PHOTO: Consultant Eric Hittle discussing broadband funding with the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners, January 9, 2024.
A few years ago, when the Archuleta County government first began to throw serious money at the local internet industry, then-Commissioner Steve Wadley made a statement to the effect that broadband service had become essential to a thriving economy in Pagosa Springs. He stated that internet had become as vital to American culture as running water.
An interesting statement, considering one of the largest subdivisions in Archuleta County — Aspen Springs — is not yet served by municipal water.
In Part One of this editorial, I shared a quick overview of the Capital Projects Fund (CPF) grant awards won by two internet companies, with the help of the Archuleta County Broadband Services office run by IT consultant Eric Hittle. Mr. Hittle’s office has been funded largely by generous contributions from taxpayers, via our Town and County governments, but his primary job — as I understand it — is to help private internet companies obtain state and federal grants to increase broadband coverage in Archuleta County.
We might classify the Broadband Services Management Office as a ‘public private partnership.’ With most of the money coming from the public.
But the benefits presumably flow to the public, in the end.
The Board of County Commissioners seemed pleased to hear that Gillette, Wyoming-based Visionary Broadband had been granted CPF funding from the Advance Colorado Broadband office, for a $5.2 million project serving homes located mainly north of Martinez Canyon, up to the Lake Hatcher neighborhood.
Montrose-based Clearworx, meanwhile, had received a grant to help fund a $8.1 million project south of Highway 160, including Meadows, Timber Ridge and Alpha subdivisions. The green dots on the following map suggest homes that might have new access to fiber optic cable at some point in the not-to-distant future.
Some folks may have the impression, as I do, that the properties south of Highway 160 represent — in general — some of the wealthiest families in Archuleta County, while the properties around Lake Hatcher represent what might be called ‘middle-class’ families. Thus, it makes a certain kind of sense that the state of Colorado would spend more money ($8.1 million) on our community’s wealthier families, and somewhat less on our middle-class families ($5.2 million.)
Unlike water, money tends to flow uphill… towards wealth.
Back in 2017, Cisco Systems predicted that by 2021, 80% of all Internet traffic would consist of video streaming and video gaming. Considering that very few businesses in Pagosa Springs depend directly on internet sales, we might guess that, in our particular community, the percentage of internet bandwidth used to watch videos and play games (for entertainment) probably exceeds 80%.
Add in the amount of bandwidth used for online shopping, and — if we consider “shopping” to be a form of entertainment — it’s very possible that nearly 100% of all home internet use in Archuleta County is essentially for entertainment.
I make that statement, knowing that the Daily Post could also be considered ‘entertainment’.
From an article by Ana Durrani in Forbes magazine, March 2023:
As much of the world quarantined at home during the height of the pandemic, the popularity of streaming services skyrocketed. Global streaming giant Netflix became a household name while global box-office revenues took a major hit. The number of subscriptions to online video streaming services worldwide reached 1.1 billion in 2020, according to data by the Motion Picture Association.
Here’s are a few more comments that consultant Eric Hittle shared with the BOCC on Tuesday, as he explained that $1,000 to $1,500 per address is “really the sweet spot” that ISPs aim for when running fiber to residential homes. These two grants should help hit that “sweet spot” for Visionary and Clearworx.
Mr. Hittle:
“We’re in the middle of the challenge period, so they won’t start the contract process until that expires, and there’s no challenges or they’ve addressed the problems.”
The Advance Colorado Broadband grants are subject to being appealed — presumably, by applicants who did not receive awards and believe grants may have been awarded to unqualified projects.
“Visionary is also going to be building fiber to the top of the Hatcher water tower; that’s written in the application… so, getting that fiber and that cellular site up there will also improve… I think they’re trying to do the same thing we’re doing in Hinsdale County. Find an intermediary cellular vendor who can provide… a secondary vendor, so they can sell to all three [current] cellular providers. You don’t have to get AT&T plus Verizon plus T-Mobile all up there [separately]…
“So we will have much better coverage going all the way up to the Hinsdale County line, as a result of both of those projects. It’s not strictly broadband, but it’s certainly critical communications that are fed by broadband…
“There’s another 400 addresses that the Southern Utes are planning to do, starting next year, in Arboles. One of their first projects to build out in Archuleta County. We’re looking at a potential total of 3,000 addresses [served by fiber.] That’s out of 9,000 addresses in Archuleta County…
“I really didn’t want to see CPF pass us by — even though it’s highly competitive — without getting some progress made on fiber to the home momentum. Which obviously this is great, great, great momentum, and it’s giving us a functional business model — leading into BEAD…”
BEAD.
The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program…