NextLight, Longmont’s community-owned internet service, announced Monday it now serves more than 25,000 homes and businesses.
The milestone came eight years to the month after Longmont first broke ground on the citywide NextLight build, which began in 2014. Since then, NextLight’s fibers have been made available to nearly every home and business in Longmont, according to a NextLight news release.
The network has continued to gather local support and national attention, including five straight years of being recognized among the fastest internet services in the country, the news release states.
NextLight owes its growth and success to its expanding circle of customers, Valerie Dodd, NextLight’s executive director said in the news release.
“It’s their enthusiasm that has allowed NextLight to grow and succeed,” Dodd said. “We’re honored to be their network and their neighbors, and we take seriously the trust that they’ve put in NextLight’s unparalleled speed and reliability.”
The continued growth means that NextLight stays on track to pay off its construction bond in 2029. Once that occurs, Dodd said, even more of NextLight’s revenue can go to improving the community.
This year, PC Magazine listed Longmont among the 20 best work-from-home cities. A mini-documentary by “Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid” also recognized NextLight’s efforts to bridge the digital divide, including its work with the St. Vrain Valley School District and the fiber-optic network’s offer of free and steeply discounted internet service for income-qualified customers, the news release states.
PC Magazine ranked NextLight as the second-fastest internet service in the nation this summer, with the magazine noting that “NextLight’s consistency could put it on top in 2023.”
Longmont and NextLight continue to make each other stronger, Dodd said. “We’re grateful for our community’s support and we’re looking forward to sharing all the excitement that lies ahead.”
