Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law Senate File 262, which provides consumers the right to know what of their personal data companies have processed. “In our digital age, it’s never been more important to state, clearly and unmistakably, that consumers deserve a reasonable level of transparency and control over their personal data,” Reynolds said in a […]

More than $210 million has been awarded to grant applicants to further expand high-speed internet across Iowa, the governor’s office announced Tuesday. According to a news release, the funding was awarded to more than 160 applicants as part of the investment to expand broadband across the state. “Our commitment to high-speed, reliable broadband for all Iowans continues to […]

The 2021 Future Ready Iowa Summit is titled “Transforming Education for the Workforce” and will connect educators and employers from across the state with the goal of increasing work-based learning as well as computer science and STEM education. Emily Calandrelli, a STEM advocate and co-executive producer of Netflix’s “Emily’s Wonder Labs,” will be the keynote speaker, and […]

Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education on Friday announced that $26.2 million is now available to districts, nonpublic schools and colleges and universities, primarily to increase internet connectivity for students for the 2020-21 school year. Using the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund authorized under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security […]

Gov. Kim Reynolds proclaimed next week as Technology Week in Iowa, in conjunction with the Technology Association of Iowa’s Prometheus Awards Week. This year’s 2020 Prometheus Awards will take place virtually over June 22-26 at 9 a.m., with three awards announced a day. The format change comes after TAI delayed the previously scheduled event in […]

In signing a $50 million contract for a new cloud-based computer system, the state of Iowa sidestepped traditional competitive bidding procedures and chose a company with little state government experience whose lobbyist is Gov. Kim Reynolds’ former chief of staff, reports the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Iowa is one of the first state governments to hire […]

Fourteen Iowa employers will receive a combined $244,100 from the Future Ready Iowa Employer Innovation Fund, a matching grant that helps employers provide postsecondary training and education opportunities for their staff, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Tuesday. With this third round of grants, the Employer Innovation Fund has allocated $1.2 million to 49 awardees across the […]

Iowa applicants applying for the USDA “ReConnect” Grant Program will have an advantage applying for the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced this week. The program, announced in December 2018, makes about $600 million in grants and loans available for broadband providers in rural areas that do not have sufficient access to […]

Six Iowa elementary schools in high-poverty areas, among them Perry and Marshalltown, will each receive $50,000 grants through the Computer Science is Elementary initiative, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced. The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council and the Iowa Department of Education are partnering with corporate partners that raised $350,000 in sponsorship funding for the grants. The six […]

Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Barb Kniff, owner/CEO of KLK Construction, to serve as the new chair of the Iowa Telecommunications and Technology Commision (ITTC), the Iowa Communications Network announced last week. Kniff’s appointment is effective May 1. She is a board member on the National Women’s Business Council and has held national and local positions […]