Longmont’s NextLight ranks second in nation for speed

LONGMONT — NextLight, the community-wide broadband utility in Longmont, placed second in the nation in PC Magazine’s internet speed competition.

The ranking is the fifth straight year that the utility has ranked among the fastest four internet service providers in the nation. The fiber-optic provider doubled its score from last year, finishing behind only California-based Sonic.  

“Local ISPs … really shine as you can see,” PC Magazine wrote. “If Sonic’s boost this year is a blip, NextLight’s consistency could put it on top in 2023.”  

Three of the five fastest ISPs this year were wholly or mostly Colorado-focused. In addition to NextLight’s second-place finish, the top contenders included Fort Collins Connexion at number 4 and Allo Communications at number 5. 

NextLight also finished first in the seven-state Northwest region with Connexion in second place.  

According to information from NextLight, PC Magazine bases its scores on a combination of upload and download speeds. A provider must log at least 100 speed tests with the magazine to qualify.  

“We truly appreciate all the NextLight customers whose continuing support has helped NextLight, and Longmont, flourish and grow,” Valerie Dodd, NextLight’s executive director, said in a written statement. “We’re thrilled to once more have the country recognize NextLight and our consistent commitment to providing the highest-quality internet service to the residents and businesses of  our community.”  

NextLight received other national recognition this year as the subject of a mini documentary by “Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid,” which focused on narrowing the digital divide by providing free and reduced high-speed internet efforts to customers who might not otherwise be able to afford it. Income-qualified residential customers have the opportunity to receive discounted service that provides a 100 megabit NextLight connection for free or gigabit service for $19.95/month.

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