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
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.
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
- Nov. 15, 2023
- Sept. 20, 2023, 10:30 a.m.
- July 19, 2023, 10:30 a.m.
- May 17, 2023, 10:30 a.m.
- March 15, 2023, 10:30 a.m.
- Jan. 25, 2023, 9:00 a.m.
- Nov. 16, 2022, 10:30 a.m.
- Sept. 21, 2022, 10:30 a.m.
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
- Nov. 21, 2023
- Sept. 19, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
- July 18, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
- May 16, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
- Mar. 21, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
- Jan. 17, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
- Nov. 15, 2022, 9:30 a.m.
- Sept. 20, 2022, 9:30 a.m.
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
- Intro Meeting
- Nov. 6, 2023
- Dec. 4, 2023
Meeting Recordings can be found on our YouTube channel.
Kendall Cramer
Program Specialist - Federal Funding, State of Colorado
Kendall.Cramer@state.co.us, (M) 970.732.3071
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
