Questions & Answers about Broadband in Iowa

Department of Management, Division of Information Technology (DoIT) tracks provider service areas based on census block level reporting. To identify service providers in your area, visit this link: https://gis.connectednation.org/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2bf307adc3a34889900d33eddb8dae85

Enter your address in the “Locate Provider by Address” field. Once you have your address displayed, click the “Find Provider Details” button for a listing of potential service providers. If there are no providers listed in your area, that could mean that broadband service was not reported as available at the time of map publication. 

Department of Management, Division of Information Technology (DoIT)’s Broadband Office works with a variety of organizations to promote broadband expansion. Local organizations include county or city level economic development groups, agricultural organizations, and the Iowa Rural Development Council.   

Search for your address on the Department of Management, Division of Information Technology (DoIT) map of prior funding initiatives. If your address is located within a shaded area, click the map to learn more information about the awarded provider. 

State government does not regulate broadband provider companies. The Department of Management, Division of Information Technology (DoIT) does not regulate any company, however providers who have successfully applied for state grant funding opportunities are required to meet certain requirements for build out that the Office routinely monitors for compliance. Our office administers the broadband grant program to fund projects for broadband expansion submitted by companies.   

Please subscribe to the Broadband Grants notification group to be notified when the office announces new grant opportunities and or is collecting public feedback on broadband availability maps.

Please submit your questions by completing our inquiry form. 

Each grant program has a specific reimbursement guide.  Please review the guide for your NOFA grant program:

NOFA #1 Reimbursement Guide
NOFA #2 Reimbursement Guide
NOFA #3 Grants Management Policies and Procedures Guide
NOFA #4 Grants Management Policies and Procedures Guide

Department of Management, Division of Information Technology (DoIT) staff will process all claims for reimbursement submitted through the Iowa Grants Management System. Once the office review is complete, we contact the grantee’s POC regarding any questions. The timeline for payments being issued by the state will vary based on a variety of factors, but will generally be completed within 60 days of the approval of project completion materials. 

Active and past opportunities for broadband funding can be found on the Department of Management, Division of Information Technology (DoIT) broadband grants website. 

The state broadband availability map does not display broadband infrastructure projects that are planned or underway, but instead whether broadband was available as of the date the map was published.  The map will display a census block as unserved or materially underserved (TSA) until new broadband service reporting is available and included in an update of the Broadband Availability Map.  For more information about the map update process please review the information posted on the Broadband Availability Map: Version 3 page.

The Office documents and communicates broadband service facilitated speeds through the creation and publication of this Statewide “Broadband Availability Map.” You can read the specific law about facilitated speeds in the Iowa Administrative Code 129—20.3 and 20.4. In doing so, the Office utilizes maps and data sources made available by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and/or developed or produced by contractors or third parties retained or utilized by the office for such purpose. Iowa Admin. Code r. 129—20.3. Provider service area information is collected during the broadband availability map data collection and open comment period which happens before final publication of the Broadband Availability Map. The Office conducts a new mapping effort annually in each year when grant funds are made available. For more information about the most recently published Broadband Availability Map please visit the Broadband Availability Map: Version 3 page.

Please send your feedback to broadband@iowa.gov . Include in the email the organization name, the grant award number, and the Targeted Service Areas (TSA) that are being displayed incorrectly on the map. If there is supporting documentation, such as the awarded application file, please include that for review.