NextLight announced Tuesday that has begun connecting residents of the Anhawa and Strawberry Circle neighborhoods. Both neighborhoods — north of CO 66 — lie outside the city of Longmont borders but receive other city utility services.
An additional 125 homes in these neighborhoods will soon receive high-speed internet service.
“We know these neighborhoods have been awaiting this news for a long time,” said Valerie Dodd, NextLight’s executive director. “And I’m thrilled to finally say the words that they’ve been wanting to hear: NextLight’s fiber-fast and highly reliable internet is now available to Strawberry Circle and Anhawa.”
A bond was passed in 2011 that provided the city of Longmont with the ability to create a municipal internet service. The bond language stated that NextLight could be built within the boundaries of Longmont Power and Communications electric service, which these neighborhoods fall in.
However, the bond also stated that the funds could only be used for the initial build-out within the city limits which prevented these neighborhoods from receiving NextLight service until now. The expansion will be funded from NextLight revenue which has funded the organization’s work beyond the initial bond-funded rollout, said Scott Rochat, public relations and marketing specialist.
“As a city-owned network, we always want to make sure we’re using our community’s resources wisely in supporting and growing NextLight,” Dodd said. “We’re confident that this is the right time to expand, and we will continue to take further steps as it makes sense for the network and the community.”
NexLight’s buildout to these neighborhoods is complete and the internet provider is in the process of connecting residents. The fees for service for these neighborhoods are the same, $69.95/month for home gigabit service and $39.95/month for a home 100-megabit connection.
Currently, 91% of Longmont residents and businesses have access to NextLight internet. The municipal internet provider is still working on securing access agreements to serve the remaining areas. NextLight is always looking for new areas for growth, according to the news release. One of its goals is to meet the needs of St. Vrain Valley School District students, Rochat said.
