Cortez City Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday night regarding a potential ballot measure that would give the city the right to provide its own internet services to residents.
The Colorado General Assembly passed a bill in 2005 that prohibited municipal governments from providing their own “specialized services,” which include things like high-speed internet, telecommunications and cable. The bill was considered to be a way to protect private industry. The bill does, however, allow municipal governments to create a ballot initiative that would, if passed, reestablish the right to provide their own specialized services.
Many other municipalities throughout the state have moved to provide their own internet services over the past several years.
Passing the ballot measure does not necessarily mean the city is going to provide the services, but it gives Cortez the ability to explore the option and learn more about the potential costs.
Citizens participating in the hearing via Zoom will be able to comment when the item comes up on the agenda.
According to City Manager John Dougherty, Cortez deserves better internet services.
“We haven’t been able to get a big carrier to come in here and give us the services we deserve, Dougherty said. “It feels like it’s going to fall on the city to at least put in the infrastructure and let everybody else tap into it.”
Dougherty told The Journal that even he has occasional bandwidth issues when working from home.
It’s also a significant factor for education, with many students learning remotely over the past year because of the pandemic.
“With COVID, we realized very quickly that a lot of the school kids don’t have the accessibility they need from their homes,” Dougherty said.
Mayor Pro tem Rachel Medina told The Journal that she believes quality internet services are a needed utility.
“As it gets more and more essential to our daily lives, I think sometimes government needs to step in and provide the services,” Medina said.
Tuesday night’s City Council meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.
If you wish to watch or participate via Zoom, go to https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WUGOM2f0ReuMXGI77e-DhQ
The meeting can also be viewed live on the city’s website.
anicotera@the-journal.com