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House GOP seeks sale of Iowa Communications Network

February 26, 2009 By

Republicans in the Iowa House say it’s time to sell or lease the state-owned fiber optic network that was championed by former Republican Governor Terry Branstad.  House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen admits they don’t know how much the system’s work, or whether anyone would be willing to buy it.

The state started installing fiber optic cable throughout the state in 1990. It was Governor Branstad’s goal to provide "distance learning" in each school district over what is called the Iowa Communications Network. Paulsen says many superintendents tell him they use their ICN rooms for storage. "The technology’s dramatically outdated and we end up spending tens of millions of dollars each year on something that quite frankly really doesn’t have that much more capability than plugging your computer into the wall and hooking up to the Internet," Paulsen says.

The ICN provides audio-video hook-ups in 744 classrooms throughout the state, but the fiber optic cables are also providing phone service and Internet connections to every agency in state government. Paulsen argues even if the state doesn’t wind up finding a buyer for the Iowa Communications Network, the state might wind up spending less by getting phone and Internet services from a private company.

"The phone industry is so hyper-competitive, I can’t imagine we wouldn’t have an opportunity to spend less than the way we’re doing it," Paulsen says.

Forty-three Republicans voted in favor of selling the Iowa Communications Network during House debate this afternoon, but 55 Democrats voted against the idea. However, while Democrats may have rejected the argument this week, a key Democrat held open the possibility the ICN’s sale may be explored yet this spring. Representative Jo Oldson, a Democrat from Des Moines, is chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee. "I think it’s an important issue to talk about, as we should every other issue that may affect the state budget," Oldson says. "But I think it’s a pretty complicated issue and it needs to be done in a pretty plan-full way."

Representative Doris Kelley, a Democrat from Waterloo, reminded legislators their own laptops are linked to the Internet via the Iowa Communications Network when they’re at the statehouse — and Kelley argued the ICN should be used to expand broad-band access into remote sections of the state. "We have an asset that is so critical, but it’s underutilized," Kelley said. "And it’s under-utilized because we have not taken advantage of the opportunities that are there."

Representative Cecil Dolecheck, a Republican from Mount Ayr, says if the network is sold, accommodations must be made to keep some of the state-owned fiber optic lines serving rural areas of the state where high-speed Internet service is still not available. "I won’t say that I’m ready to sell it yet, although it will probably be a good move at some point in time to get that off the books," Dolecheck says, "but we need to make sure that we continue to provide the services…and I’m not sure that all of Iowa is quite up to speed."

Dolecheck also has a different perspective on the value of ICN classrooms. "I just had a visit with the person who coordinates the programs for I.C.N. In one week’s usage out of Southwestern Community College, there were over 30 presentations in one week," Dolecheck says. "And so as we go through this scenario and talk about selling the I.C.N. we have to be cognizant…of what they do for our schools…and make sure…that opportunity to use some kind of services remains there."

Filed Under: Business, Education, Politics & Government, Technology Tagged With: , , , , , ,

No law to ban cell phone use while driving

February 24, 2009 By

A key legislator says a bill that would make it illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while you’re driving in Iowa is not likely to become law this year.

Some studies indicate cell phone use compromises driving abilities as much as being drunk. But Senator Tom Rielly of Oskaloosa, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, says the bill has gotten a lukewarm reception in the Iowa Senate. 

"If we go down this road, is it just going to be cell phones or should we ban texting, or should we require seatbelts in front seat and back seat if you’re under the age of 18? Should we require a helmet on a motorcycle? Should we require your headlights being on in the rain? Rielly asks. "And I have some people say, ‘You know, when’s enough enough and when should personal responsibility start kicking in?"

Rielly doubts any of that list of proposals will become law this year. Rielly made his comments on the Iowa Public Radio program, "The Exchange."

Filed Under: Politics & Government, Technology Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Legislators ponder ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving

January 28, 2009 By

Iowa Department of Public Safety officials are urging the state legislature to make it illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while driving on Iowa roads.

Ross Loder of the Iowa Department of Public Safety says distracted driving is a critical safety issue. "There is research that pretty strongly suggests that driving while mentally engaged in a telephone conversation and talking on the cell phone is actually very similar to significant alcohol impairment," Loder says.

The proposed legislation does not entirely ban cell phone calls while driving, but it does require the driver to use a hands-free device. Loder says there’s new research almost daily which points to the danger of having one hand on the steering wheel and another wrapped around your cell phone.

"When people are driving down the road and they are engaged in a conversation and become distracted and fly off the road and hit a telephone pole, many of them don’t admit that they were talking on the cell phone," Loder says, "so some of the true scope of the problem is masked by a reluctance of people to admit what occurred and the way that traffic data was collected historically."

If the proposed ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving were to take effect, there would be exceptions for law enforcement officials and for those who operate ham radios or two-way radios while they’re driving. The proposal was discussed Tuesday by a subcommittee in the Iowa House of Representatives.

Five states and the District of Columbia already have laws which ban driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone. The three of the five states are on the east coast — Connecticut, New Jersey and New York; the other two — California and Washington — are on the west coast.

Filed Under: Politics & Government, Technology Tagged With: , , , , ,

Braley gets "plum" seat on House Energy & Commerce Committee

December 11, 2008 By

As Congressman Bruce Braley of Waterloo enters his second term, he has won a seat on an influential committee. Braley’s been appointed to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

According to Braley, the most important domestic policy issues Congress and the Obama Administration plan to tackle in the coming year will be addressed by the panel. 

"It’s going to have a real impact on creating jobs and creating opportunities to change the direction of our energy policy and our health care policy," Braley said during a telephone interview with Radio Iowa, "so I just felt it would be important to have a seat at the table, particularly given the important role Iowa is playing in the renewable energy boom."

It’s a "plum" assignment, according to Braley, who was appointed to the committee along with seven others who — like Braley — first won election to the House in 2006.

"They are good friends of mine who I’ve had the opportunity to work with very closely over the last two years and I think it’s a signal of the important emphasis that the leadership is placing on changing the direction of our domestic policy on health care and energy issues," Braley said. "That’s what makes it such an exciting time to join the committee."

The committee’s makeup was scrambled, in part, by a decision among Democrats in congress to remove a Michigan congressman as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Accounts of that private meeting indicate Braley gave a passionate speech to his fellow Democrats, arguing a California congressman should head the panel instead.

"I worked very closely with the incoming chairman, Henry Waxman, for two years as my chairman of the (House) Oversight and Govenrment Reform Committee," Braley told Radio Iowa, "and I saw the type of things he was able to accomplish and I saw his leadership style and I felt like he would be the perfect person to help President Obama bring about real change in these areas that are so important."

The committee’s former chairman was no friend of corn-based ethanol, either. Braley said a "real world" perspective on ethanol is key. "One of the things that I have, that I bring to the committee, is a background of having a family history of being involved in agriculture in this state for about 150 years," Braley said today. "I’ve got a lot of ethanol plants in my district. I have a lot of farmers who sell into those plants and I’ve seen them go through boom times and lean times."

The Energy and Commerce Committee also considers federal policies on telecommunications issues and the Internet. In his first term, Braley served on the Small Business, Transportation, and Government Oversight Committees.

Find out more about Braley on his Congressional website .

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business, Environment & Conservation, Health & Medicine, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Some Frontier customers can’t make long-distance calls

June 6, 2008 By

Some Iowans are not able to make long-distance telephone calls this afternoon. Frontier Communications customers in the 712 and 515 area codes lost long-distance service about 1:15 this afternoon.

According to Patricia Amendola of Frontier Communications, a fiber optic line was cut in the Winterset area affecting about 46,000 Frontier access lines. Amendola says those customers still have dialtone and can call 911.

It’s not known when service will be restored.

Filed Under: Business, Fires/Accidents/Disasters Tagged With:

Iowa ranked 47th in internet connection speed

June 26, 2007 By

Computer users in Iowa are waiting longer than people in most states to download material. Jeffrey Rechenbach, with the Communications Workers of America, conducted a report on the matter. He says, out of the 50 states, Iowa ranks 47th in terms of internet connection speeds.

Rechenbach says it takes Iowans much longer to download a movie compared to people in the top-ranked state of Rhode Island. “If you’re in Rhode Island, the movie would take about 45 minutes to an hour to download,” Rechenbach explains, “in Iowa, that same movie might take two hours.” The report may be a factor in companies considering a move to Iowa.

“If you can’t deliver high speed networks, you’re going to have a hard time doing business,” Rechenbach says. Internet speeds are relatively slow across the entire country. The report claims the U.S. had the fastest download speed 10 years ago, but now ranks 16th in the world.

“The biggest problem is we have no policy dealing with what we want to see happen in terms of the internet in this country,” Rechenbach claims, “every single other industrialized nation in the world has a policy for encouraging and building out high speed networks.”

The CWA report involved collected data from 80,000 computer users. The report claims Iowa’s average download speed is 1.2 megabits per second. The national average is 1.9, while the average in Japan is 61 megabits per second. More information is available at www.SpeedMatters.org . 

Filed Under: Human Interest, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Cellphones used to report problems on the road

October 3, 2005 By

A growing number of motorists are phoning 9-1-1 to report other drivers who pose a hazard or a headache on the road. “Mo” Warford is a regional manager for Iowa State Patrol communications who spends a couple days a week at various call centers. Reached on the road, Warford said while the operators expect calls for help, they also take 911 calls from drivers complaining about other motorists. “Yes, we do,” she says. With a little bit of common sense, the communications centers encourage drivers to call in anything along the road that looks suspicious or dangerous. While cellphones aren’t a tool to get people in trouble, Warford says if you’re in doubt it’s best to report dangerous or erratic driving, or other things that are suspicious. They’ve had reports of a child holding up a sign that says something like “Help me.” She says you sometimes can’t tell if that weaving driver really is drunk or impaired — or if the child isn’t just playing around and really has been abducted. She says you try and stay aware of your location, in case you should have a sudden mishap, or see something you want to report to authorities. There’s also the problem of accidentally pushing those buttons, which can happen to any cellphone owner. On many phones, pressing any button continuously for several seconds will cause it to automatically dial 9-1-1. A driver may toss the phone into a purse, or have their seatbelt pressing on it, and they may not even know it’s called the local emergency communications center, tying up a line there. Warford oversees State Patrol dispatch centers in central, south-central, west and southwest Iowa and spends a couple days every week on the road managing their operations.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts Tagged With: ,
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