Legislative auditors slam $24M W.Va. router deal

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia officials wasted millions of federal stimulus dollars by insisting on buying more than 1,000 high-capacity routers as part of a $24 million deal meant to boost Internet access statewide, a report presented Sunday to lawmakers concluded.

Legislative auditors believe state purchasing officials should consider barring sales staff and engineers from router manufacturer Cisco who helped arrange the deal from future contracts. The report’s other recommendations include ending the bidding process that was used, which bypassed normal contract rules.