Longmont’s community-owned NextLight internet service has again received national recognition, winning the Cornerstone Award at the Broadband Communities Summit in Austin, Texas.

The award, presented Wednesday, honors the most notable fiber-to-the-home deployments in the U.S. and abroad. This year, the judges said that clearly included NextLight, which was recognized in 2018 by PC Magazine as the fastest internet service provider in the nation. The network offers symmetrical gigabit connections to homes and businesses citywide, allowing the same high speeds for uploads and downloads.

“Longmont’s NextLight service is not just community-owned, but community-focused,” the judges said in their decision. “This utility is dedicated to making life better for Longmont’s residents and enabling businesses to start up, grow, and stay in the city.”
Susan Wisecup, the acting general manager of Longmont Power & Communications, said she appreciated the award and the recognition it meant for the Longmont community.

“From the beginning, NextLight has seen enthusiastic support from our residents and businesses,” Wisecup said. “It’s because of them that NextLight has not only succeeded, but thrived. This is their network, and every day, we work to make sure it’s worthy of their support and pride.”

NextLight was also named in 2018 as one of the factors that made Longmont an All-America City, an award presented by the National Civic League. In 2017, the fiber-optic network was named Community Broadband Project of the Year by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers (NATOA) which had also recognized LPC in 2013 for its broadband business plan.

Previous Cornerstone winners include municipal broadband utilities such as EPB of Chattanooga, Tenn. and Greenlight of Wilson, N.C.; and organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for their work in increasing library connectivity.

About Longmont Power & Communications
Longmont Power & Communications is a community-owned, not-for-profit electric and internet services utility that operates under the direction of Longmont City Council. Established in 1912, our goal is to deliver electric and communications services that provide outstanding value to our customer–owners. In 2014, we began to build and operate the NextLight fiber-optic broadband system, which is now the fastest ISP in the country and has made Longmont the first “gigabit city” in Colorado. To learn more, visit www.longmontcolorado.gov/lpc.