Public Service proposes moving telecom plan review from 3 to 5 years; committee hears ~$450,000 cost estimate
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Summary
The Department of Public Service has proposed shifting the state telecommunications plan review from every three years to every five years to lower recurring expense; committee members said the department estimated outside contract costs at roughly $450,000 under the current cadence.
Members of the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on Thursday discussed a Department of Public Service request to change the statutory review cadence for the state telecommunications plan.
Representative John Kosinski relayed the department’s suggestion to move the review from once every three years to once every five years, noting the agency characterized the current three‑year cadence as costly and burdensome. Committee members said the department told them the external contract cost associated with the three‑year cycle is about $450,000.
Kosinski said the committee will examine the department’s rationale and the underlying cost estimates when the Public Service Department appears for formal testimony later in the week. He asked members to consider both the fiscal impact and whether a longer review period would affect policy outcomes or regulatory oversight.
A committee member recalled that the telecom plan has prompted contention in the past and noted the cost had previously been done in‑house before contracting it out. The record in this session shows the department’s estimate was reported to the committee by members; the department will present details directly during its scheduled appearance.
Next steps: The Department of Public Service is scheduled to appear before the committee this week to present the FY27 budget and to make its request about the telecom plan cadence; members said they expect a more detailed cost breakdown during that hearing.
