Colorado State Archives

Executive Orders from the Administration of Governor Bill Owens 1999-2005

DENVER -- Gov. Bill Owens has announced that $161,440 in state funds has been awarded to six Colorado towns and counties to finance technical planning efforts related to extending high-speed telecommunications to rural Colorado.

The funds were awarded by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. The department’s executive director, Bob Brooks, issued the funds to the following:

Areas covered by the funding include a multi-county area along the I-70 corridor in eastern Colorado and an area including Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle counties.

These grants will allow for preliminary or advanced planning aimed at aggregating local or regional telecommunications traffic to develop the critical mass of revenues sufficient to make the extension of broadband, fiber-based telecommunications economically feasible for private telecommunications service to all parts of Colorado.

Governor Owens said, "The availability of broadband, high-speed telecommunications service is vital to rural Colorado if those communities are to maintain or improve their economic vitality. Ideally, we are planning the communications infrastructure that will allow rural Colorado to compete in the world economy and make it possible for some urban-based businesses to consider relocation or expansion into rural areas which will diversify our economy and reduce growth and congestion pressures along the Front Range."

Editor’s Note: Contacts in the Department of Local Affairs are Jerry Smith, (303) 866-2503 and Flo Raitano, (970) 262-2073

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