San Miguel Broadband Collaborative Brings Gigabit Internet Access to Telluride

22 Sep San Miguel Broadband Collaborative Brings Gigabit Internet Access to Telluride

The Telluride Foundation announces San Miguel Regional Broadband Collaborative brings gigabit internet access to Telluride: Clearnetworx breaks ground on fiber optic internet project. In May, we published a story on the subject in Telluride Properties‘s award-winning magazine, Truly Telluride. Go here for more on the Foundation’s broadband initiative.

If you have traversed Telluride’s alleys these last several weeks you may have noticed a bit of construction. In fact, you may have seen trenches and all kinds of tubing. All that is the culmination of four years’ work to bring high speed fiber optic internet into Telluride.

Clearnetworx, a local fiber internet provider, in partnership with San Miguel County, the Telluride Foundation, Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs, and the Town of Telluride, is bringing gigabit fiber internet access to Telluride. This public-private partnership is part of a much larger regional effort to provide high speed fiber broadband internet from Nucla all the way to Telluride.

The San Miguel Regional Broadband Collaborative has been working tirelessly to bring the entire Telluride region into the 21st century and beyond, providing gigabit+ service to benefit every resident, local business owner, remote worker, medical provider, emergency service provider, librarian, student, teacher, and tourist.

Both Norwood and Telluride are deep in the throes of digging trenches to lay conduit, in which will rest fiber optic cables that allow Clearnetworx to offer fiber internet to businesses and residents in the area. That means better service options, faster, redundant, more reliable internet, and competitive (i.e. cheaper) pricing. No more spinning wheels when trying to watch your favorite Netflix show in the midst of Bluegrass Festival. No more internet black-outs when a snowstorm hits. No more anxiety for students trying to access the internet to finish their homework.

“Twenty-first century broadband connectivity is absolutely vital to the economic evolution of the Town of Telluride from a tourist economy with predominantly seasonal service jobs to a well-rounded economy with sustainable year-round jobs,” said Sean Murphy, Mayor of Telluride.  “I’m thrilled to see the progress and better broadband service coming to residents and visitors. This is a landmark event!”

Construction along the town’s roadways began this summer, ramped up the week of September 17 and will continue through October 31. Clearnetworx estimates it will start connecting customers to the newly installed fiber internet by this winter. However, as Clearnetworx construction crews feverishly work to complete the conduit and fiber installation, they may have to temporarily close roads or limit access to driveways in those areas. The project has been broken out into sections to minimize inconvenience to town residents.

Clearnetworx, the Town of Telluride, and the Telluride Foundation are facilitating both the construction and communications so as to ensure the fiber installation process runs as smoothly as possible for town residents. An information hotline is available, and Clearnetworx will do its best to alleviate concerns and answer any questions concerned residents might have. Please call (970) 729-8229 or go to the website to learn more about the project, to find out if and how your residence might be affected (and for how long), or to learn how you can sign up for fiber optic internet for your home or business. 

Founded in 2012, Clearnetworx already provides fiber internet access to a few businesses in the east side of the town. In addition to Telluride, the company offers fiber in other Western Slope areas, such as Delta, Montrose, Ridgway, Ouray, and has plans to expand internet access to Norwood at the beginning of next year.

More about the Telluride Foundation:

The Telluride Foundation is committed to enriching the quality of life of the residents, workforce, and visitors of the Telluride region. It is a nonprofit, apolitical community foundation that makes grants and runs programs in arts, education, health and human services, community development, and social enterprises. The Foundation strives to achieve excellence for the community through its mission and core values of inclusion, self-reliance, and innovation. Our work is funded through the generous support of hundreds of donors as well as grants from state and national foundations. Pease visit www.telluridefoundation.org.