5 FAH-2 H-500
DIPLOMATIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE - Program Office (DTS-PO)
5 FAH-2 H-510
DTS NETWORK .
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
(Office of Origin: DT/ES)
5 FAH-2 H-511 PURPOSE
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) Handbook provides official guidance and telecommunications procedures for overseas mission partners using DTS-PO services. The DTS-PO was created in 1992 to provide a centralized organization for supporting foreign affairs telecommunications and network service needs. The DTS-PO establishes and maintains the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network, capable of providing multiple levels of service to meet the wide-ranging needs of all U. S. Government (USG) departments and agencies operating from diplomatic facilities outside of the United States.
5 FAH-2 H-512 DEFINITIONS
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
Annual Recurring Cost (ARC): The yearly cost charged to the customer for bandwidth services.
Best Effort (BE): Type of delivery in which the network does not provide any guarantee that data is effectively delivered or that delivery meets any quality of service.
Black Multi-Tenant Network (Black MTN): An overarching product line providing a global telecommunications ecosystem. Applies a governance structure and programmatic rigor to the Diplomatic Telecommunication Service (DTS) Network.
Broadband Internet: High-speed data transmission in which the bandwidth is shared by more than one simultaneous signal. The amount of bandwidth offered is only up to the maximum available or package speed.
Committed Information Rate (CIR): Bandwidth that is allocated to a logical connection.
Common Transmission Facility (CTF): The location of the DTS Network equipment within the embassy or consular compound under DTS-PO's authority.
Customer Provided Equipment (CPE): Mission partner's equipment that connects to the DTS Network.
Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) (Also known as "Business Internet"): A fully dedicated bandwidth to a specific location where the speed does not vary.
Demarc Room: The location at a post where local service provider's network equipment connects with embassy and consular network equipment.
Diplomatic Technology Office (DTO):
The office at a post responsible to ensure availability of information technology systems and operations in support of that Post's diplomatic, consular and management operations. Depending upon the post, may be referred as Information Resource Management (IRM) Office.
Diplomatic Technology Officer (DTO):
Refers to all Diplomatic Technology (DT) officers at Post including The Senior State IT (Information Technology) manager at Post, referred to as the DT (Unit) Chief, the sub-unit Infrastructure DTO, referred to as the DT/I Chief, the sub-unit systems DTO, referred to as the DT/CE (Customer Engagement) Chief, and all other DT personnel at post, may be referred to as senior IMS or IMS.
Diplomatic Technology Chief (DT Chief):
The Senior State IT manager at Post responsible for operational oversight of Information Communications Technology systems, operations, and customer support. Depending upon the post, may be referred as Information Management Officer (IMO).
Diplomatic Technology/Customer Engagement (DT/CE): This is the sub-unit of the DTO responsible for the "customer facing" IT portfolios to include but not limited to: providing and managing customer support services for mobile communications, telephony operations, video and web conferencing, and post's cybersecurity activities.
Diplomatic Technology/Infrastructure (DT/I): This is the sub-unit of the DTO responsible for all IT infrastructure portfolios and equipment to include but not limited to: wired and wireless networks, unclassified and classified networks and systems, and server and server room management.
Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network: The worldwide telecommunications network under DTS-PO authority supporting all USG departments and agencies supporting diplomatic and consular facilities.
Diplomatic Telecommunications Service Program Office (DTS-PO) Post Referent: This is the technical IT team located at an embassy or consulate or is regionally assigned as the DTS-PO Referent. Referents are cleared U.S. citizens assigned to the Diplomatic Technology Office at post.
Foreign Affairs Account Manager (FAAMs): Officers who are located at DTS-PO's main office to assist with the service requests of U.S. Government (USG) mission partners with their diplomatic mission.
Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO) Satellites: Satellites positioned high above the Earth at a location by longitude (at the equator) while orbiting at the same rate as the Earth's rotation, making them appear as a fixed position in the sky.
Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA): Contract between two or more departments with one furnishing services, materials, or equipment to, or perform work for the other.
Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA): A contract between DTS-PO and the mission partner utilizing DTS-PO services.
Local Area Network (LAN): A collection of devices connected in one physical location. Each embassy and consular has a series of interconnected telecommunications equipment that would be considered the LAN.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites: Satellites that orbit the Earth at an approximate altitude of 2,000 km/1,200 miles or less above the Earth's surface. To maintain a stable orbit, the satellites must travel at a much higher speed, completing an orbit in approximately 90 minutes.
Managed Services: Services that connect to the DTS Network for unclassified communications with network monitoring.
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Satellites: Satellites that orbit the Earth at an altitude between 2,000 km/1,200 miles and 35,786 km/22,236 miles above the Earth's surface. To maintain a stable orbit, the satellites must travel at a much higher speed, completing an orbit within 2 to 23 hours.
Mission Partner: A DTS-PO customer or post tenant utilizing DTS Network services.
Monthly Recurring Cost (MRC): Cost charged to the customer for bandwidth services on a monthly basis.
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS): Networking technology that routes traffic using the shortest path based on “labels,” rather than network addresses, to handle forwarding over a wide area network.
Non-Recurring Cost (NRC): A one-time charge for initial installation of a service.
Post Communications Center (PCC): Designated area within an embassy or consulate where secure communications occur.
Post: A designated location (country) that is the official station of the employee, regardless of whether they are detailed elsewhere or resides at another place within that location.
Service Level Agreement: A document that outlines a commitment between a service provider and a client, including details of the service, the standards the provider must adhere to, and the metrics to measure the performance.
Unmanaged Services: Services that do not connect into the DTS Network and which do not include network monitoring.
Virtual Private Network (VPN): Services that establishes a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated circuits or with tunneling protocols over existing networks.
Wide Area Network (WAN): A collection of local-area networks (LANs) or other networks that communicate with one another over large geographic regions.
5 FAH-2 H-513 MANAGING DTS NETWORK
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
5 FAH-2 H-513.1 Introduction
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
As directed by Congress, 22 United States Code (U.S.C.) Chapter 80 (sections 7301-7304), the purpose and duties of the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) shall be to carry out a program for the establishment and maintenance of a diplomatic telecommunications system and communications network (Diplomatic Telecommunications Service Network) capable of providing multiple levels of service. It must meet the wide-ranging needs of all U. S. Government (USG) agencies and departments at diplomatic facilities abroad, including national security needs for secure, reliable, and robust communications capabilities.
5 FAH-2 H-513.2 Global Network Operations Center (GNOC)
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) Global Network Operations Center (GNOC) is a 24/7/365 centralized location for supervising, monitoring, and maintaining services on the DTS-PO Black Multi-Tenant Network (Black MTN). The GNOC manages and optimizes mission-critical tasks such as network infrastructure troubleshooting, network device operations and maintenance, circuit performance monitoring and alerting, and forecasting and deconflicting planned network outages. GNOC continuously coordinates with mission partners, associated service providers, and key enterprise IT partners to quickly recover from unplanned network outages and crisis events. Customers experiencing any issues with network performance or quality of service, contact the GNOC for troubleshooting using the below contact information:
(1) Toll free: 1-800-438-7457
(2) Direct: 703-278-1599
(3) International Voice Gateway (IVG): 671-1599
(4) Email: DTSPONetworkOpsCtr@state.gov
5 FAH-2 H-513.2-1 DTS-PO Equipment Replacement and Returns, Vendor Circuit, and Equipment Outages
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) post referent contacts the Global Network Operations Center (GNOC) when issues arise with Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network equipment located in the Common Transmission Facility (CTF) or in the Demarc room. The contact information is provided in 5 FAH-2 H-512.2.
(1) The GNOC submits a ticket to the appropriate group for any equipment that needs replacement.
(2) The GNOC sends an e-mail with directions and a form on how to return equipment.
(3) The GNOC contacts the vendor for equipment issues, circuit outages, and circuit degradation.
5 FAH-2 H-513.3 DTS-PO Referent Responsibilities
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) referents assigned to the Diplomatic Technology Office (DTO) will assist the Global Network Operations Center (GNOC) and any affiliated U. S. Government (USG) organization that supports the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network. This assistance shall cover outages, installations, logistical, and any other DTS Network requirements that may arise. In addition, the DTS-PO referents:
(1) Serve as the DTS-PO representative at each overseas diplomatic post to support installation and maintenance of the DTS-PO's wide area network (WAN) services. DTS-PO Referent maybe called on to assist with but not limited to: installation or removal of equipment, utilities, and preventive maintenance of DTS-PO equipment.
(2) Collaborate with the DTS-PO and the GNOC on but not limited to: incident resolution, service outages, service modification and operational reporting.
(3) Assist in coordination with connecting each mission partner's equipment from within their office space to the DTS Network.
5 FAH-2 H-513.3-1 DTS-PO Point of Contact at Post
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) referents will be cleared U.S. citizens and must represent the DTS-PO for post specific issues that arise and with new requirements from the DTS-PO mission partners at post.
(1) The DTS-PO will follow post identification of office components that comprise of post Diplomatic Technology Office (DTO). The DTS-PO will determine and coordinate with the appropriate office as it sees fit to address specific Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network requirements at each post. The DTS-PO will refer to the following for detailed roles: 5 FAM 120 and 5 FAH-2 H-120. Post tenants may use the following:
i. The DT Chief, the Senior Diplomatic Technology Officer (DTO) is DST-PO's first point of contact with post tenants needing assistance with mission partner's operational needs with the DTS Network at post.
ii. The DTO Sub Chiefs of the Diplomatic Technology/Infrastructure (DT/I) will be DTS-PO's representative on mission partner's requirements when they are fulfilling the role as DT/Chief or Senior DTO.
iii. The DTO Sub Chief of the Diplomatic Technology/Customer Engagement (DT/CE) will be a point of contact for any network issues if they have been assigned DT Chief and/or DT/I responsibilities.
iiii. The DT Chief or Senior DTO and all Sub Chiefs at post should direct mission partners seeking DTS services to the DTS-PO in order to formally work new requirements in hand with the mission partner's assigned Validating Officer.
5 FAH-2 H-513.4 DTS-PO Training Academy (DTA)
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office Training Academy (DTA) provides extensive technical training to foreign affairs and the DTS-PO personnel. Training covers a wide variety of proprietary network communications equipment currently deployed in the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network. The DTA is instrumental in keeping the DTS-PO staff and the contract technical workforce proficient in the many systems that make up the DTS Network. The courses offered through the DTA help the DTS-PO maintain a cadre of highly trained technical personnel charged with maintaining the DTS Network's reliability and performance.
b. The DTA provides equipment training at no cost to post personnel. Additionally, when the DTS-PO fields a new equipment suite, the DTA often provides on-site training as an interim measure to ensure that post personnel are properly trained to maintain the new equipment.
c. The DTA offers courses year-round at the DTS-PO's residential location in Virginia for the various U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. Classes are held Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Night classes are held as necessary, based on student load, and run from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
d. Contact information:
(1) Phone: (540) 428-4740
(2) Email: dtaregistrar@state.gov
(3) Course Catalog
5 FAH-2 H-514 DTS NETWORK
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
5 FAH-2 H-514.1 Introduction
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) is a non-profit U. S. Government (USG) enterprise that provides government agencies located at U.S. overseas diplomatic posts with telecommunications services that enable global network connectivity. The DTS-PO achieves this by aggregating individual agency connections through the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network, which is a system of integrated network equipment across the globe. The DTS Network rides over terrestrial, Internet, and satellite circuits that are further segregated into shared and dedicated customer circuits. For further information on services offered, refer to the DTS-PO’s OpenNet webpage: DTS-PO Home Page.
5 FAH-2 H-514.2 DTS-PO Core Infrastructure
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. All Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network circuits are routed through core infrastructure which provide mission partners with wide area network (WAN) connectivity using the DTS Network.
(1) Beltsville Information Management Center (BIMC), Maryland
(2) Enterprise Server Operations Center (ESOC West), Colorado
(3) Yokota, Japan
b. In addition to core infrastructure, the DTS Network utilizes Regional Relay Facilities (RRF) which have satellite entry points and fiber backbones. These RRF's are connected to the DTS Network's core infrastructure that provides additional connectivity for mission partners. Listed below are the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office's (DTS-PO) RRF sites:
(1) RRF Brandy, Virginia
(2) RRF Croughton, United Kingdom
(3) RRF Frankfurt, Germany
(4) RRF Guam, Guam
5 FAH-2 H-514.3 Black Multi-Tenant Network Program
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
The Black Multi-Tenant Network (Black MTN) product line delivers services, maintains a continuous hardware refresh lifecycle, ensures resources are appropriately allocated, maintains the global network and topology, and incorporates emerging technology.
5 FAH-2 H-514.3-1 Managed Services
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. Black Multi-Tenant Network (Black MTN) offers Tier 1 and Tier 2 managed wide area networks (WAN) services to support a wider variety of options to meet mission partner needs. These managed services provide 24/7/365 live network monitoring, lower network maintenance costs, and established contracts with Service Level Agreement (SLA) assurance.
(1) Tier 1: Full Service – Managed WAN + LAN: The DTS-PO provides the mission partner's local area network (LAN) and connects that LAN to the DTS Network managed WAN services.
(2) Tier 2: Standard Service – Managed WAN: Mission partners provide their own enterprise LAN. The DTS-PO will connect that LAN to the DTS Network managed WAN services.
5 FAH-2 H-514.3-2 Tiered Service Packages
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. Within each of the Black Multi-Tenant Network (Black MTN) tiers, mission partners will have the following package options:
(1) Standard – Single-threaded on one circuit. This option provides a low monthly service cost for partners when price is the primary concern.
(2) Premium – Two circuits for resiliency. This option provides partners the opportunity to maintain connectivity when circuits experience an outage or degraded performance.
(3) Critical – Terrestrial circuit(s) combined with an off-local infrastructure circuit for increased resiliency. This option provides optimal coverage in times of crisis when staying connected is of the utmost importance.
5 FAH-2 H-514.4 Unmanaged Services
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. An unmanaged service, commonly called an Off-Net circuit, where you can define the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) will act as your contract vehicle for the acquisition, as well as managing the legal and technical aspects of the contract with the prime vendor.
(1) Tier 3: Brokered Service – Unmanaged WAN: The DTS-PO can contract any circuit for a mission partner to manage on their own using the DTS-PO's established contract vehicles.
5 FAH-2 H-514.5 DTS-PO Carriers
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. Black MTN offers wide area networks (WAN) and local area network (LAN) circuits in three tiers of service configurations: managed WAN & LAN, managed WAN & unmanaged LAN, unmanaged WAN & LAN. This tiered approach together with multiple redundancy options, provide mission partners with a spectrum of solutions to meet their specific mission requirements. Black MTN WAN is comprised of:
(1) CVPN: The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) Carrier Virtual Private Network (CVPN) has a 99.65% availability with Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) class service that include symmetric and dedicated bandwidth upload and download speeds. This circuit is the most resilient terrestrial service and is historically the last terrestrial circuit to go offline in times of local political unrest or crises as compared to locally procured Internet circuits. As such, it typically comes with a much higher price tag. Tertiary satellite communications may be available in some regions as a backup service to CVPN.
(2) ISP: The DTS-PO Internet Service Provider (ISP) Service Level Agreements require symmetric upload and download data rates, elevating it to a dedicated internet access (DIA) class of service (DIA circuit example: a 100 MB circuit would have dedicated 100 MB download and dedicated 100 MB upload speeds). Symmetric data rates are important for pushing off-site backups. The “DIA” or “Business Internet” service is more reliable than a “Broadband” Internet service (Broadband circuit example: a 100 MB circuit might have 100 MB best effort (BE) download peaks with 10 MB upload speeds). ISP is only guaranteed at BE once it has transitioned to the local provider network. The ISP service is an appropriate cheaper alternative or backup to a CVPN circuit.
(3) Satellite: The DTS-PO’s satellite services provide automatic backup and service restoration, availability by utilizing commercial and military satellites that are independent of local infrastructure. These dedicated backup services offer full customer network restoration to ensure reliable communications during an unexpected outage or period of increased network usage. The DTS-PO’s satellite infrastructure can provide surge bandwidth to customers with immediate need due to a crisis or special event. The DTS-PO can deploy the following satellite technologies:
(a) Military Satellite (MILSAT)
i. Wideband Global Satellites (WGS): These are Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO) Military satellites that provide emergency backup communications in the event of an outage or crisis. These satellites operate in both X and Ka bands but at a higher latency than medium Earth orbit (MEO) or low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
(b) Commercial Satellite (COMSAT)
i. Medium Earth Orbit (MEO): Commercial operated satellites that are in MEO which provide lower latency than GEO satellites.
ii. Low Earth Orbit (LEO): Commercial operated satellites that are in LEO which provide lower latency than MEO satellites.
5 FAH-2 H-514.6 Over-Subscription policy
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. Under specific conditions, the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) may provision more bandwidth capacity to mission partners than the network can provide. Over-subscription is feasible because mission partners rarely use the full capacity of the network simultaneously. Over-subscription is achieved by engaging with network architects and engineers to optimize the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network to provide the best user experience feasible.
b. The DTS-PO requires at least 3 mission partner virtual private networks (VPNs) on a circuit to over-subscribe the circuit. No single mission partner can request a committed information rate (CIR) greater than the contracted rate of the transport aggregate circuit. The total of subscribed CIRs must not exceed the maximum over-subscription rate for each of the transport circuits that the DTS-PO provides as shown in the below chart. When mission partner bandwidth requirements exceed the thresholds identified below, the DTS-PO must procure additional bandwidth.
|
Circuit Type |
Max Over-Subscription |
|
Carrier Virtual Private Network (CVPN) |
150% (1:1.5) |
|
Internet Service Provider (ISP) |
100% (1:1) |
|
Satellite |
150% (1:1.5) |
5 FAH-2 H-515 REQUESTING SERVICE
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. All service delivery requests begin with the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) Foreign Affairs Account Manager (FAAM) by sending an e-mail to DTS-POBIGMPEDFARB@state.gov or by calling 703-278-1166. FAAMs are responsible for ordering, modifying, or terminating services, or any other general customer inquiries. Prior to requesting DTS-PO services, customers must coordinate requests through their respective agency headquarters validating official before contacting the DTS-PO FAAMs.
(1) Request Form Instructions:
(a) Visit https://usdos.sharepoint.com/sites/M-DTSPO/customers/products.html webpage for details on the DTS-PO services.
(b) Click the “Request Services” link to download the appropriate DTS-PO’s request forms.
(c) Complete the request and digitally sign form.
(d) Email request form to the Foreign Affairs Account Managers (FAAMs) at DTS-POBIGMPEDFARB@state.gov.
5 FAH-2 H-516 COST ALLOCATION
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
5 FAH-2 H-516.1 Introduction
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
In accordance with Title 22 United States Code (U.S.C.) Chapter 80, section 7303, only costs allocated to a mission partner are the bandwidth costs attributable to such department or agency and for specific projects carried out at the request of such department or agency. Therefore, costs associated with operations, maintenance, development, enhancement, modernization, and investment are not included in allocations to mission partners. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) utilizes two basic calculations to allocate recoverable costs, shared services, and dedicated services.
5 FAH-2 H-516.2 DTS-PO Funds
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) appropriation pays for business and core infrastructure as may be necessary for the operations, maintenance, development, enhancement, modernization, and investment costs of the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network and the DTS–PO.
b. The DTS-PO can take in Other Government Agency (OGA) funds under Special Authorities granted in 22 United States Code (U.S.C.) 7303: Funding of the DTS, allowing a mission partner's 1-year appropriated funds to remain available to the DTS-PO for use for a period of 2 fiscal years. If an OGA sends 2-year appropriated funds, it remains available for the same 2-year period. If a mission partner sends 3-year funds, it remains available for 3 years, and so forth.
c. The time to use funds is further extended by the DTS-PO collecting funds by Service Level Agreement (SLA) year. A SLA year runs from 1 July through 30 June (e.g., 1 July 2024 - 30 June 2025).
d. The DTS-PO’s obligation and ability to furnish services is dependent upon maintaining contracted carrier services, which is dependent upon prompt payment. Therefore, the DTS-PO requires mission partners to provide funds in advance of service delivery and retains the right to suspend services until funding is provided. Each October and March, mission partners are provided with a forecast funding letter which asks for about 6 months of funding. This letter is based on the DTS-PO financial forecasting of a mission partner's allocated service costs and current balance of funds already provided.
e. In March of each year, the DTS-PO will issue an initial forecast letter to OGAs, which provides the first look at the following SLA year asking for funds July through December. It also specifies any amount needed to complete the current Service Level Agreement Year.
f. A second forecast letter, issued in October, provides an updated estimate of the new SLA year, based on changes to services contracted by providing funding needed for January through June.
g. Under a continuing resolution (CR), each mission partner must provide committed funding, in advance, for the entire CR period or on a quarterly basis. The DTS-PO will monitor all mission partners funding levels for deficits or excess funds.
5 FAH-2 H-516.3 Cost Calculations
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. Shared services are where mission partners can benefit from economies of scale. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) consolidates requirements from multiple mission partners and can typically get a better price per Megabytes per second (Mbps) for a larger order than could be procured in smaller quantities. Once that bandwidth is procured the total cost is divided proportionally based on subscriptions of the bandwidth, creating a flat rate per Mbps. That flat rate is then applied to each Mbps subscribed. As an example: a circuit costs $100 per month, there are 100 Mbps subscribed across 3 mission partners. The calculated flat rate in this case is $1 per Mbps. Mission partner 1 has subscribed 20 Mbps, their proportional cost each month is $20. Mission partner 2 has subscribed 50 Mbps, their proportional cost each month is $50. Mission partner 3 has subscribed 30 Mbps, their proportional share of the costs each month is $30. The flat rate can adjust over time if the price to the DTS-PO changes with a new option period, there is a circuit upgrade or downgraded, or if mission partners are added or dropped.
b. Dedicated services are where a single mission partner will pay entirely for a specific set of requirements not being shared with other mission partners. In this case, there is not a flat rate; but a flat cost. Regardless of subscriptions or mission partners, the single mission partner pays for the entire circuit.
5 FAH-2 H-516.4 Mission Partner Fees
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. Each mission partner shall receive a customized, summarized, itemized monthly statement. The statement cycle shall commence on the 21st day of the month and end on the 20th day of the following month. The statement will identify all active services for the period and itemize monthly recurring cost (MRC), non-recurring cost (NRC), adjustments, credits, and cumulative costs for the service level agreement (SLA). Billing for a service will commence on the date the service is provisioned and ready for mission partner traffic even if the mission partner did not make effective use of the service. Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis.
b. To comply with the Anti-Deficiency Act (31 U.S.C. Section 1341), the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) must terminate service or descope a mission partner from contracts if the mission partner fails to provide sufficient funds to cover their contract obligations. The DTS-PO will provide a notification to the mission partner when their balance of funds falls below 6 months of funding. Amounts not replenished within 90 days of notification will be considered “past due” and the account will be “frozen” for future service changes until the account is fully funded. If the DTS-PO’s best effort attempts to collect on past due accounts fails, services must be disabled. Restoring a disabled service requires sufficient funds to cover all unpaid balances plus funding to cover estimated charges for at least 9 months.
c. The DTS-PO defines the procedures for requesting, approving, and issuing three types of credits; vendor credits, mission partner requested credits, and billing error credits. The DTS-PO and contracted vendors will not provide credits for service interruptions caused by weather or extraordinary events that could have been avoided through the exercise of due care.
d. Vendor contracts may provide credits for substandard performance or failure to meet the SLA. The DTS-PO will proportionately distribute all vendor credits to impacted mission partners.
e. Mission partner requests for credit must include a reference to a specific Global Network Operations Center (GNOC) incident ticket. These requests will be adjudicated by the Chief Business Innovations Group (C/BIG). Credit cannot be issued if the incident was primarily caused by the mission partner’s configuration of customer provided equipment (CPE).
f. Billing errors may be resolved by issuing credit to the mission partner’s account. All such errors must be validated by the mission partner’s validating official and requested via the Foreign Affairs Account Manager (FAAM). These requests will be adjudicated by the C/BIG. Approved credits shall be issued during the next scheduled billing cycle.
5 FAH-2 H-516.5 Service Cancellation
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. Mission partners may cancel services in accordance with the terms of the Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) and the terms of the contracts the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) executed on behalf of the mission partner. Service cancellations can be initiated with an e-mail to the Foreign Affairs Account Manager (FAAM).
b. Once a carrier contract is awarded, the serviced mission partner is liable for their fair-share of costs throughout the period of performance. Services may be cancelled prior to contract expiration; however, the mission partner may still be required to fund their fair-share of costs. The DTS-PO may have an opportunity to renegotiate contract terms. The DTS-PO will attempt to negotiate an early termination or modification to reduce vendor charges for the remainder of the contract term, which could result in early termination charges. The final non-recurring cost (NRC), including all contract modifications or termination charges, will appear on the mission partner’s statement after the service is cancelled.
c. As mission partners independently request bandwidth changes, proportional cost allocation will be impacted. NRC incurred because of bandwidth change requests will be allocated to the requestor. If a bandwidth change request will cause a 10% or more increase in monthly recurring cost (MRC) for other mission partners, the impacted mission partners will be notified at least one quarter (90 days) in advance of the effective date of change.
5 FAH-2 H-517 Security Compliance
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) and mission partners must sign an Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA) that details their security responsibilities. The ISA requires each mission partner to provide the DTS-PO with evidence of their Authorization to Operate (ATO) systems that will interface with the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) Network. By signing the ISA, both organizations are jointly responsible to minimize vulnerabilities and mitigate risk to the DTS Network. The ISA requires all customer provided equipment (CPE) configuration changes and network connection changes to be reported to the DTS-PO and subject to the DTS-PO’s change control process to mitigate risk and ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the DTS Network and mission partner data.
5 FAH-2 H-518 DTS-PO ENGAGEMENTS
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) provides a standard set of services to meet mission partners’ common overseas telecommunications requirements in support of every federal entity represented at U.S. diplomatic missions and consular posts overseas. To ensure transparent interactions, the DTS-PO will engage with mission partners in the Diplomatic Community on various platforms.
b. The DTS-PO will take every consideration to determine when and where to host engagements that benefit both parties. The platforms listed below are not required but are possible engagements that may be utilized for mission partner outreach. Mission partners can contact the Foreign Affairs group at DTS-POBIGMPEDFARB@state.gov for more details on which engagements would best suit their needs.
5 FAH-2 H-518.1 DTS-PO Events
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) promotes several events that afford mission partners the opportunity to engage with other agencies, hear about modernization activities, and to provide feedback on performance as your service provider in the foreign field.
(1) The DTS-PO Customer Advisory Panel (CAP) is a 2-day event hosted by DTS-PO at SA-43 in Fairfax, VA, typically in November. This annual meeting gives mission partners the opportunity to collaborate with the DTS-PO staff to ensure mission needs are met, engage in a yearend review of work, and stage setting for the next year's agenda.
(2) Conferences may be scheduled throughout the year for large groups to exchange information, projects, agendas, and promote Other Government Agencies (OGA) exposure.
(3) Parish calls may be scheduled throughout the year for a more focused deep dive with a specific mission partner. Parish calls will be driven by the needs of the mission partner (e.g., introduction for an OGA's senior leadership team). Parish calls will either be hosted at the DTS-PO or at the specific mission partner's preferred location.
(4) Technical Exchange Meetings (TEMs) are available at the mission partner's discretion to resolve technical, business, or operational issues with their service. TEMs can be in-person or virtual, based on mission partner preference.
i. TEMs are also the mechanism for any OGA who wishes to engage with the DTS-PO for the first time. Interested OGAs will have a DTS-PO 101 brief, informing them of the DTS-PO Black MTN products and services, cost allocation, and any technical requirements.
5 FAH-2 H-518.2 DTS-PO Site Visits
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) will engage in regional site visits to provide one-on-one engagements with post and the DTS-PO Referent(s) stationed there. The DTS-PO will adhere to post temporary duty (TDY) policies at that location.
b. The DTS-PO will engage in mission partner driven TDYs for customer outreach. The DTS-PO will adhere to post TDY policies at that location.
c. If the DTS-PO referent or a mission partner wishes a DTS-PO site visit or TDY to a specific location, please contact the Foreign Affairs group at
DTS-POBIGMPEDFARB@state.gov for coordination.
5 FAH-2 H-519 DTS-PO Publications & Resources
(CT:TEL-103; 11-15-2024)
a. The Diplomatic Telecommunications Service - Program Office (DTS-PO) provides several publications and resources that are distributed to mission partners, posts, DTS-PO referents and supporting organizations. The DTS-PO provides publications and forms via email, SMART, and at https://usdos.sharepoint.com/sites/M-DTSPO/customers/products.html. If assistance or a copy is needed, please contact Foreign Affairs group at DTS-POBIGMPEDFARB@state.gov.
b. The DTS-PO shall utilize several announcement forms to provide up-to-date information on service, technical, and policy changes.
(1) The DTS-PO Year in Review - Annual report, sent in January. Provides the previous year's accomplishments.
(2) The DTS-PO Newsletter - Quarterly report, sent in March, June, September, and December. Provides updates and highlights across the DTS-PO mission.
(3) The DTS-PO Price Guide - Biannual guide to estimate bandwidth cost for a 6-month period (i.e., January-June, July-December).
(4) The Forecast Letter - Biannual notification for funding and cost allocation plans.
(5) The DTS-PO Note - Monthly notification for general announcements, cost savings, and network changes.
(6) The Billing Statement - Monthly notification of cost of services.
(7) The DTS-PO 101 - Briefing for interested parties wanting to utilize the DTS-PO for their telecommunications needs or familiarization of our organization.