Capitol Notebook: Federal grant to help Iowa expand high-speed internet access

An Iowa plan to use federal funding to expand high-speed internet throughout the state was approved Thursday by a federal grant program.

Iowa becomes eligible for more than $415 million as a result of the approval. The funds can be used to deploy or upgrade internet networks to ensure all residents have access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet service.

The grant program is funded by the infrastructure law passed in 2021.

States submitted their initial proposals last year for how to expand high-speed internet access to the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration as part of its Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment grant program. That program is a part of President Joe Biden’s “Internet for All” initiative, according to a press release.

The approval enables Iowa to request access and funding to begin implementation of the program.

Iowa was one of four states to receive approval Thursday, joining Minnesota, Georgia and South Carolina.

“In the 21st century, a reliable Internet connection is a necessity that enables access to jobs, health care, and education,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement. “Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law, the Department of Commerce is ensuring everyone in these four states and across the country has access to quality, affordable high-speed Internet.”

One year out from a proposal’s initial approval, states must submit a final proposal that details the outcome of the grantee selection process and how the state will ensure universal coverage, according to the press release.

Iowa AG sues over abandoned wind turbine blades

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Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has filed a lawsuit accusing a company based in Washington state and two of its top executives of failing to properly dispose of more than 1,000 decommissioned wind turbine blades.

According to the lawsuit, Global Fiberglass Solutions was contracted and paid millions by wind turbine companies General Electric and MidAmerican to cut up, transport and recycle wind turbine blades. Instead, the attorney general says the company illegally dumped about 1,300 wind turbine blades that sat in stockpiles for years at parking lots in Newton and in fields in Ellsworth and Atlantic. The Attorney General’s Office says Global Fiberglass Solutions failed to recycle the blades even after the Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued orders calling for their cleanup.

In 2022, MidAmerican disposed of the abandoned blades at the Ellsworth location. In June 2024, General Electric completed clean up of the blades at both the Atlantic and Newton sites.

The lawsuit seeks civil penalties of up to $5,000 per day for violations of the state’s solid waste disposal rules.

“Despite efforts from my office and the DNR, GFS refused cleanup, allowing these blades to pose an environmental risk. We are taking action to hold them accountable,” Bird said in a statement.

Secretary of State urges Iowans track mail-in ballots, make plan to vote

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Iowa’s top election official urged voters to make a plan for casting their ballot in the Nov. 5 general election, whether at the polls, by mail or in-person early voting.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate also reminded Iowans to be prepared to request their absentee ballot by Oct. 21, and to track their absentee ballot at VoterReady.Iowa.Gov. Voters can see the date that the ballot was mailed out and the date their local county auditor received the ballot back. Iowa law requires absentee ballots to be returned to the county auditor’s office by the time polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5.

In efforts to remind Iowans to head to the polls, political parties and candidates may send voters absentee ballot request mailings. In some cases, that may result in one voter receiving multiple absentee ballot requests. Pate, in a Thursday press release, said county auditors have a number of procedures in place to ensure that if they receive multiple absentee ballot requests from one voter, only one absentee ballot will be mailed out.

Iowans are encouraged to call their county auditor if they have any specific questions.

Voters who plan to vote early absentee in-person can do so at their county auditor’s office or a special satellite location. Iowans also can find their Election Day polling site at VoterReady.Iowa.Gov. Every voter who votes in person, either before the election or on Election Day, must present an Iowa driver’s license, voter identification card, non-operator ID, military or veteran ID, passport, or tribal ID card/document.

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Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau