Cellphones are king in electronic and digital communication. Like businesses, government agencies – including colleges and universities – often provide employees cellphones and coverage plans to improve productivity. But such technology carries a price: more than $6 million a year.

That’s how much the Commonwealth of Virginia spends on the more than 11,000 cellphones it provides to state government employees, according to a recent study by Walter Kucharski, the state auditor of public accounts.

He said the state may be wasting a chunk of that money: Virginia spent almost $1 million on unused wireless phones from July through December of 2009.

“The Commonwealth averaged 4,514 phones with zero minutes per month totaling over $962,487 in the six months reviewed, while averaging $160,414 per month,” the audit said.

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