Commerce City hears broadband plan calling for phased conduit expansions and stronger governance

A consultant presentation at the council's March 30 meeting laid out a multi‑phase strategy to strengthen Commerce City's municipal broadband capacity and improve wireless performance across the city.

The city's broadband consultant, Matthew Steedman of IntraSolutions, said the assessment found "about 30 miles of city owned conduit and fiber," but that the network lacks redundancy and full connectivity between facilities. "You do have some valuable conduit and fiber as part of your city asset base, but it lacks redundancy and full connectivity," Steedman said during the study session presentation.

The proposed approach focuses on governance and infrastructure before retail services: create clearer policies and agreements for carriers, complete a citywide master tower plan, and install targeted conduit segments to form a resilient transport ring. Steedman presented a conceptual Phase 1 that would add roughly 9,600 feet of fiber to connect 13 priority sites (including three previously unconnected critical facilities) and establish a redundant path for municipal systems. Steedman estimated Phase 1 at roughly $1.2 million; a larger southeast loop option was presented as an optional, higher‑cost phase that could be divided among regional partners.

Jordan Roberts, senior policy analyst for the city manager's office, said the consultant's recommendations are intended to make Commerce City more attractive to private carriers by offering predictable processes and access to city assets. "If you put out a predictable path for investment, carriers are more likely to build," Roberts said. Council members pressed staff on specifics such as master license terms and whether the city's fiber uses DWDM or active ethernet. IT staff answered that municipal connectivity currently uses LAN/Ethernet over dark fiber and some SD‑WAN, but lacks a protected ring.

Council members also discussed towers and wireless backhaul. Steedman noted that mobile coverage problems can reflect fiber backhaul gaps between towers: "You may have enough towers, but the backhaul fiber can create bottlenecks that produce slow speeds or dropped uploads," he said. Council members asked staff to pursue outreach to carriers and to include broadband planning among capital projects where conduit installation could be paired with other work to reduce costs.

What's next: staff recommended using the plan to guide design and grant applications, pursue state/federal broadband funding opportunities, and develop a governance model (including dedicated program funding or a technology enterprise fund) that keeps decisions and operations coordinated. The consultant's full strategic plan and technical appendices were provided to council and will inform next steps in capital and grant planning.