Larimer County secures $14 million grant to revolutionize broadband infrastructure

In partnership with Fort Collins Connexion and Pulse Fiber Internet, the Larimer County community has been awarded $14 million in grant awards to enhance and expand its broadband infrastructure to an additional 1,935 locations, including areas in Rist Canyon, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado Mountain Campus, Poudre Canyon/Poudre Park, Pole Mountain, Hidden Valley Estate, and Storm Mountain.

This substantial funding, provided through the Capital Projects Fund of The Colorado Broadband Office, marks a pivotal moment in the county's commitment to ensuring high-speed, reliable internet access for all residents and supports Colorado Governor Polis' goal to connect 99% of Colorado households with reliable high-speed broadband by the end of 2027.

Larimer County Support Services Director and Chief Information Officer Mark Pfaffinger said, "I want to thank our NOCO Community Fiber partners who have worked collaboratively to expand community-owned broadband services to become the most connected community in the nation. We hope to use this as a springboard to connect the remaining 15,000 underserved households in the county through future grant programs." 

Larimer County provided matching funds for ten 10 projects and was awarded seven in partnership with Fort Collins Connexion and Pulse. Larimer County will continue to partner with Fort Collins Connexion, Pulse, Estes Park Trailblazer, and other local internet service providers. These partnerships allow Larimer County to facilitate the expansion of high-speed internet 

while enabling service providers to extend their network while keeping service costs low for county residents.

“This announcement marks yet another significant accomplishment for NOCO Community Fiber,” stated Brieana Reed-Harmel, Pulse broadband manager. “We’re thrilled to continue our expansion into Larimer County, solidifying the community broadband presence in Northern Colorado and our commitment to ubiquitous access.”

“Fort Collins Connexion is proud to partner with Larimer County to serve its residents with fast, reliable, local internet to those that currently have extremely low internet speeds and reliability,” said Connexion Executive Director, Chad Crager. “Rural internet connectivity is of great importance to eliminate the rural/urban digital divide as well as improve emergency management communication. We look forward to continued partnership with Larimer County to reach as many county residents as possible.”