Longmont’s NextLight ranks as fastest Internet in region

LONGMONT — Longmont’s municipal-broadband service, NextLight, led its seven-state region in speed performance and ranks among the fastest in the nation, according to a new ranking by PCMag.

NextLight ranked as faster than other providers in the region that includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, with speeds that were about twice as fast as the nearest competitor, Comcast’s Xfinity. Earlier this year, NextLight ranked no. 3 on PCMag’s list of gaming ISPs in the region, credited for its high speed and low latency.

“It’s been exciting to see NextLight get this sort of national recognition year after year,” NextLight executive director Valerie Dodd said in a prepared statement. “It’s a compliment to the community who made it all possible and who continues to power our growth and success.”

In 2019, BroadbandNow ranked NextLight in 2019 as one of the most affordable ISPs in the nation. NextLight in 2020 introduced discounted home Internet rates for income-qualified customers and for households that have been financially affected by COVID-19.

PCMag ranks Internet service providers using its PCMag Speed Index. NextLight’s index of 340.6 declined slightly from 344.7 in 2019.

PCMag’s top national rankings included a number of municipal providers such as NextLight, with Cedar Falls Utilities of Cedar Falls, Iowa, ranking No. 1.

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