What administrative determination, from a security viewpoint, identifies a company's eligibility to access classified information at a given level?

• A. Facility (Security) Clearance (FCL)
• B. FCL Sponsorship
• C. Export Authorization
• D. Extent of Protection

Answer: (A)

Access to classified information at a given level is governed by the Facility Clearance, an official administrative determination that a company is permitted to handle, store, and process information up to a specified classification. This clearance is granted by the government after a security review of the company’s facilities, procedures, and personnel security controls, and it defines the scope of access the company may support on contracts. Sponsorship is required to initiate the process, but the actual determination of eligibility and the level of access come from the Facility Clearance itself. Export authorization relates to moving controlled information or items across borders and doesn’t determine a company’s overall eligibility to handle classified material. Extent of protection isn’t a formal clearance designation.