#Breckenridge #Colorado
Summit Daily News Link
Breckenridge pushed for broadband freedom by passing ballot measure 2A. The measure passed in a landslide with 89 percent of votes.
The measure makes the town exempt from Senate Bill 152, which passed in 2005. The bill prevents towns and municipalities in Colorado from creating their own broadband networks.
The town now has the ability to seek funding to improve the quality of cellular and broadband coverage. The town cannot raise taxes to do so.
The county passed a similar ballot measure in 2015, which passed with 87 percent of voters in favor. Since, then the county has hired a consulting firm to find which areas lack coverage. They are now looking into how to use resources to incentivize companies into starting projects here.
One of the county’s arguments for having more broadband freedom was to improve cellular quality in case of emergencies. While Breckenridge has more infrastructure, and is less likely to have issues in emergency situations, residents have reported other coverage issues. Many of the problems with coverage in Breckenridge result from the crowds of people that come during peak tourists season.
