Dark Fiber Brings the Light: A Public-Private Partnership in Colorado

After years of hearing from its citizens and business owners that Internet access was one of Fort Morgan’s most pressing problems, the Colorado city of 11,000 decided to do something about it. Like dozens of other communities around Colorado, in 2009 residents approved a ballot measure to opt out of SB 152, the 2005 state law preventing municipalities from offering broadband. (Today, more than 100 local goverments have opted out.) Ten years later, a little forethought, hard work, and a public-private partnership with ALLO Communications has brought gigabit speeds and low prices to everyone in Fort Morgan over the city's dark fiber network.

Fort Morgan financed and owns the network up to the point of demarcation, while ALLO owns everything from the multiport service terminal running into the premises. Today, 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) symmetrical connections cost $45 per month, including all taxes and fees and with no cost to users for installation or equipment. A 500 Mbps connection costs $60, and 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) runs $89. 

The Fort Morgan approach highlights the advantages of a public-private partnership and emphasizes the savings potential of persuing dig-once practices: the city saved a whopping 45% in the placement of the first 7,000 feet of cable by sharing costs with cellphone provider Viaero. Twice more during that initial summer the city shared construction costs, helping the project stay under budget. Fort Morgan's partnership with ALLO also provides a successful template for city councils or municipal leaders who want a fiber network but are anxious about mitigating risk.