8D.13  Iowa communications network.
  1.  Moneys in the Iowa communications network fund are appropriated to the Iowa telecommunications and technology commission for purposes of providing financing for the procurement, operation, and maintenance of the Iowa communications network with sufficient capacity to serve the video, data, and voice requirements of the educational telecommunications system consisting of Part I, Part II, and Part III, and other public and private agencies.
  2.  For purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
  a.  “Part I” means the communications connections between central switching and institutions under the control of the board of regents, nonprofit institutions of higher education eligible for tuition grants, and the regional switching centers for the remainder of the network.
  b.  “Part II” means the communications connections between the regional switching centers and the secondary switching centers.
  c.  “Part III” means the communications connection between the secondary switching centers and the agencies defined in section 8D.2, subsections 4 and 5, excluding state agencies, institutions under the control of the board of regents, nonprofit institutions of higher education eligible for tuition grants, and the judicial branch, judicial district departments of correctional services, hospitals and physician clinics, agencies of the federal government, and post offices.
  3.  The financing for the procurement costs for the entirety of Part I except for the communications connections between central switching and institutions under the control of the board of regents, and nonprofit institutions of higher education eligible for tuition grants, and for the video, data, and voice capacity for state agencies and for Part II and Part III, shall be provided by the state. The financing for the procurement and maintenance costs for Part III shall be provided by the state. A local school board, governing authority of a nonpublic school, or an area education agency board may elect to provide one hundred percent of the financing for the procurement and maintenance costs for Part III to become part of the network. The basis for the amount of state financing is one hundred percent of a single interactive audio and interactive video connection for Part III, and such data and voice capacity as is necessary. If a school board, governing authority of a nonpublic school, or area education agency board elects to provide one hundred percent of the financing for the leasing costs for Part III, the school district or area education agency may become part of the network as soon as the network can reasonably connect the district or agency. A local school board, governing authority of a nonpublic school, or an area education agency board may also elect not to become part of the network. Construction of Part III, related to a school board, governing authority of a nonpublic school, or area education agency board which provides one hundred percent of the financing for the leasing costs for Part III, may proceed as determined by the commission and consistent with the purpose of this chapter.
  4.  The commission shall develop the requests for proposals that are needed for the Iowa communications network with sufficient capacity to serve the video, data, and voice requirements of state agencies and for educational telecommunications applications. The commission shall develop a request for proposals for each of the systems that will make up the network. The commission may develop a request for proposals for each definitive component of the network or the commission may provide in the request for proposals for each such system that separate contracts may be entered into for each definitive component covered by the request for proposals. The requests for proposals may be for the purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of the component parts of the network consistent with the provisions of this chapter, may require maintenance costs to be identified, and the resulting contract may provide for maintenance for parts of the network. The master contract may provide for electronic classrooms, satellite equipment, receiving equipment, studio and production equipment, and other associated equipment as required.
  5.  a.  The state shall lease all fiberoptic cable facilities or facilities with sufficient capacity as determined by the commission for Part III connections, for the judicial branch, judicial district departments of correctional services, and state agency connections for which state funding is provided. In determining the capacity to be provided, the commission shall consult with the authorized users associated with the Part III connections, the judicial branch, the judicial district departments of correctional services, and state agencies associated with connections for which state funding is provided. Such facilities shall be leased from qualified providers. The state shall not own such facilities, except for those facilities owned by the state as of January 1, 1994.
  b.  The lease provisions of this subsection do not apply to a school district which elects to provide one hundred percent of the financing for the district’s connection.
  6.  It is the intent of the general assembly that during the implementation of Parts I and II of the system, the department of administrative services shall employ a consultant to report to it on the impact of changing technology on the potential cost and capabilities of the system. It is also the intent of the general assembly that the department of education shall study new techniques in distant teaching. These reports shall be made available to the general assembly.
  7.  The commission shall be responsible for the network design and shall be responsible for the implementation of each component of the network as it is incorporated into the network. The final design selected shall optimize the routing for all users in order to assure maximum utilization by all agencies of the state. Efficiencies achieved in the implementation of the network shall be used to fund further implementation and enhancement of the network, and shall be considered part of the operational cost of the network. The commission shall be responsible for all management, operations, control switching, diagnostics, and maintenance functions of network operations as provided in this chapter. The performance of these duties is intended to provide optimal utilization of the facilities, and the assurance that future growth requirements will be provided for, and that sufficient network capacity will be available to meet the needs of all users.
  8.  The education telecommunications council shall review all requests for grants for educational telecommunications applications, if they are a part of the Iowa communications network, to ensure that the educational telecommunications application is consistent with the telecommunications plan. All other grant requests shall be reviewed as determined by the commission. If the education telecommunications council finds that a grant request is inconsistent with the telecommunications plan, the grant request shall not be allowed.
  9.  The procurement and maintenance of electronic equipment including, but not limited to, master receiver antenna systems, studio and production equipment, and broadcast system components shall be provided for under the commission’s contracts. The Iowa public broadcasting board and other educational entities within the state have the option to use their existing or replacement resources and agreements in the operation and maintenance of these systems.
  10.  In addition to the other evaluation criteria specified in the request for proposals issued pursuant to this section, the commission, in evaluating proposals, shall base up to two percent of the total possible points on the public benefit that can be derived from a given proposal due to the increased private telecommunications capacity available to Iowa citizens located in rural Iowa. For purposes of this subsection, an area of the state is considered rural if it is not part of a federally designated standard metropolitan statistical area.
  11.  The fees charged for use of the network and state communications shall be based on the ongoing expenses of the network and of providing state communications. For the services rendered to state agencies by the commission, the commission shall prepare a statement of services rendered and the agencies shall pay in a manner consistent with procedures established by the department of administrative services.
  12.  The commission, on its own or as recommended by an advisory committee of the commission and approved by the commission, shall permit a fee to be charged by a receiving site to the originator of the communication provided on the network. The fee charged shall be for the purpose of recovering the operating costs of a receiving site. The fee charged shall be reduced by an amount received by the receiving site pursuant to a state appropriation for such costs, or federal assistance received for such costs. Fees established under this subsection shall be paid by the originator of the communication directly to the receiving site. In the event that an entity requests a receiving site location in a video classroom facility which is authorized by, but not funded by, the originator of the communication, the requesting entity shall be directly billed by the video classroom facility for operating costs relating to the communication. For purposes of this section, “operating costs” include the costs associated with the management or coordination, operations, utilities, classroom, equipment, maintenance, and other costs directly related to providing the receiving site.
  13.  Access to the network shall be offered on an equal basis to public and private agencies under subsection 8 if the private agency contributes an amount toward the match requirement comparable to its share of use for the part of the system in which it participates.
  14.  Access to the network shall be offered to the judicial district departments of correctional services established in section 905.2, provided that such departments contribute an amount consistent with their share of use for the part of the system in which the departments participate, as determined by the commission.
  15.  Access shall be offered to hospitals licensed pursuant to chapter 135B and physician clinics for diagnostic, clinical, consultative, data, and educational services for the purpose of developing a comprehensive, statewide telemedicine network, to an agency of the federal government, and to a post office defined as a public agency pursuant to section 8D.2, subsection 5. A hospital, physician clinic, an agency of the federal government, or a post office defined as a public agency pursuant to section 8D.2, subsection 5, shall be responsible for all costs associated with becoming a part of the network.
  16.  Access shall be offered to the judicial branch provided that the judicial branch contributes an amount consistent with the judicial branch’s share of use for the part of the network in which the judicial branch participates, as determined by the commission.
  17.  Notwithstanding chapter 476, the provisions of chapter 476 shall not apply to a public utility in furnishing a telecommunications service or facility to the commission for the Iowa communications network or to any authorized user of the Iowa communications network for such authorized user’s connection to the network.
  18.  Access to the network shall be offered to the department of public safety and the department of public defense for the purpose of establishing and operating a shared data-only network providing law enforcement, emergency management, disaster service, emergency warning, and other emergency information dissemination services to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies as provided in sections 80.9 and 80.9B, and local emergency management offices established under the authority of sections 29C.9 and 29C.10.
  19.  Access shall be offered to the Iowa hospital association only for the purposes of collection, maintenance, and dissemination of health and financial data for hospitals and for hospital education services. The Iowa hospital association shall be responsible for all costs associated with becoming part of the network, as determined by the commission.
89 Acts, ch 319, §33
CS89, §18.136
90 Acts, ch 1266, §35; 90 Acts, ch 1272, §34; 92 Acts, ch 1246, §24; 93 Acts, ch 179, §16; 94 Acts, ch 1184, §15 – 20, 29

95 Acts, ch 20, §1; 96 Acts, ch 1034, §1; 96 Acts, ch 1218, §27; 97 Acts, ch 210, §17; 98 Acts, ch 1047, §6 – 8; 2003 Acts, ch 145, §286; 2004 Acts, ch 1175, §323; 2005 Acts, ch 178, §40; 2008 Acts, ch 1031, §96; 2008 Acts, ch 1188, §26; 2010 Acts, ch 1189, §29; 2010 Acts, ch 1193, §102
Referred to in 
See Iowa Acts for provisions relating to appropriations for network costs in a given year