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Visionary Broadband reports federal grants, $7M capital project underway to expand fiber and wireless in Chaffee Valley
Summary
Visionary Broadband told the Chaffee County commissioners it has begun construction on a capital-project build funded in part by a $7 million Capital Projects Fund grant and has preliminary selection in two state BEAD rounds to extend service to hundreds of homes in the valley.
Brian Shepherd, a representative of Visionary Broadband, updated the Chaffee County Board of Commissioners on April 15 about company operations, infrastructure upgrades and several grant-funded expansion projects now in construction.
Shepherd said the company closed on a purchase of local assets last February, retained existing staff, and has invested in equipment and tower upgrades to stabilize wireless service across the valley. "We began a series of upgrades on all of our infrastructure... our initial focus has been on the wireless service to kind of steady that," Shepherd said.
Shepherd told commissioners Visionary was awarded a Capital Projects Fund (CPF) grant in June of the previous year — a roughly $7 million award the company said will bring service to about 1,300 residences along a route from Nathrop up the west side of U.S. 285 past Buena Vista. Contractors are reported to be working on that project and Shepherd said most of the work will use Sangre de Cristo Electric poles after finalized easement letters.
He also said the company received preliminary selection notices in two state BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) rounds. The first BEAD award would add about 770 homes covered by a roughly $3.7 million project; the second would cover about 760 homes in a separate area at an estimated $4.6 million project. Shepherd said the county and company will combine fiber builds with fixed wireless where cost makes fiber-to-the-home infeasible.
Shepherd said fiber-fed locations would receive gigabit-symmetric service; modern fixed-wireless technologies in the county's terrain will meet or exceed minimum BEAD speed requirements (100/20 Mbps) in many locations. Commission members asked about project timing; Shepherd said he expects work on BEAD-funded builds to start in 2026 and that the projects would likely be completed within two to four years after contract execution.
Why it matters: Shepherd said the combined CPF and BEAD projects would bring broadband coverage to much of the valley and support economic development and remote work. He described ongoing coordination with the city of Salida, the town of Buena Vista and Sangre de Cristo Electric Co-op on leases and right-of-way agreements.
The board asked Shepherd to keep county staff informed about federal program changes that could affect schedules or funding.
