State agency officials and top legislators cannot talk about the Idaho Education Network lawsuit, due to a federal gag order, the Idaho Falls Post Register reported Friday.
The gag order appears to stem from a federal investigation into the statewide broadband network — which is now offline, since District Judge Patrick Owen has thrown out the project’s $60 million contract. Millions of dollars of federal phone surcharges have gone into the project — but those payments have been on hold due to the contract dispute. The federal investigation centers on the Department of Administration, the agency that oversees the network.
Top legislators would not speak publicly about the presence of a gag order. The Post Register said the gag order was confirmed through multiple sources.
The Post Register’s articles are posted behind a paywall, but here’s a link to Bryan Clark’s article.