How Colorado plans to cover 99% of the state with super-fast internet

An ambitious new plan by the state of Colorado seeks to end the state’s digital divide once and for all — and to do so using fiber, the gold standard for the fastest internet connections. Brandy Reitter, the executive director of the Colorado Broadband Office, said she took the position because she wanted to do impactful work “that was well funded” so she could actually fix the problem. Now she’s leading the state’s plan to use $1 billion in federal money to improve internet service, not just to help those with no internet access, but those with subpar service. Unless Colorado households have a fiber connection, they are underserved or not served. Reitter's office inside the Governor’s Office of Information Technology recently released the Colorado Broadband Roadmap report, which aims to get 99% of the state covered by 2027. This includes building training programs, providing tools for distance learning, and adding gigabit broadband to state parks, prisons, and libraries. At minimum, there’s about $500 million in federal funding available to Colorado.