13 Jul
Members in parts of CORE’s service area sometimes ask if we plan to offer high-speed internet service. CORE has analyzed this possibility considerably and currently has no plans to provide broadband services. This decision is based on many considerations, including:
• Colorado law prohibits an electric utility from directly providing retail commercial broadband services. We also could not subsidize a related but separate broadband company with CORE’s resources.
• CORE’s mission and focus is on delivering reliable, affordable electricity to our existing and future members. We have plenty to keep us busy striving to be the best electricity provider in Colorado.
• Broadband is a risky business, requiring extensive capital costs and new debt, and the great majority of our territory is already served by competitive internet service providers.
• New entrants in the broadband business, especially co-ops, have experienced mixed success, at best, and provide little to no economic benefit to their existing electric membership.
• Though CORE already has poles throughout much of our territory, that doesn’t mean we can just hang fiber on them. Many poles would have to be replaced to add fiber, and CORE must charge the fiber company fees to attach to the poles. In many areas, fiber would have to be placed underground, making it one of the most expensive technologies to build.