Fort Collins Connexion is an idea birthed by and for the City of Fort Collins to keep the city competitive by providing an affordable and reliable fiber-optic internet service. Construction began in 2019 and was estimated to be completed in 2-3 years. That can feel like a long time to wait, leaving some to wonder, “Is fiber available in my area, yet?”
Rest assured, the wait is almost over. By the end of 2022, Connexion’s high-speed, symmetrical, community-owned fiber-optic network will be available in all of Fort Collins. If that seems too good to be true, it’s not. To help build the excitement, let’s talk about all the perks you’ll be able to enjoy with your new broadband service.
In All Things, Speed
While our world has grown more and more connected, at times it can feel like there’s not enough time to take it all in. This can feel especially true for those still sluggin along with cable or DSL. From zoom calls to streaming movies, playing video games to working from home, the 1 Gbps speed of fiber is a monstrous improvement to the internet speeds we’ve grown used to.
For a slightly better understanding, here’s a table depicting how long various types of internet connections take to download a range of file sizes courtesy of HighSpeedInternet:
| Dial-up Internet Connection 50 kbps | Minimum Broadband Connection 25 Mbps | Fast DSL Connection 100 Mbps | Gigabit Fiber Connection 1,000 Mbps | |
| War and Peace2 (3 MB | 8.0 min. | 1.0 sec. | 0.24 sec. | 0.02 sec. |
| The Beach Boys Pet Sounds3(1.2 GB) | 2.2 days | 6.4 min. | 96.0 sec. | 9.6 sec. |
| Lord of the Rings Trilogy – Special Edition4 (61 GB | 113.0 days | 5.4 hrs. | 81.3 min. | 8.1 min |
| Grand Theft Auto V (70 GB) | 130.0 days | 6.2 hrs. | 93.3 min. | 9.3 min |
| Library of Congress’ Digital Collections5 (74 TB | 375.4 yrs. | 274.0 days | 68.5 days | 6.9 |
Say Goodbye to Throttling
For many utilities like power and cable, providers reserve the ability to temporarily reduce, or throttle, access to their service. This is done during high demand times when a large portion of the community is using a service at once. (think: heaters during a blizzard)
Of course, throttling isn’t a malicious abuse of power, but rather an attempt to avoid system outages due to overload. With fiber, however, this isn’t an issue. Because fiber is less prone to those overload outages, no longer will you have to deal with your speeds being cut by 50% or more during peak times. You can enjoy those speeds we mentioned earlier free from distraction.
Did You Say Something About Symmetry?
We sure did. Here’s what we meant. Unlike the cable internet of the past, fiber internet dons symmetrical speeds. Traditionally, average internet users spend their time downloading things from the internet (movies, games, books, you get it). Now-a-days, in the work-from-home era we live in, we need to be able to upload things quickly as well.
The symmetrical speed of fiber affords those lucky enough to have access to it not just 1 Gbps download speeds, but upload speeds of equal might as well. Gone are the days of waiting eternaties for your google doc to upload. For the City of Fort Collins, working from home just got a lot better.
Okay, Now I Definitely Need Fiber in My Area
We thought those sneak peaks would help stir your excitement. Construction is the first in a multi-step process to build the Connexion network, and like we said, that part is almost complete. We will reach out to neighborhoods directly when we are ready to sign up customers for service. Residents will receive an email and a postcard as soon as service is available in their neighborhood. If you have not yet signed up to receive emails, click here.
What About the Areas Outside of FoCo?
This can be a bit tricky. Currently, capital spending estimates for this project are for the City limits only. Put another way, under the current business plan, broadband would extend throughout the current city limits and will extend into the Growth Management Area (GMA) when those areas are annexed.
Annexation can be a difficult and lengthy process with many considerations to address before any noticeable progress is made. Funds have to be raised, plans have to be made, and legislation has to be written. Here is a good resource to help understand just how technical a process this can be.
Connexion is currently in discussion with Larimer County about expanding their services beyond city limits. For now, Fort Collins Connexion is just for city limits.
So Close You Can Taste It
We know how exciting having a reliable and affordable fiber-optic service in your neighborhood can be. That’s why we’re installing Connexion throughout the entire city. We set out to be finished with this project quickly and efficiently, and it’s almost complete!
If you’re getting restless and want to receive updates on your neighborhood, click here. If Connexion is already available in your area and you haven’t signed up, what are you waiting for? Sign up for the fastest internet available today.