Radio Project Still Over Budget, Further Delayed

Internal state reports and audits examined by an Oregon newspaper have revealed that construction of a statewide public safety radio network is even more over-budget and still delayed. Legislators are questioning the wisdom of continuing to fund the Oregon Wireless Interoperability Network while the state faces a $3.2 billion budget shortfall. According to the state reports examined by the Portland Oregonian, the newest estimate of OWIN’s final cost is $592 million, more than $107 million more than state officials reported earlier this year. The report also shows that OWIN planners didn’t include the costs for a network operations center or a contingency fund. Both omissions will end up costing the state much more money. Read about the latest news and the newspaper’s on-going coverage of OWIN here.