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Advance Colorado Broadband Grant Program

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Nearly every aspect of our lives involves technology. When the pandemic required residents to work, learn and connect with people and services from home, it accelerated the need for fast, reliable and affordable broadband access. That’s why we set a goal to connect 99% of Colorado households to high-speed broadband by the end of 2027. Our new Advance Colorado Broadband state-managed grant program will deploy federal funding for projects that invest in capital assets, bridge the state's digital divide and help Coloradans thrive anywhere in the state.

News & Announcements

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The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved Colorado’s Digital Access Plan, which outlines how to make internet access affordable, provide devices and offer essential digital skills training to empower Coloradans for a brighter, more connected future.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the release of its Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for State Digital Equity Capacity Grants.
We had a highly productive year in 2023. We announced Capital Projects Fund (CPF) awards, received an allocation of $826.5 million from the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program and passed significant legislation that removes barriers to investing federal dollars, among many more things.

Broadband Workforce Plan

The Colorado Broadband Office (CBO and the Office of Future Work (OFW), a Colorado Department of Labor and Employment division, have jointly unveiled their plan to tackle a major obstacle hindering broadband deployment across the state. The Broadband Workforce Plan is vital to successfully distributing $826.5 million from the federal Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding program.

Over the next five to seven years, BEAD-funded projects will create more than 3,000 jobs in Colorado. By 2026, the BEAD program will create about 2000 construction jobs and 1600 telecommunications jobs. Colorado will join 49 states and six U.S. territories to find and train workers for these jobs. 

The Broadband Workforce Plan addresses the potential labor shortage and its impact on BEAD deployment and timelines.

  Read the Broadband Workforce Plan

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Advance Community Leader Roundtable - An opportunity for community leaders to participate in the broadband funding deployment discussion. We invite community leaders, local governments, school districts, healthcare facilities, public safety officials, multi-use facility owners, etc., throughout the grant development and funding process. The CBO invites community leaders for a topic discussion and Q&A session on the third Wednesday of every other month. Access recordings from past meetings by clicking on the date.

Roundtable Schedule - Register Here

 

Advance Industry Roundtable - An opportunity for internet service providers (ISPs) to participate, throughout the grant development and funding process. The CBO invites ISPs for a topic discussion and Q&A session, occurring on the third Tuesday of every other month. Access recordings from past meetings by clicking on the date.

Roundtable schedule - Register here

The Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) established the Advance Colorado Consult Group to solicit input on applications and awards for the Advance Colorado Broadband grant program. Advance Consult Group members are made up of individuals who represent Local Government/Municipal entities, Tribal Territories, Industry Associations, other State agencies, broadband consumers and other key stakeholders.

Meetings Agendas and Notes

Meeting Recordings can be found on our YouTube channel. 

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Jonas Durham 
Senior Manager, Programs Team
Jonas.Durham@state.co.us, (M) 303-333-1555 

Haitham Ali 
Senior IT Project Manager - Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 14
Haitham.Ali@state.co.us, (M) 303.941.4557

Michael Murphy 
Senior IT Project Manager - Regions 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Michael.D.Murphy@state.co.us, (M) 720-948-6177 

Regional Planning Map
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Questions about the Advance grant program? Contact us at Advance_CBO@state.co.us