The U.S. Department of the Treasury has approved the Colorado Broadband Office’s plan to spend $171 million from the American Rescue Plan’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund to connect more Colorado households to high-speed internet.
The CPF grant will be used to connect 18,000 unserved households with reliable internet, fund fiber infrastructure projects to prepare for future internet needs and support Colorado communities with the most urgent broadband needs. CPF and future federal broadband funding will be administered to subgrantee recipients through the Advance Colorado Broadband grant program in 2023.
“As we continue to save people money on reliable, affordable internet, we are thrilled that this exciting federal grant will bring money-savings to an estimated 18,000 locations across Colorado, including homes, businesses, agriculture, and more, building upon our work to bring high-speed internet to 99percent of Coloradans in the next five years,” said Gov. Jared Polis.
The Department of the Treasury requires states to use CPF money for infrastructure projects that directly connect households to high-speed internet. Of approximately 3 million serviceable locations in Colorado, it’s estimated that 14 percent, or 360,000 locations, are unserved or underserved by federal standards, meaning they do not have internet service with speeds of 25 MBPS download/3 MBPS upload.
Information: broadband.colorado.gov.