Metronet accuses Colorado city of municipal fiber favoritism

A new lawsuit from fiber operator Metronet accuses officials from the City of Colorado Springs of blocking the company's fiber network construction efforts in the city. The reason? The city's utility is building its own, rival fiber network. "Since 2022, beginning in Colorado Springs, Metronet has invested significant time, resources and money into building fiber networks throughout the state of Colorado," Metronet wrote in its complaint. "But the city is now unlawfully blocking Metronet's deployment of fiber optic facilities to offer Internet connectivity, data and telecommunications services in competition with existing providers and other potential competitors including, most notably, the city's municipal utility." Colorado Springs Utilities is a community-owned, not-for-profit utility providing electric, natural gas, water and wastewater services in Colorado Springs, Colorado, serving several hundred thousand customers. In January 2022, CSU announced it would add XGS-PON fiber to its lineup of offerings under an open access model.