B767 LNDG IAD EXPERIENCED CONFUSION WITH RVR EQUIP STATUS.

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THE CAPT ARRIVED BACK IN THE COCKPIT AFTER HIS BREAK AND WAS GIVEN THE IAD ATIS RPT BY THE FO'S. THE RPTS INDICATED THAT THE RVR SYS FOR THE WHOLE ARPT WAS OTS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE (UFN). THE CREW DISCUSSED THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS NOTAM ON OUR OP SINCE THE WX WAS RPTED CLOSE TO CAT 1 MINIMUMS. WE CONTINUED INBOUND MONITORING ATIS UPDATES. THE FO WAS THE PF. WE BRIEFED BOTH THE ILS RWY 1R CAT 1 AND CAT 2 APCH AND AGREED THAT THE CAPT WOULD FLY THE APCH IF IT WERE BELOW CAT 1 MINIMUMS. ONCE ON POTOMAC APCH CTL FREQ; WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE RVR SYS WAS OPERATIONAL AND GIVEN VECTORS TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE. THE WX WAS RPTED ABOVE CAT 1 MINIMUMS. AFTER BEING CLRED FOR THE APCH; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CALL THE TWR. WE WERE OUTSIDE OF TILLE INTXN WHEN WE CONTACTED THE TWR. THEY GAVE US THE CURRENT WINDS AND CLRED US TO LAND. THERE WAS NO MENTION OF THE RVR. BECAUSE OF THE ATIS NOTAM OF THE RVR SYS BEING OTS; THE CAPT QUERIED THE TWR CTLR ABOUT THE CURRENT RVR; THE CTLR STATED; 'DIDN'T YOU READ THE ATIS; THE RVR SYS FOR THE ARPT IS OTS UFN.' THE CAPT ASKED WHAT THE PREVAILING TWR VISIBILITY IS; AND IT WAS 1/8 OF A MI AND FOG. WE INFORMED THE CTLR THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS BELOW OUR LNDG MINIMUMS AND THAT WE WERE EXECUTING A MISSED APCH. AFTER EXECUTING THE MISSED HOLDING AND BEING VECTORED FOR ANOTHER APCH; ONCE THE WX WAS ABOVE CAT 1 MINIMUMS; WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. THE EVENT SEEMED TO BE A LARGE MISCOM BTWN POTOMAC APCH AND DULLES TWR THAT COST 7000 LBS OF EXTRA FUEL; MISSED PAX CONNECTIONS; 30 EXTRA MINS OF FLT TIME; AND UNNECESSARY AGGRAVATION FOR THE CREW.