Idaho AG files suit to recover payments on void contract

BOISE – Attorney General Lawrence Wasden says two internet companies must return the millions of dollars paid to them under a voided state broadband contract.

Wasden filed the complaint last week in state court, just several days after Education Networks of America Inc. and CenturyLink Communications LLC filed separate lawsuits demanding that the state actually owes them $37 million in back payments and damages.

Wasden’s decision to recover taxpayer money is the latest development in the ongoing saga over the now defunct Idaho Education Network – which provided broadband to public schools, but has been offline since 2015.

The vendors argue they deserve repayment for unpaid work while the state fought over the legality of their contract. However, Wasden contends that the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that the state is required to recover tax dollars paid to the vendors under the illegal deal.