Federal mineral lease proceeds are funding a new $1 million grant for the city of Cortez to install fiber optic lines along main business corridors.
Reeves Brown, executive director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, notified city officials of the grant award on Aug. 13. Matching the grant dollar for dollar, City Manager Shane Hale said $2 million would enable the city to complete its installation of fiber optic lines along U.S. 160 and U.S. 491. Hale said the project will propel the city into the 21st century, and attract economic development.
“I want to be the city that has a fiber backbone,” said Hale. “These fiber optics could allow entrepreneurs to operate world-class businesses from right here in Cortez.”
Providing advanced digital communication capabilities, fiber optics could one day be heralded by civilization to be as important as indoor plumbing, said Hale.
“In a few decades, fiber optics will be something we can’t live without,” he added. “This investment by the city will stand the test of time.”
The city made a conscious effort to spur the local economy via fiber optic capabilities starting in 1999, linking local anchor institutions such as government buildings, schools and the hospital. Earlier this year, the city laid additional lines allowing approximately 200 Main Street businesses to tap into extra bandwidth. Today, more than 120,000 linear feet of digital roadways are buried in the city.
“Just because we live here in rural Cortez, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have access to affordable broadband,” said city general services director Rick Smith. “It’s a necessity in today’s digital age.”
Long, thin strands of pure glass arranged in bundles called fiber optics, the cables transmit communications via light signals over long distances. Compared with conventional copper wire, optical fibers are cheaper and more efficient; transmit faster, clearer digital communications without loss of signal; and are safer, lighter and smaller.
Prior to fiber-optic accessibility, the Unlimited Learning Center, for example, had 10 megabits of Internet capacity at a cost of $1,200 per month. Today, the educational outreach complex receives 50 megabits of data at half the monthly price.
“When we had cable, our distance learning broadcasts were routinely interrupted,” said executive director Ann Miller. “We don’t have any hitches today.”
Looking forward, the city anticipates expanding its digital framework even more. The final piece of the puzzle would be servicing residential areas.
“It would probably take more than $10 million to finish out the entire city,” Smith predicted. “That could take at least five years, but we have a roadmap. We have a plan.”
tbaker@cortezjournal.com