I guess Coloradan's just can't get enough gubment cheese *Colorado* *Fort Collins Ponders Build-Out of Its Own ISP Using Public Utilities* Oftentimes, municipalities will partner with private ISPs to provide internet service as a public utility. But one Colorado city—Fort Collins <http://insidetowers.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1b803ea3d99f4c1c1335a213&id=0b96ba638b&e=cc20c00449>—is considering a ballot initiative that would give it authority to develop its own internet network through the city’s Light and Power Utility, reports *Community Networks.*
The ballot initiative, which would be voted on this upcoming November, would change the city charter to enable the Light and Power Utility to provide internet service. It may also ask voters to consent to allowing municipal bonds to fund the build-out of the network infrastructure, which could cost an estimated $125 to $140 million. In 2015, the city’s partnership with the private, Canadian-owned company Axia fell through, prompting the municipality to weigh other options for providing a municipal-wide network. That same year, 83 percent of voters chose to opt out of SB 152, which discouraged Colorado municipalities from building out their own networks. Local public officials have cited this vote as a sign that residents favor the build-out of a locally owned and operated network, provided through the city government. City Council member Ross Cunniff told *Community Networks* that voters are more than ready. “When I talk to citizens, really the main question on their minds isn’t ‘should we?’ It’s, ‘Why haven’t you gotten around to do it yet?’”
