Fort Collins Municipal Broadband Moving Forward

In November Fort Collins voters made their voices heard that they want high-speed next generation broadband, and City Council listened.

Tuesday, Council unanimously voted on second reading $1.8M from the general fund to start the new broadband network. The funds will be repaid through utility bonds. Council also amended City code to include broadband services in the City’s charter.

While it will take 3 to 4 years to build the network, in the meantime we want to hear from the community on where people want fiber.

Go to ourcity.fcgov.com/citybroadband and drop a pin on the “Places Map” where you want to see broadband services for either a home or business. The map is not a commitment to where the City will first roll out broadband and it is not a vote or competition.

When service will be available in your neighborhood will depend on where in the construction process you are. If your neighborhood is one of the first, you will have broadband service mid to late 2019. If your neighborhood is at the end of the construction process, it will be 2022 before service comes to your neighborhood.

Take a moment to leave a comment on why you need fiber and sign up for future email updates on the project.

Council will tentatively discuss the bond ordinance for broadband on March 20. For more information on this project visit fcgov.com/broadband.

The City’s Net Neutrality Stance

The City of Fort Collins is committed to the principles of Net Neutrality. The City Broadband Plan does not call for any restrictions on access including uploads, downloads, delivery methods or providers (email, Skype, Netflix, etc.) For more detail on Net Neutrality see page 48 of the Broadband Business Plan.

Net Neutrality, or Open Internet, means there are no restrictions of any kind on access to content on the Web, no limit on downloads and uploads, or no restrictions on delivery methods or providers. The key principle is access to the internet is not blocked, slowed down, or sped up depending on who or where that access occurs. In essence, Net Neutrality means the internet is open to everyone. Council will be developing policies around net neutrality and privacy, as the project develops.

As a current Utility provider, the City takes privacy very seriously and this commitment would be practiced with broadband. Private, or personal information, includes names, addresses, phone number, emails as well as browsing and internet history and usage, email and phone records, and other generated electronic data. The City will not collect any of this information beyond what is required to provide service.

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