From the start, nearly all projections presented in the Connexion business plan, on which voters based their approval of the project, have failed to materialize.
Connexion missed targeted revenues by nearly $10 million, and is over budget on build-out and installation by a massive $35 million.
“City Council and (Fort Collins City Manager) Darin Atteberry need to stop discussing Connexion in executive session, behind closed doors, and instead have honest and hard conversations with the citizens who are on the hook if their rosy projections fail to materialize.” — Sarah Hunt, Fort Collins
At a time when internet connection is critical for all of us, rather than making up for lost ground, Connexion fell short by another $1.6 million in their next quarterly report. Either people don’t want the service or Connexion can’t provide it, or both. Either way, this experiment is failing.” Fort Collins resident Sarah Hunt.
“We are making sure we adhere to the council’s direction that we work with our current providers. We are trying to expand the possibility that the number of current service providers we have today is different in six months, nine months, whenever and that we are doing everything we can as a city to enable those providers to come into the city and provide business.” Greeley IT director Scott Magerfleisch.
“Covid is going to affect everyone’s budget whether it’s a personal or municipal budget.” — Greeley Mayor John Gates.
“I’m leery to enter into anything that is going to require us to have more infrastructure liabilities when we already have many that are backlogged.–Greeley Councilwoman Kristin Zasada.
The future doesn’t look much brighter, he said, as the cost to implement the enterprises increases and technology changes more rapidly than government-run broadband can keep up.
“Fiber is not future proof. I’d maybe call it future resistant, but there is going to be a time where there is a breakthrough in transmission technology where something is bigger, better and faster. There is always a push for bigger, better and faster. — Troy Mellon.
“If you’re talking internet, it’s hard to say it’s going to be this price at this point. Having had to raise utility rates — seems like every year in Longmont with the government — it is like with any business, there are costs dealing with infrastructure that increase over time. So of course, rates are going to increase. There can’t be just a set price of $49.99 for internet. Eventually, that price will go up for charter members. And right now, if you didn’t get in on that charter rate, it’s almost $70. And that’s just internet.” — Gabe Santos, former Longmont City Councilman.
“I don’t get this push for a municipality to take on being an (Internet Service Provider). You’re telling me you have more knowledge in the marketplace than a company that’s been doing it for decades. And what business has government ever ran more efficiently than private enterprise?” — Kevin Ross, Eaton Mayor.
“We can create some real harms if we’re not careful about things like data security and privacy. What governments also have to have a dialogue with industry about is this concept of a social license to operate. It’s really important that we don’t get into a world where each party looks to just leverage their legal rights.” — Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.
