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News & Updates
Gov. Reynolds appoints Executive Director of the Iowa Communications Network
Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Ryan Mulhall will serve as Executive Director of the Iowa Communications Network. Mulhall began his new role with ICN on August 30, 2024.
“Iowans living in both rural and metro communities rely on connectivity across our state. For more than 30 years, the Iowa Communications Network has provided vital services in all 99 counties,” said Governor Kim Reynolds. “Ryan is an exceptional leader with impressive experience, and I know he’ll continue to build on the trusted and reliable work ICN has already achieved.”
"I am grateful to Governor Reynolds for the opportunity to lead the Iowa Communications Network into the future,” said Ryan Mulhall. “The ICN's critical infrastructure provides connectivity for many essential functions in our state, including healthcare and 911, and we will continue to find ways to make the network more resilient, reliable, and secure."
Read the announcement.
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Students Selected for Youth Council
ICN has selected its next group of Iowa high school students to participate in the Statewide Youth Broadband Advisory Council (SYBAC). The council is an opportunity for high school students to research and discuss technology and broadband related topics, learn about Iowa technology companies, learn about coding, and complete a cybersecurity certification training.
View a list of students participating in SYBAC.
Looking Back Through the Years
This school year marks a milestone as ICN begins working with the 10th group of students that make up its Statewide Youth Broadband Advisory Council (SYBAC).
This youth initiative launched during the 2015-2016 school year, as an opportunity to interact with high school students statewide and gather their thoughts on broadband and technology.
Read the updates through the years.
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E-Rate News for K-12 Education & Library Customers
Pilot Program participants will be eligible to seek reimbursement for a wide variety of cybersecurity services and equipment, subject to an overall cap. Eligible services and equipment include: Advanced/Next Generation Firewalls; Endpoint Protection; Identity Protection and Authentication; and Monitoring, Detection, and Response.
See a complete list of eligible services and equipment.
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The Network Minute
Every month we will highlight a network benefit to help Iowans gain a better understanding of the advantages offered by the statewide fiber optic Network.
State Firewall Decentralization Project
The ICN has been running a centralized firewall since the late 1990s for the Executive and Judicial branches of government. A centralized system was a good approach back then, but today segmentation (separate firewall for each agency) is better for security and uptime.
We are getting closer to completing the project. There are only a handful of executive branch agencies left on the older platform. Some agencies have transitioned to our managed firewall service, while others have their own firewalls. We are excited to have this project finished in the near future.
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Highlights from Social Media
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Peer to Career September Session
The student trainees heard from Iowa One Call who explained excavation safety and essential rules and regulations.
They learned a lot about the dangers of complacency and what can go wrong if we’re not careful.
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Youth Cyber Summit
Save the Date
Iowa State University is hosting a
Youth Cyber Summit on October 12. The participants will have the opportunity to engage with top experts and explore the world of cybersecurity. RSVP online.
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Welcome to the Team
Meet Jodi who has taken on the role of State Operator and Administrative Assistant 2. She brings a wealth of skills and knowledge to the table.
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Meet Jacob who is our new Telecom Engineer on the Outside Plant team. He brings 14 years of experience in telecommunications and he used to work in our NOC.
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News from the Industries We Serve
Iowa Rolls Out AI Reading Tutor for All Elementary Schools
The Iowa Department of Education invested $3 million to bring the EPS Reading Assistant to elementary schools statewide. The tool uses speech recognition technology to correct students as they read out loud.
Source: Government Technology
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How an app is helping keep students safe this year
School districts are gearing up to welcome students back to school, and officials want to make sure their students are safe. One-way school districts are doing that is with the Governor’s School Safety Bureau’s Safe + Sound app.
Source: WHO 13
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