DENVER - The Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) within the Governor’s Office of Information Technology has published the Colorado Broadband Roadmap (Roadmap), the state’s five-year plan for investing millions of federal funding to expand fast, reliable and affordable broadband across Colorado. Internet access opens the door to save Coloradans money, provide better healthcare, offer digital government services, strengthen our economy, connect with loved ones, and more. The Roadmap was developed in coordination with the Colorado Digital Government Strategic Plan to ensure all Coloradans, as well as future generations, have equitable opportunities to access the countless benefits provided by high-speed internet.
“The Colorado Broadband Roadmap was developed in partnership with state agencies, local governments, community-based organizations, industry representatives and residents to identify and address the broadband needs of Coloradans,” said CBO Executive Director Brandy Reitter. “The Roadmap outlines strategies to expand broadband access so that schools, tribal communities, health care systems, libraries, correctional facilities, emergency response services, parks, tourism offices, and other entities are equipped with fast, reliable high-speed internet.”
CBO encourages feedback on the Broadband Roadmap and will continue to travel throughout the state talking about affordability, accessibility and digital literacy. The public will have an opportunity to submit feedback on the Roadmap from Oct. 11 to Nov. 22, 2022. Find the Broadband Roadmap plus a video overview and public comment form at broadband.colorado.gov.
“While we have spoken with thousands of stakeholders already, we learn something new from every conversation,” said Reitter. “Our stakeholders have shared invaluable feedback about their experiences, successes and barriers to broadband, and we will continue to welcome input on an ongoing basis.”
In addition to accepting public comments, CBO’s continuous stakeholder engagement includes bimonthly community and industry roundtables, regular updates for state agencies and elected officials, and visits with stakeholders in all 14 planning regions.
Executive Order (EO) D 2022-023 was signed by Governor Polis on June 2, 2022 and directs the CBO to develop a plan for accelerating broadband deployment in Colorado. The EO and Colorado Broadband Roadmap support the largest investment in broadband ever made by the federal government. Over the next five years, the country will invest more than $100 billion in broadband nationwide; Colorado will likely receive between $400 million and $700 million.