A Plan to Bridge the Digital Divide in Colorado

In 2022, the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) commissioned a survey of 2,000+ Coloradans, 18+ agencies, 200+ local governments, nonprofits, and organizations serving marginalized populations to assess the current state of broadband in Colorado. At the time, only approximately 76 percent of households in Colorado subscribed to broadband despite over 90 percent having access. CBO determined that lack of physical access to broadband infrastructure accounted for 56 percent of those who had not adopted the internet, while 38 percent of residents without at-home broadband reported cost as the main reason. In its proposal for spending Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program support, Colorado adopted a goal of improving adoption by expanding digital inclusion and adoption to achieve affordability, access and digital literacy by 2027. CBO sought to achieve this goal by promoting programs that make high-speed internet more affordable