The selection of addresses for the Boulder & Gilpin County broadband project with Maverix Broadband was a complex process due to the highly competitive Capital Project Funding (CPF) grant program, which had $113 million in funding and received 112 applications totaling $642 million in requests. The review considered factors such as applicant experience, technical ability, project feasibility, financial and operational capacity, and community engagement.
Eligible locations were defined by guidelines established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the CPF grant program, prioritizing areas below 85% broadband coverage (Tier I Counties). Gilpin County, a Tier II County, competed for only 25% of the total funding that was allocated toward the Tier II group. The Boulder & Gilpin project received an award of $8,667,692, more than double the average award, with matching funds (committed by Maverix Broadband) of $8,667,695, which was 5.5 times the average match per awarded project.
This project serves 3,860 total addresses, with 2,725 classified as under- or un-served, necessitating building through some served areas to connect effectively. The number of addresses served by this project is also 5.5 times the average per awarded project. This approach aligns with the grant program’s goals of maximizing impact and addressing the connectivity gap in Boulder and Gilpin Counties.
There are certainly many more addresses in Gilpin County that need enhanced broadband services, and we are working diligently to build on the momentum and to reach as many locations as possible in future project designs, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that 98% of all Gilpin County addresses have access to reliable, redundant, and resilient internet. Work is already underway for the upcoming Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) grant program, which will be open for applications in the next few months.