Iowa Communications Network

The Iowa Communications Network (ICN) is a state-administered fiber optics network designed to provide equal access to Iowans with modern telecommunication resources.

The Iowa Communications Network provides high quality, full-motion video; data; high-speed Internet connections; and telephone service to a variety of authorized users, which includes state and federal government agencies, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, hospitals and public libraries. Video is a tool for distance learning connecting Iowans at multiple sites for classes, meetings, and training. Real-time interaction is possible via microphone between two or more sites. Through partnerships with education, medicine, the judicial system, government agencies, and the National Guard, the Network brings this live video to around 750 sites, or nodes, around Iowa, located in schools, National Guard armories, libraries, hospitals, and federal and state government offices.

Governor Terry Branstad signed an authorizing bill in 1989. In 1991, construction began on Parts I and II of the network when one fiber optic endpoint was installed per county. In 1992 parts of the new fiber-optic system were activated. The network became operational in 1993 and by the next year the new network offered a full motion video connection to all 99 Iowa counties, its 3 state universities, public television, and state government. The Iowa Communications Network became a state agency directed by the Iowa Telecommunications and Technology Commission (ITTC) in 1994.

In 1995, the governor established a plan for Part III of the network. This four-year plan added full-motion video sites to public and private school districts, AEAs, and public libraries throughout Iowa. At the turn of the century the 700th full-motion video classroom was connected to the ICN, surpassing the original plan which only called for a maximum of 500 classrooms. One year later, ICN’s internet bandwidth was brought up to 400 Mbit/s for a faster, more efficient connection. In 2003, the network received a number of upgrades, appropriated through state legislation, which made it one of the most technologically advanced telecommunications services for state government as the time. In 2004, Danville High School was the final site to be added to the Network under Part III legislation.

In March 2005, the ICN became debt free and no longer receives general fund appropriations. To date over 231 million dollars has been invested by state and federal government in the development of the network. http://www.icn.iowa.gov/

Iowa Communications Network allows citizens to take advantage of Telemedicine, which makes specialty care more accessible to rural Iowans and simplifies provider education by allowing rural health practitioners to “attend” educational programs without leaving their communities. As well, the Iowa Communications Network has been integrated into a Telejustice system, a way of using two-way interactive video to reduce the expense of expert witnesses and allows crime victims to testify at parole hearings without the inconvenience and tension associated with traveling to a meeting where an inmate was present.

...
Wikipedia