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| Winter 2020 Newsletter |
February 27, 2020 |
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Welcome to the first quarter newsletter for the Colorado Broadband Office and the first newsletter for 2020! Winter is in full swing in Colorado, I hope everyone is enjoying the weather and staying safe. Our office is excited to be kicking off the new year and continuing our efforts to expand engagement within the community.
On December 4, 2019, the Broadband Deployment Board announced more than $9 million in awards to 12 projects providing access to 4,183 households and businesses in communities across Colorado. The Board is currently reviewing and seeking comment on applications received in the Winter 2020 grant cycle.
We are looking forward to Mountain Connect 2020 at the Keystone Resort & Conference Center May 18 - May 20, 2020. The CBO is planning to host our annual community session the day prior to the conference. All are welcome to attend our community meeting, even if you are not registered for the conference. Visit the Mountain Connect website for information on sessions, speakers, and registration.
Today, the Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew) published “How States Are Expanding Broadband Access: New research identifies tactics for connecting underserved communities.” Colorado was one of nine states that participated in interviews and site visits as part of Pew’s ongoing look at how states are bridging the broadband gap. The goal of the report is to help state leaders understand the components of successful broadband programs.
Finally, I am announcing that Kay Henze has accepted an offer as the Executive Director, Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network. Her last day with the CBO was January 30. While we are very sorry to see her leave the state, we are overjoyed regarding her new role. We know that Kay will bring her expertise, strategic business leadership, and energy to this new endeavour. We will be recruiting to fill the position of Director, Business Innovation and Partnership.
Colorado continues to strive towards our goals of broadband coverage and continues to build the vital partnerships and relationships needed to see these goals achieved.
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Visit The Federal Corner for updates on all of the activities that we are tracking.
On January 31, 2020, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began accepting applications for the second round of ReConnect, consisting of grant and loan funding up to $550 million. The application window closes March 16, 2020. The USDA will host technical assistance and training webinars and workshops throughout the application cycle; be sure to sign up for the USDA’s email updates to get the latest announcements. If you are planning to apply for ReConnect, you must work with the CBO to receive state verification for your application. Please contact us as soon as possible to discuss the state verification process. The deadline for contacting the CBO is March 9, 2020 (one week prior to the USDA deadline). If you would like more information, please contact Teresa Ferguson at teresa.ferguson@state.co.us or Megan Gernert at megan.gernert@state.co.us.
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On January 30, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), replacing the expiring Connect America Fund (CAF) and committing $20.4 billion for broadband funding over the next 10 years. The first phase of RDOF will begin later this year and target census blocks without fixed broadband speed of at least 25/3 Mbps. The RDOF will prioritize higher speeds (up to 1 Gbps downstream) and low latency. The CBO will track the RDOF process closely and keep you up-to-date on program announcements, deadlines, and other important information.
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The data collection window for the Colorado Broadband Map is coming to a close. There is still time to get your data in! Broadband Providers must submit their data (including information on service area, available speeds, and delivery technology) by February 28, 2020 to be included in the April 2020 data publication. The data behind the Colorado Broadband Map is important because this map is not only used by Colorado's residents to discover providers in their area, it is also used by the Colorado Broadband Deployment Board to understand and direct funding to areas of need within the state.
Visit our website to learn more about the Broadband Mapping program, including what we do, what data we collect, and how we utilize the data. Please contact us at oit_broadband@state.co.us if you have questions.
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In January, some CBO team members took a tour of the First Responders Network Authority (FirstNet) Experience Center and Innovation and Testing Lab in Boulder. During the tour we saw some interesting testing they are doing of the National Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) and got a look inside the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division lab at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Boulder Campus.
If you are a public safety agency or governmental agency and are interested in scheduling a tour, please contact Ed Mills at ed.mills@state.co.us.
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In collaboration with the Office of eHealth Innovation(OeHI), the Colorado Broadband Office is focusing on the intersection of teleMedicine and broadband infrastructure. In January, the CBO provided a presentation to the TeleMedicine Working Group, a working group associated with the eHealth Commission, on broadband infrastructure in Colorado. The purpose of the presentation was to help the working group understand the available infrastructure and to understand that all types of networks, in the end, lead back to a wired network.
Please contact us if you are interested in learning more or hosting a similar presentation.
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March Lunch & Learn featuring US EDA
Tuesday March 24, 2020, 12 - 1 p.m.
The Colorado Broadband Office Lunch & Learn Series will feature the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The Economic Development Administration (EDA) can partner with you to achieve your community’s broadband high-speed internet goals. EDA is a federal agency that partners with communities to implement their economic development priorities, including support to critical infrastructure like broadband internet. Attend this session to learn more about EDA and how it can partner with you. Our presenter will be Brent Thompson.
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Mountain Connect 2020
May 18-20, 2020
Mountain Connect will take place May 18-20, 2020 at the Keystone Resort & Conference Center. The conference theme for this year is “Broadband: The Great Enabler for Disruptive Technologies”.
This conference is a great opportunity to learn from experts from around the country, hear community stories, and meet the people who are making a difference in broadband development in Colorado. Visit the Mountain Connect website to register and to view the speaker line-up for 2020.
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