Startup Takes on Big Telecom, Starting in Colorado Springs

Startup internet company Underline, which focuses on community infrastructure, is now hoping to disrupt the telecommunications industry by building open access fiber networks across 2,500 underserved communities. The company says its first full-scale deployment will break ground October 19 in Colorado Springs (CO) — where 10 percent of all households have no internet access. In an open access model, a city or a private company like Underline builds and maintains the physical infrastructure, and invites multiple independent providers to run services on the network. The model is intended to make it easier for small and new companies to enter the market without facing the high costs of building their own network. The competition can then drive innovation and fast speeds at more affordable prices, giving consumers choice beyond what major corporations currently offer. Underline already has some paying customers from an earlier pilot program in Colorado Springs, but it will be two to three months before the broader public can take advantage of the service. They’ll first build the underground foundation of the network, and progressively expand it to neighborhoods, central business districts and schools over the next few years. If all goes as planned, the network aims to bring a competitive market, with smaller providers offering high-quality internet, to roughly 24,000 homes and 4,000 businesses and microbusinesses.