Entrenched habits die hard, especially in big government bureaucracies, and the U.S. Defense Department's procurement of commercial satellite bandwidth is a classic example. For a decade or more, the Pentagon has resisted changes that could lower its unit cost of commercial bandwidth while helping to ensure the availability of capacity to support future contingencies. Advocates of change, even those jaded by years of inaction, were encouraged in March when Pentagon acguisition czar Frank Kendall announced he was on the case. Speaking to a gathering of satellite industry executives, Mr. Kendall said his office, along with that of Pentagon Chief Information Officer Teri Takai, would be launching a 90-day commercial satellite bandwidth study focusing on three areas: future demand, current utilization rates and better buying practices.
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