House Energy and Digital Infrastructure committee votes to send letter on $1 million DOC Wi‑Fi request

On March 20, 2025, the Vermont House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure voted to send an updated letter to the House Appropriations Committee about the Department of Corrections' FY26 request to expand Wi‑Fi in its facilities, a request that was reduced from $3,000,000 to $1,000,000 after Department of Corrections staff worked with the Agency of Digital Services (ADS).

Committee members said the request covers equipment to expand Wi‑Fi capacity for both staff and incarcerated people, but that the upgrade is being presented primarily as a workforce and operations modernization issue. Rep. Kathleen James said the committee had “asked at that time that, in particular about the $3,000,000 request from the Department of Corrections, to expand Wi Fi in its facilities,” and that DOC later worked with ADS and reduced the amount to $1,000,000.

The committee discussed whether the proposal would create two separate networks or a single network with different access levels. Rep. Scott Campbell said, “I think the structure was... it made more sense to have 1 system with dual security protocols,” and several members confirmed the plan described to the committee was for one set of hardware with partitioned user access rather than two wholly separate systems. Members also noted the committee had not been given estimates for ongoing operating or maintenance costs associated with the upgrades.

Rep. Michael Southworth said he opposed providing expanded Wi‑Fi access to incarcerated people while supporting equipment improvements for staff. He said the appropriation “would also allow this population the opportunity for college education at no cost” and added concerns about broader equity and victim impacts before concluding, “For these reasons and other reasons, I will not support this corporation as a whole. I support staff. I support modernizing for staff, but I will not support this corporation.”

Committee members also noted DOC had framed the upgrade as intended to expand access to vocational training and college classes and to modernize the workplace; DOC originally requested $3,000,000 for the project but returned a reduced $1,000,000 equipment-focused request after coordination with ADS. Committee members said some vocational programs previously run by Vermont Correctional Industries had been closed and equipment sold, a fact raised during debate about training needs and alternatives.

After discussion the committee chair called for a motion to vote on the updated letter. A motion to approve and send the committee’s updated letter on the FY26 Department of Corrections $1,000,000 Wi‑Fi budget request to the House Appropriations Committee was moved and seconded. The committee took a voice/straw poll; the chair said she would transmit the committee’s vote count to Corrections and Appropriations. The transcript does not contain a formal roll-call tally.

The committee did not accept additional testimony at the March 20 meeting and indicated the letter would be sent that day. Committee members expressed lingering questions about ongoing operating costs and about how final access decisions for incarcerated people would be implemented and enforced, which committee members described as operational matters for DOC to resolve in consultation with ADS.