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Longmont marks 10 years of municipal fiber NextLight, cites adoption by schools, businesses and households
Summary
City officials and unnamed speakers celebrated the 10th anniversary of NextLight, Longmont’s municipally owned fiber network, highlighting origins in a 1990s utility fiber loop, a 15-year pause tied to state law, strong voter support for buildout, wide community adoption and partnerships with the St. Vrain Valley School District.
The City of Longmont marked the 10th anniversary of NextLight, its municipally owned fiber-optic internet service, with speakers citing broad community adoption, business benefits and partnerships with local schools.
Speaker 1, an unidentified speaker, said, "The city of Longmont knows success starts with the fundamentals. The high quality, highly acclaimed city owned services that help the entire community grow, like its increasingly renewable electricity or its pure and safe drinking water. And then, of course, there's" NextLight, a municipal network launched to provide high-speed internet across the city.
Speakers described the network’s origins and a lengthy delay before full buildout. "It all started with a simple fiber loop built in the 19 nineties to serve Longmont's electric substations," Speaker 1 said. According to the presentation, plans stalled for roughly 15 years after the city lost a potential business partner and a state law made municipal broadband difficult until voters later approved the buildout.
The presenters noted high demand for the service. "Today, the vast majority of Longmont has chosen NextLight as its Internet provider," Speaker 1 said. The St. Vrain Valley School District, according to the speakers, was an early supporter; one speaker described the partnership as "something that we feel is really something pretty powerful," (Speaker 5, unidentified).
Speakers also tied NextLight to economic and social benefits. "For the business community, NextLight's award winning speed and reliability has been a connection that makes a difference," Speaker 1 said. Another speaker noted community outreach efforts: "NextLight has reached out to help struggling households connect and to ensure access for all," Speaker 1 said.
Presenters described secondary uses of the fiber network, including connecting municipal systems. "It allows us to connect our traffic signal system, in a way that helps us achieve our Vision Zero goals," Speaker 6, an unidentified speaker, said.
The remarks highlighted a stable narrative: origins in utility fiber, a period of delay tied to state law, voter-approved revival and a decade of operation with roles in schools, businesses and municipal systems. "Happy 10th birthday, NextLight," Speaker 4, an unidentified speaker, said at the close of the presentation.
No formal votes or motions were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.
