CASPER, Wyoming – Natrona County officials announced on Tuesday that the county must find a new telephone provider after Lumen, formerly CenturyLink, decided to discontinue its voice‑service business and focus on networking. County Information Technology Director Eileen Hill briefed the Board of Commissioners on the upcoming transition and the potential costs involved.
Provider change and hardware costs
Hill explained that while Lumen will not abruptly cut off the county’s existing lines, the shift to a new vendor could become a “big ticket item” as staff evaluate replacement hardware and circuit options for county facilities. “Lumen, also known previously as CenturyLink, is abandoning voice services,” Hill said. “We will be on the hunt for migrating our voice services to another provider.”
Wyoming Data Privacy Act compliance
During the same session, Hill outlined the county’s efforts to comply with Wyoming’s Enrolled Act 32, also called Senate File 20 or the Wyoming Data Privacy Act. The law requires state and local agencies to adopt data‑governance rules and limits personal‑data retention to three years. “Gone are the days of collecting and retaining data and keeping it forever,” Hill noted, adding that the county will need to train departments on proper labeling and storage practices.
Emergency‑response drill
County IT staff also participated in a recent disaster‑recovery exercise, working alongside Wyoming Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and officials from fifteen other Wyoming counties. Future drills will include the City of Casper to protect shared emergency‑dispatch and mapping systems.
Funding request for county vehicle
Hill concluded by presenting a funding request for the fifth‑cent tax (One Cent No. 18). The department seeks a midsize vehicle, such as a van or Chevrolet Traverse, to replace an aging pickup. The vehicle will be used to transport voting equipment during elections and to reach remote sites on Casper Mountain and at Alcova.
Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.
