Imperial County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Todd Finnell Selected to Serve on the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee

Imperial County, CA – The Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) is pleased to announce that County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Todd Finnell is among thirty elected officials selected nationwide to provide guidance, expertise, and recommendations to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on telecommunications issues affecting local, county, state, and Tribal governments.

On March 11, 2024, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the new members of the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee who will make recommendations to the Commission on issues related to increasing deployment and adoption of broadband services and any other task necessary to help local, state, and Tribal government officials clarify or explain Commission rules and policies to their constituents and other members of the public.

“These local, county, state, and Tribal leaders offer the Commission valuable perspectives on how we can work together to connect the American people,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel.  “I thank the Committee members for their willingness to serve, and I look forward to their input.”

The reauthorized IAC will operate for two years, with an option for the Commission to reauthorize it at the end of the two-year period. The term will commence with the new IAC’s first meeting on April 18, 2024.

“I look forward to contributing toward greater broadband access across the nation,” said Dr. Finnell. “Our work in this space can help inform others and accelerate options to coordinate efforts across government entities at all levels.”

For more information and a complete list of the newly appointed IAC members, please visit the FCC’s  Public Notice and News Release. 

More About ICOE’s Statewide and Regional Broadband Initiatives

Since 2004, the Imperial County Office of Education has successfully managed the California K-12 High Speed Network, connecting more than 8,240 of California’s roughly 10,000 schools to the statewide highspeed broadband network operated by the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California, which is known as CENIC. This is the same network that connects the University of California, California state universities, community colleges, and more than 900 of the state’s 1,130 local libraries. Earlier this year, ICOE also became the new statewide broadband aggregator for California’s public libraries.

Locally, the Imperial County Office of Education has operated as the network administrator for Imperial Valley Telecommunications Authority (IVTA) for more than 20 years. As IVTA’s network administrator, ICOE connects various city and county agencies, schools, and public libraries to our regional infrastructure, which also connects to CENIC’s statewide network.