Fort Collins, CO is building a city-led municipal fiber network to improve residents’ quality of life and close the digital divide, reported Government Technology. According to city leaders, the solution will deliver higher speeds (between 20 Mbps to 500 Mbps), lower costs, and superior customer service (24/7/365) compared to private internet service providers.
Although the fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, known as Fort Collins Connexion, is slated to be fully operational by the end of 2022, the planning for the project goes back a decade. In 2012, the city became interested in a community-owned fiber network after the launch of Google Fiber in Kansas City, MO. Leaders believed city-run broadband would be a natural addition to its public-owned electricity and water utilities, some of which it has managed for 50 years.
Standing in the way of the plan was SB 152, a 2005 law preventing communities from offering telecommunications services, reported Government Technology. In 2015, however, residents voted with an 83 percent majority to overturn the law. Then, in 2017, voters approved a bond of up to $150 million to get the project off the ground. November 2018 marked the official start of construction on Fort Collins Connexion.
According to Colman Keane, former broadband executive director for Fort Collins Connexion, the community’s involvement was a critical part of this effort. He added that Fort Collins had an active citizen base from the start and many community groups and residents interested in advancing broadband in the city.
Government Technology reported that the city had maintained transparency throughout the project, providing monthly and quarterly reports. Before the end of 2021, it found it needed additional funds – $20 million – to build a new conduit and serve the increasing number of sites. As of December 2021, potential customers interested in utilizing the broadband service stood at 31 percent, already exceeding the necessary 28 percent rate to pay back the bond.
The city is also doing something unique regarding digital equity. To ensure every resident receives the same high-speed internet regardless of their monthly rate, six percent of revenue goes into a payment instead of taxes, or PILOT, fund. This capital will allow the city to bridge the gap for income-qualified people to pay a lower rate and get the same high-quality connection.
According to the current Broadband Executive Director Chad Crager, the guiding mindset throughout the project was to consider what the Fort Collins region will look like in the next decade and beyond. The city did its due diligence with research and planning to future-proof the fiber network from the start.
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