Colorado Sun
Google Fiber skips public funding, expands gigabit internet in Colorado
The GFiber team recently broke ground for fiber-internet service that aims to cover unincorporated Douglas County (CO). “We try to put our infrastructure within the entire community and then we let people know that, hey, you’re eligible for Google Fiber service,” said Alberto Garcia, GFiber’s government and community affairs manager. “Our plan is to cover as many homes as possible.” GFiber is planning to expand in several more Denver-area communities, but also in other cities and towns around the state that want to work with the company.
Starlink and Amazon ask for $300 million of Colorado’s BEAD Program funds after federal rule changes
Rule changes and an aggressive new timeline on how Colorado can use its $826.5 million in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds had local internet providers scrambling this month. All had to reapply for grants to subsidize new internet infrastructure for underserved rural communities, including internet service providers (ISPs) who had already received preliminary approvals. Applications closed July 29, but the two-week sprint––compared to six weeks the first time––left many overwhelmed.
What’s Working: New broadband laws to help Colorado streamline distribution of $800+ million
There’s nearly a billion dollars en route to Colorado to fix internet service issues like slow speeds, affordability or the complete lack of service, especially in rural areas.
Colorado repealed law limiting municipal internet, making it easier for towns to build their own
Colorado repealed the referendum requirement for community broadband projects with the passage of Senate Bill 183. Support came from all sides, including the cable industry, which was neutral on the legislation. But there was another reason for the timing: federal broadband funding. The Colorado Broadband Office wasn’t sure if communities that hadn’t opted out would be eligible for a piece of the up to $1 billion in federal broadband funds Colorado could receive.
Colorado’s effort to attract more federal broadband funding seems to be working
In a mad scramble to verify a map that will be used to determine Colorado’s share of federal broadband funding, state officials trying to meet a Jan. 13, 2023 deadline made nearly 15,000 challenges in three weeks. The majority were accepted. Of those, about 13,000 were submitted for incorrect addresses, the wrong number of units in a building, and other inaccurate information. So far, 6,700 location challenges were accepted.
Colorado goes analog to boost affordable internet program after just 23% of eligible households join
An effort to boost awareness of the year-old Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is getting more local after earlier attempts to promote it statewide resulted in just 23% of eligible Colorado households signing up to get up to $30 off their internet bills. To get the rest of the 77% signed up, state officials feel that the campaign needs to go analog and provide help right in local libraries, schools, and community centers.
Colorado is challenging 13,000 speed inaccuracies in the new federal broadband map
A federal effort to map out and better understand who in America has decent internet and who does not is already getting challenged by those in the know, including the Colorado Broadband Office, which has submitted 13,000 challenges of the data. The map is just two weeks old. And the state isn’t done challenging the data collected by the Federal Communications Commission, said Brandy Reitter, executive director of the state’s broadband office. “Thirteen thousand is a lot but likely doesn’t include all missing locations,” Reitter said.
How Colorado plans to cover 99% of the state with super-fast internet
An ambitious new plan by the state of Colorado seeks to end the state’s digital divide once and for all — and to do so using fiber, the gold standard for the fastest internet connections. Brandy Reitter, the executive director of the Colorado Broadband Office, said she took the position because she wanted to do impactful work “that was well funded” so she could actually fix the problem. Now she’s leading the state’s plan to use $1 billion in federal money to improve internet service, not just to help those with no internet access, but those with subpar service.
Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans qualify for a $50 broadband internet credit. So why aren’t they seizing it?
A $50 credit on monthly internet service could mean the difference between having broadband and not having internet at all. But from the looks of federal data, there hasn’t been much interest in claiming the money made available by the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program. The program launched in May 2021 and provides low-income consumers up to $50 off their monthly broadband bill (or $75 for those living on Tribal lands). But five months after it launched, EBB serves just over 63,000 households in Colorado, a fraction of those who qualify.