Politics on the Hudson

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a scathing audit this morning of the beleaguered statewide wireless network that is being tested in western New York.

The audit comes on the heels of the state Legislature agreeing yesterday to yank $40 million from the project to help close its budget gap, putting the project on life support as Gov. Paterson said.

DiNapoli recommends that the state Office for Technology should not move forward on the $2 billion project until all the problems with the testing are resolved.

“New York is not much closer to a statewide network today than it was when this whole process started,” the Democratic comptroller said. “After three rounds of testing, it is apparent that this system is not ready to move forward.

The Comptroller’s Office completed two audits that should numerous defects in the testing that led to delays and testing failures. The second audit found that Erie County, which has pulled out of the network, could ultimately save $30 million by building its own radio network.

M/A-Com, the private company hired by the state to create the state’s first wireless network to connect all emergency agencies, has been under fire for the poor build out of the system.

The company was supposed to have the network operational on a test basis in Erie and Chautauqua counties by December 2006. But that has yet to happen.

Updated: Here’s company’s response—
“Tyco Electronics strongly disagrees with the OSC report dated August 21, 2008. It includes a number of inaccuracies and we have provided the OSC and OFT with our corrections in writing. Tyco Electronics continues to invest in the SWN, as both a technical and financial partner to the State of New York, and the company remains fully committed to the project’s success.”

“We are proud to be delivering to the State of New York the first phase of a statewide communications system that provides important new features to public safety users. The State of New York selected Tyco Electronics as the best qualified and most economically advantageous vendor, and we are still that today. We will correct any remaining outstanding issues related to the first phase of this program, which when complete, will serve as the foundation for the most advanced critical communications system in the United States.”

|  Email This