Colorado Gov Releases Broadband Initiatives Report, Signs Executive Order Establishing Broadband Advisory Board

Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) released the Broadband Initiatives Report which outlines the state’s vision to create economic opportunity for Coloradans and accomplish the administration’s Bold Four issues through changing how Colorado governs, maps, funds, and deploys broadband. To support this vision, Gov Polis signed an Executive Order creating a Broadband Advisory Board within the Office of Information Technology (OIT) to focus on collaboration and coordination of broadband efforts for Colorado, and to partner with the Office of Future of Work (OFOW) to provide regular updates to the board on digital inclusion and literacy.

The report makes several observations about the current needs of broadband stakeholders. In one section, the document suggests that the Federal Communications Commission’s definition of broadband (25 Mbps download speed/3 Mpbs upload speed) is outdated in 2020. “Our definition and policies must be updated to support the actual bandwidth needs of Coloradans,” the report reads. The report discusses broadband mapping and advises the state to give OIT “statutory authority to require granular data from all ISPs operating in Colorado and providing OIT with the tools to ensure compliance with the requirements.”