Corrections committee asks DOC to plan prison Wi‑Fi with Agency of Digital Services; $3M estimate outdated

The House Corrections & Institutions Committee on Feb. 25 voted unanimously to ask the Department of Corrections to engage in formal project planning with the Agency of Digital Services (ADS) before state capital dollars are released for a prison Wi‑Fi rollout.

Committee members said the previously cited $3 million cost estimate for in‑facility Wi‑Fi is several years out of date and likely low; an interim figure shared with the committee was about $4 million. Members said ADS must sign off on an updated scope, cost and timeline before the committee would support releasing money for implementation.

The committee’s action — a draft letter approved by the Corrections & Institutions members — directs DOC to work with ADS to produce an updated project plan that states which facilities would be prioritized, an implementation timeline and reporting milestones. Members said the planning step should include cost updates, a project schedule and vendor scope of work so that funding decisions are based on current technical and budget information.

Committee members and staff told colleagues they had reviewed the existing technical materials and bills of materials but found them dated and missing clear milestones and durations. The committee discussed possible reporting requirements and periodic checks so the project stays on schedule and budget after ADS review.

Members emphasized that approvals and any release of funds would follow ADS review because DOC lacks ADS’s technical expertise and previous IT projects across state government have struggled with cost and schedule overruns. Corrections members said they would be open to supporting funding once ADS had completed project planning and provided clear milestones and oversight mechanisms.

The vote approving the recommendation was recorded as unanimous (9–0) by the committee.