LONGMONT, CO –  NextLight received a national spotlight on Monday, with the fiber-optic network named as 2017 Community Broadband Project of the Year by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA).

The organization’s annual Community Broadband Awards “recognize and highlight some of the many extraordinary efforts going on at the local level to bring the benefits of technology to American communities.” Prior winners have included high-profile projects such as the fiber network of Chattanooga, Tenn., and the collaboration of Google Fiber with the cities of Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo.

“We’re excited and pleased to have NextLight recognized by NATOA,” said general manager Tom Roiniotis of Longmont Power & Communications. “As a community-owned network, NextLight has always focused on providing our city’s residents and businesses with an unbeatable combination of high speed, low price, and solid reliability. Longmont is on the map as a cutting-edge community, and this is another indication of how far we’ve come.”

“We are in our 11^th year of recognizing leaders in community broadband for their remarkable innovation and dedication to improving broadband connectivity for all,”  said NATOA’s Board President Jodie Miller. “It is especially gratifying to applaud Longmont, Colo., who was a 2013 NATOA winner for its business plan, and who now in 2017 has developed that vision ‘to expand world-class broadband infrastructure to each home in the City and thereby secure the City’s economic future.’  Congratulations to the extraordinary individuals who have the expertise and the courage to carry the plan to execution for the benefit of Longmont’s residents!”

Longmont recently announced that it had become Colorado’s first Gig City, with NextLight offering gigabit uploads and downloads throughout the city limits. To celebrate the accomplishment, residents who subscribe to NextLight during July or August have the opportunity to get a home gigabit connection for $59.95 a month, a 40% discount on the standard rate. LPC is now evaluating its electric service territory outside of Longmont to decide where the network should be built to next.

In June, Longmont also received national attention from  PC Magazine, who rated the city as having the fastest internet speeds in the nation, referring to local utilities such as NextLight as “the best hope we’ve got for mega-fast internet service in this country.”

Local entrepreneurs will have a chance to try out that speed at Longmont Startup Week (July 24-28). As an event sponsor, LPC will provide gigabit NextLight service for the week to the event’s basecamp at CoSolve, 350 Terry St.

About Longmont Power & Communications

Longmont Power & Communications is a community-owned, non-profit electric and broadband 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 has made Longmont the first “gigabit city” in Colorado. To learn more, visit  www.LongmontColorado.gov/lpc. 

About NATOA

NATOA is the premier local government professional association that provides support to our members on the many local, state, and federal communications laws, administrative rulings, judicial decisions, and technology issues impacting the interests of local governments. Founded in 1980, we offer a wide range of advocacy services to individual and agency members representing cities, towns, counties, and commissions across the country. NATOA actively analyzes and addresses emerging issues in areas such as local government communications and internet policy; broadband planning best practices; cable franchising; wireless zoning; new technology initiatives and advancements; and operation of public, education and government (PEG) access channels.