News

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act of 2021 includes several provisions that address broadband deployment, digital inclusion, and broadband affordability through direct appropriations to federal agencies. This means the funding will not come directly to the state, so Colorado’s benefit from these nationally competitive programs will depend on applications from qualifying consumers, internet service providers, or local and state agencies.

On December 7, 2020, the FCC announced 180 winning bids in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction (Auction 904). Almost 99% of the areas available in the RDOF auction received a winning bid and the total amount of funding awarded was $9.2 billion for 49 states.

In March 2020, the Director of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (UMUT) Mógúán Behavioral Health Program (MBHP) contacted the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) about their need to communicate with clients while following the stay-at-home order in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UMUT lies within the southwest corner of Colorado. UMUT has 575,000 contiguous acres spanning across Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. To reduce exposure to COVID-19, the MBHP began leveraging teletherapy to deliver mental health services.

On Friday October 30, 2020, Governor Jared Polis released the Broadband Initiatives Report which outlines the state’s vision to create economic opportunity for Coloradans and accomplish the administration’s Bold Four issues through changing how Colorado governs, maps, funds and deploys broadband.

Introduction: The Center of Excellence (CoE) requested the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) to facilitate network providers, device manufactures and application vendors to provide first responders with technologies such as a cache of Android Public Safety Broadband provisioned devices running ATAK (Android Tactical Assault Kit) that would assist public safety personnel to use capabilities including, but not limited to, situational awareness including responder locations, chat, data transfer, w

In August 2016 the Northeast Board of Cooperative Education Services (Northeast BOCES) and the East Central BOCES decided to join forces in order to amplify their purchasing power for broadband services for over 30 school districts combined. With the support of EducationSuperHighway, the new consortium was able to develop a single RFP (Form 470) and received eight bids in response. The responses were significantly more cost-effective than any previous bids.