Bipartisan Bill to Expand Broadband Services to Unserved Populations Clears Committee

HB21-1109 will work to ensure that underserved Coloradans get connected to broadband as well as streamline Broadband Deployment Board governance

DENVER, CO - This afternoon, the Senate Business, Labor, & Technology Committee passed HB21-1109 with strong bipartisan support. The bill, sponsored by Senator Jeff Bridges, Chair of the Joint Technology Committee, seeks to extend broadband services to critically unserved communities in the state and ensure that everyone can get connected to the internet.

“Going to school these days requires books, backpacks, and broadband,” said Senator Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village. “Especially after this last year, more and more of our economy is online, and we have an obligation to make sure every Coloradan can participate in that economy. Connecting unserved and underserved communities to high-speed reliable internet creates more opportunity for everyone, and increases statewide equity and prosperity for all of our families.”

According to the Colorado Governor’s Office of Information Technology, an estimated 85,000 Coloradans do not have access to affordable or reliable broadband service. 

The Broadband Deployment Board provides grants to deploy broadband service in unserved areas of the state. Since 2016, the board has awarded almost $41 million in grants to 51 projects. As a result, over 25,500 rural households across Colorado will benefit from Broadband Internet access. This bill will help build on this progress and extend the reach of the Board into the communities most in need.

Specifically, HB21-1109 adds a new definition of “critically unserved” to better categorize the needs of Coloradans that don’t have adequate broadband connections. Additionally, the bill requires the Broadband Deployment Board to ensure limited state dollars for broadband investments are targeted to areas of Colorado that lack access in a timely and efficient manner. 

Furthermore, the bill seeks to depoliticize the Broadband Deployment Board by reducing the size from 16 to 11 members, and specifying that no more than five voting members of any one major political party may serve on the board at the same time.

The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further consideration. To read the bill and find updates regarding the status, visit leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb21-1109.