PROGRESS? BREAKTHROUGH FOR HIGH-SPEED INTERNET SERVICE COUNTY WIDE
by Sangre de Cristo Sentinel Staff
What started as a dream is now moving closer to reality. On December 13, 2021, a joint meeting was convened by Custer County Commission Chairman Bill Canda, Silver Cliff Mayor H.A. “Buck” Wenzel and Westcliffe Mayor Paul Weinke, together with the Elected Leaders of the Towns of Silver Cliff, Westcliffe and Custer County. Upon public advertisement of a competitive request for proposals seeking qualified internet service providers, two highly qualified companies responded. Highline Broadband, formally Rye Telecom, and Hilltop Broadband, a current Custer County Service provider, bid on the project with proposals offering a Public-Private-Partnership Agreement. After two hours of focused deliberation and evaluation, the proposal from Hilltop Broadband was deemed most responsive to implement elected leader’s vision for high-speed internet availability for all end users in both Towns and County-wide locations.
The selection of Hilltop Broadband was reached with the goal to pursue a federal government grant to finance construction of a new, state-of-the-art, fiber-to-the-premise, future proofed internet network. The project consultant, Mark Carmel, of the Carmel Management Company facilitated the agenda resulting in a unanimous decision to select Hilltop Broadband. Westcliffe Mayor Paul Wenke and Silver Cliff Mayor Harry “Buck” Wenzel were first to offer their members motions for approval of the agreement. Members of the Town elected Boards of Directors voted unanimously to approve the agreement subject to final review of legal counsel. Commissioners Bill Canda and Commissioner Kevin Day then voted in favor on behalf of Custer County.
The federal government broadband grant is aptly named ReConnect and is being administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service. The goal of ReConnect funding is to drive high-speed internet service to rural areas of America that have been left behind in America’s digital divide. Mark Carmel outlined the extensive requirements within the grant evaluation criteria that must be met in order to be awarded funding. The request for proposals was written to ensure all grant criteria would be met. The standards are very robust to qualify for federal funding. Hilltop Broadband is committed to meet all standards requested in the grant application. Hilltop Broadband has estimated the cost of the project at $24 million to construct fiber optic broadband delivery to Custer County communities. Hilltop is committing $6 million of its own funds to meet the full 25% cash match requirement to qualify for the federal grant funding. The grant deadline is February 22, 2022, with grant award notice taking up to six months.
Mr. Eric Ryplewski, Founder and CEO of Hilltop Broadband presented an overview of his company stating he is excited to respond to the RFP and deliver a “Fiber-To-The-Premise” solution for Custer County communities. Mr. Ryplewski stated that HIlltop Broadband grew from a recognized need for reliable and fast broadband service in rural areas. In 2013, Hilltop began its quest for improving service to underserved areas in Larimer, Custer, Fremont and Chaffee Counties. From the earliest days the focus was first and foremost on great customer experience, both in building a reliable network and in how customers are treated. This type of growth allowed Hilltop to grow smart and build a system that customers can count on today to work when they need it most, Mr. Ryplewski stated. In addition to internet services Hilltop Broadband provides voice and PBX services.
At its meeting of December 20, 2021, the Westcliffe Town Board of Directors officially approved the agreement by unanimous vote. The march is now on to secure funding for this project and make this dream a reality.