Longmont Is Colorado's First Gig City

LONGMONT, CO – With the NextLight fiber-optic buildout drawing to a close, Longmont is Colorado’s first “Gig City.”

The designation celebrates the community-owned network that has become what the Denver Post called “the poster city for municipal gigabit internet.” NextLight is the first ISP in Colorado to offer symmetrical gigabit broadband service – 1,000 megabit uploads and downloads – to residents and businesses throughout the community, without data caps or contracts. On top of that, Longmont’s homes continue to enjoy the best prices in Colorado, and possibly the country, for this ultra-high speed.

The network’s success has drawn attention from communities across the country and media outlets that have included USA Today and CGTN America, the American division of China Central Television. Recently, a survey by PC Magazine announced that Longmont had the fastest internet speeds of any city in the country, calling local utilities such as NextLight “the best hope we’ve got for mega-fast internet service in this country.”

“Communities across the country are realizing that dependable high-speed internet is a must-have, a utility that’s becoming every bit as important to their residents and their economic vitality as reliable electricity or an abundant supply of clean water,” said general manager Tom Roiniotis. “Here in Longmont, we’ve seen NextLight’s gigabit internet transform our homes, our schools, and our workplaces. NextLight has raised property values, created thousands of satisfied customers, and effectively ‘future-proofed’ our community.”

“Our residents don’t just want ultra-high-speed service, they expect it,” he said. “And when they come to NextLight, they’re getting it, from a local provider that’s focused on their needs and their community.”

Mayor Dennis Coombs will make the official proclamation July 11.

To celebrate, residents who missed the Charter Member deal when the service was first made available to their area will get a chance at another substantial savings. Anyone signing up for a residential connection in July or August will “get the gig” for $59.95 per month, which will remain their base rate even after the promotion ends. That’s 40% below the standard residential gigabit rate.

LPC began to build NextLight in August 2014, after the community approved a $45.3 million bond issue in 2013 for its construction. No tax dollars have been used to build the network.

LPC spokesman Scott Rochat said the build is effectively complete with a few exceptions, such as apartment complexes that have not signed an access agreement permitting NextLight to be installed or who had scheduled their installations further out.

“In a larger sense, of course, the NextLight build will never be truly finished,” he said. “Longmont grows continually, and as new areas are developed, we will extend the network to meet them, just as we do with our electric system. This is a living city, and it has a living network.”

About Longmont Power & Communications

Longmont Power & Communications is a community-owned, non-profit electric and broadband services utility that operates under the direction of Longmont City Council.

Established in 1912, our goal is to deliver electric and communications services that provide outstanding value to our customer–owners. In 2014, we began to build and operate the NextLight fiber-optic broadband system, which has made Longmont the first “gigabit city” in Colorado. To learn more, visit www.LongmontColorado.gov/lpc.

This is a press release from the City of Longmont published as a public service by the Longmont Observer.