TELECOMMUNICATIONS AREA

Agency History #1153

CREATION

The state agency responsible for telecommunications was created in 1986 to provide cost efficient telecommunications services to all state government agencies (Laws of Utah, 1986, Chapter 102).

FUNCTIONS

To meet the needs of state government agencies, the enabling act empowered the division to establish telecommunications system specifications and standards, coordinate planning with users and other departments and state agencies, and to cooperate with federal, state, county, or city telecommunications agencies in the development, implementation, and maintenance of governmental data processing and telecommunications systems.

The public safety mobile radio communication system used for the delivery of public safety services, which was managed by the Department of Public Safety, was originally exempted. It was merged into the telecommunications area of the division by the 49th Legislature in 1991.

ADMINISTRATION

An assistant director appointed by the division director administers the Telecommunications area of the Division of Information Technology Services (Agency #01922).

Initially, Telecommunications was administered by a division director. The division director was appointed by the executive director of the Department of Administrative Services with the approval of the governor. Policies and practices for the efficient and effective operation of the division were recommended by an advisory committee composed of representatives of user agencies.

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The Division of Telecommunications was statutorily created within the Department of Administrative Services in 1986 by the 46th State Legislature. The new division absorbed the telephone services section that had existed under the Division of Central Services.

Four years after creating the Division of Telecommunications the 48th Legislature in 1990 merged Telecommunications with the Division of Data Processing (#00305), creating the Division of Information Technology Services. Telecommunications became one of three areas within the restructured division.

PRIOR NAMES

Division of Telecommunications, 1986-1990

Telecommunications Area, 1990-present

DIRECTORS

Craig M. Jorgensen, 1986-present

COMPILED BY: W. Glen Fairclough, Jr., June 1992

SOURCES

Draper, Robert L., conversation, 4 February 1991.

Jorgensen, Craig M., and Branca, Marsha W., conversations, 6 February 1991.

Laws of Utah, 1986, Chapter 102, pp. 248-49 [series no. 83155].

Laws of Utah, 1990, Chapter 57, pp. 210-212 [series no. 83155].

Laws of Utah, 1991, Chapter 85, pp. 256-57 [series no. 83155].

State Organizational Charts (Salt Lake City: Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, State of Utah, March 1989).

Utah Code, 63-1-5; 63-1-51 to 56 [series no. 83238, annotated; series no. 01052, unannotated].