Not the fax, ma'am : DoD out of cash to buy new fax machine

[tom_mai78101]

Starting two weeks ago, requests faxed to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) started coming back as undeliverable. After several subsequent attempts and troubleshooting on our end, MuckRock reached out to the OSD. Sure enough, their fax machine is down... possibly until November.

Now, in 2013, you wouldn't think this would be an issue. But when an agency accepts FOIA requests by a) fax, b) mail or c) a clunky online request portal that doesn't play nice with other systems, suddenly that fax machine becomes a technical linchpin.

It bears repeating: The office that oversees the most powerful military in history (not to mention the best-funded) is unable to project when its single fax machine will once again be operational.

The OSD's FOIA section chief confirmed the grim news yesterday, responding that his office "will likely need to procure (purchase) a new fax machine. However, that purchase will not occur until the start of the new fiscal year (at the earliest)."

Read more here.

 

[Varine]

Ha.

 

[The Helper]

That is such BS and anybody who cannot tell the move was done on purpose is not looking good enough. This is simply government being government. If we are going to not spend money lets do it in our parks, at our checks and balances, where the people can see the cuts, but not on the golf course, or the other BS that is not effected by the budget. The fact that the place cannot get a new fax machine means really nobody in the government gives a shit about fulfilling FOI Requests. That is the truth there.