The president of the Iowa Senate says it may not be possible to sell the state-owned Iowa Communications Network — because no private-sector buyer wants it. Nearly 30 years ago, the legislature authorized construction of a state-owned fiber optics network to provide video and data connections for schools and state government. Senator Jack Whitver, a Republican from Ankeny, says it may be time to pull the plug on the network.

 

Whitver, who was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2011, has been an advocate of selling the network.

 

A recent audit found 380-thousand dollars of questionable spending at the Iowa Communications Network. It included the revelation that some state-purchased equipment was delivered to the home of the network’s manager, who was fired early this month. Whitver says it may be time now for the state’s chief information officer to take over as manager of the network.