Larimer uses grant to extend internet service

LARIMER COUNTY — Larimer County will use $14 million in grants to extend broadband internet services to 1,935 locations in the county.

The county will partner with Fort Collins Connexion and Loveland Pulse to bring fiber broadband to areas of Rist Canyon, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado Mountain Campus, Poudre Canyon/Poudre Park, Pole Mountain, Hidden Valley Estate and Storm Mountain, the county said in a press statement.

The funding comes from the Capital Projects Fund of the Colorado Broadband Office; it helps to meet Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ goal to connect 99% of Colorado households with high-speed broadband by the end of 2027.

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The federal government committed $42 billion of the infrastructure law to extend high-speed internet nationwide. Of that, $826 million was directed to Colorado, with Larimer County sharing in that allotment.

“I want to thank our NoCo Community Fiber partners who have worked collaboratively to expand community-owned broadband services to become the most connected community in the nation,” Mark Pfaffinger, Larimer County support services director and chief information officer, said in a written statement. “We hope to use this as a springboard to connect the remaining 15,000 underserved households in the county through future grant programs.”  

Larimer County provided matching funds for 10 projects and was awarded seven in partnership with Fort Collins Connexion and Pulse. 

“This announcement marks yet another significant accomplishment for NoCo Community Fiber,” said Brieana Reed-Harmel, Pulse broadband manager. “We’re thrilled to continue our expansion into Larimer County, solidifying the community broadband presence in Northern Colorado and our commitment to ubiquitous access.” 

Likewise, “Fort Collins Connexion is proud to partner with Larimer County to serve its residents with fast, reliable, local internet to those that have extremely low internet speeds and reliability,” said Chad Crager, Connexion executive director. “Rural internet connectivity is of great importance to eliminate the rural/urban digital divide as well as improve emergency management communication.”