Passport deal extended for AT&T

The State Department has awarded AT&T Government Solutions a five-year, $15.7 million contract to operate and manage its National Passport Information Center, which handles queries about passports and the status of passport applications.

AT&T already holds the existing contract for the passport facility. Under the new deal, the center will increase its weekday hours from nine hours to 12, and expand its e-mail, fax and toll-free phone communications abilities.