What’s Working: New broadband laws to help Colorado streamline distribution of $800+ million

There’s nearly a billion dollars en route to Colorado to fix internet service issues like slow speeds, affordability or the complete lack of service, especially in rural areas. But to streamline the process and speed up the distribution of funds, a few loose ends were tied. The passage of House Bill 1336 and House Bill 1234 seemed more like an administrative task to move more duties over to the Colorado Broadband Office, which was already tasked to handle those chores two years ago by Gov Jared Polis (D-CO). But they’re still pretty significant, said Brandy Reitter, the broadband office’s executive director. The state’s Broadband Deployment Board reviews applicants twice a year and since 2016, has awarded more than $100 million to internet providers to expand broadband to 40,000 rural households. As already planned, the 11-member board winds down in September, and the transfer of authority to the state broadband office is complete with the new laws.

[June 1, 2024]