Each year, Iowa K-12 schools and libraries keep their buildings connected and secure through the FCC’s E-Rate bidding program. ICN remains an essential service provider, participating in the E-Rate program since 2001. Our involvement helps Iowa’s K-12 education and library customers stay connected with reliable and critical telecommunications services.
The federal E-rate program helps schools and libraries pay for the Internet and telecommunication connections they need for the upcoming school year. In order to receive the E-Rate discounts, K-12 schools and libraries fill out an application and go through a competitive bidding process, awarding services based on the best value, primarily cost. There are two categories of funding available for eligible E-Rate services:
- Category 1 services include Internet and Ethernet connections (data),
- Category 2 services include hardware devices, managed service costs, firewalls, etc.
While it’s not mandatory for authorized users to use the ICN for services, the statewide fiber optic Network ensures reliable and crucial services, packed with many additional advantages, such as a private network, a dedicated account team, and continuous 24/7/365 support from a network operation center located in Iowa.
As we look ahead to the 2025–2026 school year, ICN is preparing to handle Internet service requests ranging from 1 Gigabit to 5 Gigabits, all set to go live by July 1.