Department seeks to delay telecom plan updates to five years, cites $450,000 vendor cost and survey challenges

Representative Kathleen James and committee members heard DPS staff explain proposed changes to telecommunications planning and governance.

"The recommendation is that we extend the renewal of the 10 year telecom plan, update from 3 years to 5 years," Representative Kathleen James said when introducing the item. Hunter Thompson, the department’s director of telecommunications, told the committee the plan update is intensive: in prior years a vendor contract cost "about $450,000," and replicating the work in‑house would require one or two full years of staff time. Thompson said wireless technology advances have been largely evolutionary rather than revolutionary and that a 5‑year cadence would better capture meaningful change and reduce repeated survey and outreach costs.

Thompson also recommended disbanding the Telecommunications and Connectivity Advisory Board (TCAB), which he said was established in 2015 to advise on wired Internet expansion but has been largely superseded by the broadband board (referenced in testimony as BCBB/VCBB). He described TCAB’s work as mostly duplicative and said the advisory board has met infrequently.

Committee members asked about alternatives, whether the work could be done internally, and about statutory cleanup language; members requested the department’s proposed bill language. Several members emphasized they do not want to shortchange the department’s required comprehensive energy plan, which DPS said could face scaled‑back engagement or technical analysis if the $500,000 assumption does not materialize.

The committee asked DPS to send legislative language and follow up on how statutorily mandated surveys and public outreach requirements would be met under a 5‑year cadence.

No formal committee actions were taken at the hearing.