress has extended the deadline requiring travelers to use passports for identification until June 2009, but travelers are still required to bring proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate. A similar requirement was implemented for travelers crossing the border by air last year as part of the initiative.

The travel document requirements are the result of recommendations made by the September 11 commission that Congress passed into law in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.