Here's which Larimer County communities will get broadband from 7 grants

Rebecca Powell, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Updated ·3 min read

High-speed internet is headed to parts of rural Larimer County, thanks to seven grants from the Colorado Broadband Office.

Fort Collins' Connexion and Loveland's Pulse Fiber Internet, in partnership with the county, have been awarded a total of $14 million to build out broadband in the following areas:

  • Rist Canyon (Connexion, 234 locations)

  • Red Feather Lakes (Connexion, 740 locations)

  • Rustic to Colorado Mountain Campus (Connexion, 264 locations)

  • Poudre Canyon/Poudre Park (Connexion, 171 locations)

  • Pole Mountain (Pulse, 189 locations)

  • Hidden Valley Estates (Pulse, 22 locations)

  • Storm Mountain (Pulse, 208 locations)

Also in Northern Colorado, the Nunn Telephone Company was awarded $2.3 million from the fund for expansion of service in that area, which includes eastern Larimer County, according to the information published on the Colorado Broadband Office website.

This covers 1,935 locations, according to a news release from Larimer County.

Fort Collins Connexion Executive Director Chad Crager said the partnerships will help eliminate the urban-rural divide and improve emergency management communication.

Rich Marr works on an office computer at his Red Feather Lakes business, Marr's Mountain Cabins and Tavern, on June 7, 2023. He and his wife, Kerrie, use Starlink to access the internet.
Rich Marr works on an office computer at his Red Feather Lakes business, Marr's Mountain Cabins and Tavern, on June 7, 2023. He and his wife, Kerrie, use Starlink to access the internet.

When will the projects be completed?

"We are hoping to have most of the projects completed by the end of 2026, but some of the more difficult rural areas like CSU Mountain campus may push into 2027 due to some of the complex permitting requirements in that area," said Mark Pfaffinger, Larimer County Support Services director and chief information officer, in an email to the Coloradoan.

Loveland Pulse Communications and Marketing Manager Lindsey Johansen said Pulse is still finalizing the contract with the state but expects to begin design soon and construction in the first half of 2025. Crager said Connexion's design phase hasn't yet begun.

Where is the money for these projects coming from?

The funding comes from the Capital Projects Fund of the Colorado Broadband Office, along with matching funds from the county.

Larimer County has provided a 25% match for the projects: $2.5 million in cash and $1 million from in-kind contributions primarily from county-funded "middle-mile" feeder projects, Pfaffinger said.

The state received the money from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund program, which is providing $10 billion using American Rescue Act stimulus funds.

Across the state, the fund is awarding $113.5 million to 27 projects serving 19,000 homes and businesses, according to the Colorado Broadband Office.

Find the full list of recipients here.

How will the fiber get to these rural locations?

Connexion expects to piggyback on utility poles owned by electricity co-op Poudre Valley REA for most of the work, Crager said.

"At this time, we don’t anticipate much undergrounding mainly due to the amount of rock in the ground," he said.

The county's news release said it would continue to partner with Connexion, Pulse, Estes Park Trailblazer and others to get service to other areas.

"We hope to use this as a springboard to connect the remaining 15,000 underserved households in the county through future grant programs," Pfaffinger said in the news release.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Connexion, Pulse broadband get grants to build in rural Larimer County