Colorado Sun
Maverix Broadband founder says a paper trail proves the company did not misuse taxpayer funds
Maverix Broadband pushed back on claims the company has misused millions of dollars in public funding that resulted in the Colorado Broadband Office freezing all projects linked to the company, including rescinding a federal grant for more than $100 million. The report caught the Parker-based internet provider off guard because they had been responding and providing hundreds of documents to state officials for months, said David Lindauer, the company’s cofounder.
Colorado Broadband Office leader abruptly resigns
Brandy Reitter, the executive director of the Colorado Broadband Office since February 2022, stepped down after giving the agency two days’ notice. “Yes, unfortunately, OIT received Brandy’s resignation. She will be missed and we appreciate her service to the state,” Erin Jeffreys, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office of Information Technology, home to the broadband office, said in an email.
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.