Project purpose: the purpose of the pueblo middle mile project is to fund 78,129 feet of aerial & 29,173 feet of underground fiber to provide a protected ring from the pueblo datacenter to 6 remote…

Project purpose: the purpose of the pueblo middle mile project is to fund 78,129 feet of aerial & 29,173 feet of underground fiber to provide a protected ring from the pueblo datacenter to 6 remote colorado cabinets. This will lead to a last mile project that will connect 41,074 homes and small businesses. The double ring network created in this project will prevent single points of failure across the proposed broadband network. The middle mile infrastructure will serve an area that currently faces high poverty levels and high unemployment compared to the state. Colorado currently has a 3.4% unemployment rate according to the bureau of labor statistics. Pueblo currently faces a 5.2% unemployment rate. Pueblo also has a 22% poverty rate, more than three times that of the state. Many households in the area are underserved and unserved. The proposed network in this project will be able to provide direct interconnect facilities that will facilitate the provision of broadband service to anchor institutions that currently suffer from inadequate connectivity. This includes four local libraries, six government buildings, seven medical centers/hospitals, eight fire departments, twenty-one schools, and the police station. An open-access network such as this will increase competition in the area, which will lead to lower prices for end consumers. Beneficiaries: the town of pueblo has a population of 112,000+ and currently does not have the broadband capability to best serve its residents. The available services come at a high price and are not feasible in average homes. This impacts how and when residents work or learn from home. Residents of pueblo face hardships in their current socio-economic state that a better broadband connection can vastly improve. According to the ntia indicator of needs map, pueblo falls under the underserved category with median speed test averaging 38.16/11.30 mbps. Alongside these lacking upload/download speeds, 37.8% of households do not have internet connection. Reports from county health ranking show 46.19% of pueblo county residents being enrolled in medicaid. There are 1,450 patients per 1 primary care physician, which strains the quality of care available and accessible to each client. Broadband access will make major strides for health and wellness for the town. Nearly 40% of the citizens of pueblo aren't currently using the internet at qualifying broadband speeds, which impacts the capability to access or stream telemedicine calls with better/more health care providers. The current median household income is approximately $49,000 per year, compared to the state average of $75,231. Better broadband connection for the town of pueblo would mean that more residents would have the chance to invest in their continued education, leading to different opportunities including but not limited to hybrid or fully remote careers. Empowered with quality broadband access and better choices, pueblo would come together as a community to more frequently participate in town hall meetings, modernize town legislation, and improve the town's quality of life for future residents. There are no subrecipients participating on this proposed project.