Appeared in the Estes Park News June 23, 2023
Incredibly, the first four years of Trailblazer Broadband’s fiber buildout are behind us! Following a unanimous vote of the Town Board on March 12, 2019, the Town of Estes Park kicked off its community-owned and operated broadband. This high-speed internet service will ultimately be available to everyone Estes Park Power & Communications serves.
Currently, Trailblazer service is available to approximately 80% of the intended recipients and this year, construction has expanded into the outlying areas of Glen Haven and Allenspark. To date, there are over 3,200 Trailblazer Broadband customers, 250 of which are area businesses.
PROGRESS TO DATE
This new fiber network has been entirely built from scratch since the old cable infrastructure used by other carriers cannot provide the speed and reliability of 100% fiber optic lines. The state-of-the-art fiber infrastructure of Trailblazer Broadband requires an expansive network spread from 4 centralized “huts” to 55 strategically located cabinets and then to thousands of terminals across our valley.
Over 780 miles of fiber optic cable have been run since construction started in Sept 2019. As with electrical lines, main fiber lines may run overhead or be buried underground, depending on the location. When running fiber underground, crews typically follow existing easements which is why we may need to cross asphalt or concrete paved areas; however, we try to minimize cutting through these hard surfaces. “It is always our goal to make any disruption from our construction as minimal and short-term as possible,” comments Joe Lockhart, Estes Park Power & Communications Line Superintendent.
During the past four years, the Trailblazer team has constantly streamlined and adapted the construction plan to reach as many customers as quickly as possible while maintaining the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the project. Linda Swoboda, Estes Park Utilities Business Manager explains, “Agility is essential to any large-scale project, and this one is no exception. During the buildout process, we encountered challenges from our surroundings including wildfire, record snowfall and freezing temperatures, fiber damage from wildlife and most recently, a lot of rain. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down our operations less than a year after we started building the network. We weathered that well, but the resulting supply chain issues and rising cost of materials continue to impact us today. Although other front-range communities – Longmont, Ft. Collins, and Loveland – have built similar fiber networks, none of them have faced the same terrain challenges that exist in the Estes Valley. Even considering those challenges, we have been ahead of our original schedule for a good portion of the buildout which leaves us well-positioned to complete construction by the original timeframe by the end of 2024.”
When we change our schedule, the timeline for some areas improves which pleases those folks, while other areas are pushed back on the schedule. We realize that delays can disappoint those eagerly awaiting service, and we are committed to getting everyone connected as quickly as possible. All community members are encouraged to register at www.TrailblazerBroadband.com to receive the latest news and updates with no obligation.
2023 KEY MILESTONES
As the project nears completion, two key milestones are taking place in 2023. The first milestone is making payments on the bond issued to fund the broadband buildout. This bond, procured grants, and Trailblazer client revenue have funded 100% of the project without using any tax dollars. “Obviously, bond payments are a priority for the project’s sustainability, and we are well-positioned to make those payments,” says Swoboda. “We also have to make sure that we pace ourselves efficiently to the finish line for the remainder of the project.”
To that end, the second milestone is to have the Estes Park Power & Communications fiber team do all future construction and installation work in-house. Trailblazer has relied on excellent contractors to help with the buildout, which would not have been completed as quickly or efficiently without them.
“This transition to the in-house team has been planned since the beginning, and now is the time,” states Skye Stiner, Trailblazer’s Lead Fiber Technician. “We are optimizing our resource management to complete as many Trailblazer installations as possible each week while continuing the overall network construction. Summer is always the busy season, and combined with longer run times to Glen Haven and Allenspark, we know the schedule will be tight until the end of the project. This may mean a little longer wait times for our customers from sign up to installation, so we encourage anyone interested in service to sign up as soon as service is available in their area and get on the schedule.”
COMMUNITY IMPACT
In addition to faster, more reliable internet, Trailblazer Broadband service is an investment in the community. Investing in its broadband service, the Town of Estes Park keeps dollars in the community while creating jobs and ensuring high-quality local support through Estes Park Power & Communications.
The fiber optic lines that provide state-of-the-art broadband service also serve as the foundational backbone of Estes Park Power & Communications’ Advance Metering Infrastructure (AMI). The AMI is comprised of smart meters and infrastructure devices to transmit the meter reading data. According to Reuben Bergsten, Utilities Director, “Our AMI data is analyzed to reveal potential problems, and we use that information to initiate preventative maintenance that reduces the risk of wildfire from our electric infrastructure.” This technology is essential to a well-maintained working system and will help the community reach its renewable energy goals.
From the outset, the broadband program has achieved success because of the community’s desire for high-speed internet and the support of businesses and residents alike for Trailblazer Broadband. In the words of one new customer, “This is exactly why we switched over to Trailblazer Broadband!! A local company and representative, watching out for us, personally answering the phone when I call, taking care of us.”
Reliable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury. Ultimately, this is a public utility and a local asset that will provide additional value, opportunities, and sustainability to Estes Valley residents and businesses for years to come.
THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS
Trailblazer Broadband became a reality only through the efforts of a dedicated team. In addition to the Estes Park Utilities Team and Fiber Specialists, Trailblazer’s sales and support team includes Customer Experience Manager Kim Smith and Customer Support Representatives Teresa Jones and Angelo Raso, all of whom have been on board since the project began nearly four years ago. Trailblazer also thanks its valued partners Backbone Fiber Systems, GE Construction, Splash Fiber, OTM, eStrategy3, and FullStack for their various contributions and expertise essential to the buildout effort.
The Trailblazer team looks forward to completing the project in 2024 as originally planned and appreciates the flexibility and understanding of the community as we bring the broadband network buildout to a successful conclusion.
Trailblazer Broadband is municipally owned and is Estes Park’s only locally supported high-speed broadband service providing fiber directly to homes and businesses. The Town of Estes Park provides information only and does not endorse any listed companies, the views they express, or the products/services they offer. For more information about internet service, contact Trailblazer Broadband at info@trailblazerbroadband.com or (970)577-3770. More Trailblazer news is available at www.trailblazerbroadband.com and https://www.facebook.com/TrailblazerBroadband/.
I went to school in Estes Park, kindergarten-12th; graduating in 1973. 1977 Bachelor of Science, Colorado State University; 1978 Master of Science, Colorado State University; 2004 Doctor of Audiology, Central Michigan University.
I have the honor of being a two-time Olympian, 1972 in Munich as a senior in high school and 1976 in Montreal while an athlete at Colorado State University.
My 28 years in track and field exposed me to national and international politics as an athlete, team manager, USA track and field athlete representative and board member, Olympic Committee representative and Olympic Committee Board member. I participated in the meetings in Washington, D.C. when President Carter removed the U.S. team from participation in the 1980 Olympics, participated in summer and winter Olympic venue selection, and managed track and field teams for the World Cup in Barcelona, Spain and World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. I learned to see problems from many different perspectives, listen to many viewpoints, ask questions and make critical decisions.
In 1987 I returned to Estes Park to raise my family and continue working as an audiologist. As an audiologist, I served on legislative committees for business regulation and state conventions.
I have been fortunate to serve in many capacities for our community. 1991-1997 Park Hospital District Board of Directors; 1996-1997 President Park Hospital District Board of Directors; Recreation District Sub-committee member for expansion of recreation in the Estes Valley, Senior Center Board member and Vestry member at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, 25 year member of the Estes Park Lions Club and a Past President. 2010-2017 Town of Estes Park Trustee/Mayor Pro Tem 2013-2017; Mayor 2020-2023.
Source: https://dms.estes.org/weblink/0/edoc/132943/BIOGRAPHY%20Koenig.pdf
Trucks on the curb. Roadside digging. Traffic detours. Workers invading your quiet neighborhood. Although we do our best to minimize disruptions, we understand that the fiber construction process can be an inconvenience.
There is a lot of improvement going on around Estes Park these days! Improving any infrastructure—from internet networks to public roads—can be a hassle at the time, but the outcome is worth the temporary disruptions. As we work hard to bring future-proof fiber internet to our community, we wanted to take a few minutes to look ahead and consider all the value fiber can bring to our town.
We believe fiber is worth the trouble because we believe the Estes Valley is worth it—and we hope you’ll agree!
Fostering Remote Work Opportunities
For starters, fiber facilitates remote working. This provides more options to the people who live in our town while also enabling more people to move here and contribute to our local economy.
Remote working has expanded exponentially over the past several years, with some estimates indicating that up to a quarter of all professional jobs will be remote for at least a majority of their time. And having a reliable internet connection is simply essential for those remote workers to be productive and stay competitive with their colleagues!
Remote work involves much more than just web browsing and checking emails. Quality, interruption-free online videoconference calling is critical for remote workers to stay connected to their fellow staff members. Fiber internet has both the speed and the bandwidth necessary to make video calling clear and dependable, dramatically reducing the frustration so many individuals have felt in the past.
Of course, the presence of a trusted internet connection also makes employers much more willing to let their employees work remotely from home in the first place! We’re excited to see local residents take advantage of more remote work opportunities in the months and years to come.
Energizing Economic Growth
The economic value of fiber internet extends well beyond remote workers. Indeed, our community’s entire economy is improved by having access to future-proof internet.
Existing businesses are more efficient and can compete with companies in any major metropolitan area in America—or even around the world. That’s because Trailblazer Broadband’s fiber internet is as fast as that of any large city.
Having fiber internet helps attract new business investment to our area, too—and with it, more jobs. Fiber has a “multiplier” effect on our local economy, as each new business and job attracted to our area because of fiber spreads economic growth across our region, helping it grow and flourish.
Improving the Value—and Security—of Your Home
As fiber internet is the most sought-after form of high-speed internet in America today, having internet through Trailblazer Broadband can also increase the value of your home.
Indeed, one study indicates that having fiber internet can increase the value of a home by 3.1%! For the average-priced home in America, that could be a difference worth many thousands of dollars.
High-speed internet also helps protect your investment by keeping your home safer, too. Smart home technology has advanced considerably over the past several years. Smart cameras and doorbells can prevent “porch pirates,” smart lighting adds visibility at night and deters trespassers, and security systems can alert you and emergency services if disaster strikes while you’re away.
Facilitating Home Health Care
The technology enabled by fiber internet doesn’t just protect your home but the people inside it, too. The innovations in telehealth in recent years have made getting health care, including urgent care, faster and easier than ever before
A reliable internet service with fiber lets you speak one-on-one with your physician and other healthcare providers from home, making many health consultations much quicker and more efficient. These at-home telehealth sessions can even save you from unnecessary trips to the doctor’s office in the first place!
Telehealth isn’t just for conveniently treating the common cold, either. With a sufficiently strong internet connection, home health video conferences can provide better ongoing care and monitoring for those with chronic health conditions.
Improving Our Community and Providing Educational Resources
Beyond the walls of your home, the pillars of our community benefit from fiber’s incredible speeds and generous bandwidth, too. Public schools can provide extra learning resources for all our students and teachers. Public libraries can offer increased research capacity, media, and programs. Community centers for seniors and youth can extend their outreach through skills-building and hobby workshops. Emergency services are able to respond more quickly and accurately when needed.
In this way, Trailblazer Broadband’s fiber internet does far more than just help an individual family enjoy their home or a small business get the job done. At its core, fiber is as important a part of our community’s infrastructure and future as our roads and the electrical grid.
Competitive Gaming and Esports
Finally, fiber’s many advantages extend to the vast world of online gaming. Whether enjoyed solo or with friends or other competitors, online gaming has become a hugely popular pastime in America. And Trailblazer Broadband’s sophisticated fiber technology has all the bandwidth and extraordinary speeds to prevent lag, crashes, and other delays that plague online gaming, ensuring the best possible gaming experience.
While this may seem frivolous compared to other examples above, gaming isn’t only about having fun or passing the time. Esports (competitive video gaming in leagues and tournaments) has become a booming enterprise, taking ordinary online gaming and turning it into a serious sport
Esports can open up exciting opportunities for the next generation in our community. To date, more than 30 colleges and universities offer esports scholarships to talented gamers, some of which reach into the tens of thousands of dollars per year! From there, graduates can even find a career in many gaming-related fields. (Selfishly, we hope some of them will come back and join our own team to help us continue improving technology in our town!)
Get Connected
As we continue to build out fiber in our town, we’re excited about the future this technology can make possible here in Estes Park and we hope you agree! To find out when you can get connected, visit Trailblazer Broadband or call 970-577-3770 today.
Many internet users experience a sluggish connection even with “high-speed internet.” They’ve invested in a good Wi-Fi router, perhaps a range extender, and may have even upgraded to a faster internet plan.
So why do they find themselves frequently frustrated by slowdowns and freeze-ups? What about their devices—or internet plan—causes this underwhelming performance? And what, if anything, can people do to reduce or even eliminate these issues?
The most likely culprits behind poor internet performance are bandwidth hogs—devices and online activities that gobble up too much bandwidth and slow down everyone’s internet access.
The good news is Trailblazer Broadband’s advanced fiber network provides exceptionally high upload and download speeds (1 Gbps or 1000 Mbps) and the much-overlooked bandwidth capacity that only fiber internet can offer. Combined, fiber’s high speeds and excellent bandwidth can end internet sluggishness.
We discuss bandwidth in greater detail below and explain why every internet customer needs to understand it.
Then, we turn to the most common bandwidth hogs in most people’s homes—devices and online activities—and then explain how Trailblazer Broadband’s best speed tiers can help resolve any bandwidth issues.
What Is Bandwidth—and Why Is Higher Bandwidth So Important?
Bandwidth can be confusing. Put simply, bandwidth is the amount of information an internet connection can manage per second.
Bandwidth doesn’t measure a particular internet connection’s rate (or speed). Instead, it’s about the volume of online data a connection can “carry” and transfer at any given time.
High bandwidth levels let internet users accomplish activities like streaming TV shows, participating in video calls, playing online games, and posting to social media simultaneously without any slowdowns.
More bandwidth is indispensable for keeping an active online household productive—and happy!
What Exactly Is a Bandwidth Hog?
A bandwidth hog is a colloquial term for a device or online activity that eats up more than its fair share of bandwidth. It hogs too much bandwidth and greedily takes it from other devices or activities. Keep in mind that everyday web browsing typically has little impact on overall bandwidth use.
Some devices are famous bandwidth hogs. So, just by turning on and connecting to a bandwidth hog, a huge amount of available bandwidth on your internet connection will be used.
And certain activities require excess bandwidth to carry out your needs. So when even one (or more) bandwidth hogs are activated, the dreaded slowdowns and freeze-ups can occur, leading to frustration and anger in your home!
Common Household Bandwidth Hogs
Smart TVs
Today’s smart TVs feature enhanced technology that displays amazing picture quality.
High-definition, 4K, and 4K Ultra-HD TVs produce stunning imagery and hog lots of bandwidth in the process. Using your smart TV will devour an enormous slice of your home internet’s bandwidth. If you have limited bandwidth capacity, your smart TV could impact other devices and online activities or even slow down a show you want to watch.
Video Streaming
By far the activity with the most excessive use of bandwidth is streaming video.
Netflix tends to be the top offender, in part due to its popularity and vast library of content. Many people stream shows and movies on other devices like their tablets rather than just their smart TVs. And if you have more than one person in your household—and multiple tablets and phones in use—your bandwidth can easily be hogged just by streaming shows and movies.
And Netflix isn’t the only problem.
Streaming services like TikTok and YouTube also use lots of bandwidth. Posting TikTok videos also compounds the bandwidth problem because it involves sending information from the device to a server, consuming even more bandwidth in the process.
Video Calling
During the Covid-19 pandemic, video conference calling became a daily part of life for many people. Zoom, FaceTime, Skype and other services allowed people to stay connected face-to-face, even across long distances. But video calls are notorious bandwidth hogs.
Voice, text, and video all combine to devour bandwidth—and that’s why you’ve experienced those ridiculous freeze-frame faces during the call!
And remember, with video calling, you are not just receiving data—you are also continuously sending it back to the server (and then to your loved ones’ devices). That accounts for video calling’s massive appetite for bandwidth and why so many video calls end up frustrating people (unless you have fiber internet!).
Online Gaming
Another big-time bandwidth hog is online gaming.
Online gaming is incredibly problematic from a bandwidth perspective because, like video calling, information is shared—from the player back to the server and the server back to the player. It often jams the internet connection for gamers and others in the house.
Higher bandwidth – again with the same speed for uploads as well as downloads – allows this excessive volume of data to transfer with far less latency or other delays. So gamers experiencing lag or freezes will benefit from internet plans and tiers that provide more bandwidth.
What’s the Best Way to Get More Bandwidth?
Well, apart from eliminating bandwidth hogs—the devices and activities you already have and love—your best solution is to upgrade to fiber internet.
DSL, cable, and satellite internet don’t have fiber’s high speeds or bandwidth capacity because fiber’s innovative design and cutting-edge materials allow for data to transfer faster and in much higher volumes.
If you already have Trailblazer Broadband, you have 1 gigabyte per second for upload and download speeds with no data caps and no throttling back of speed. A 1 gigabyte per second tier provides plenty of bandwidth to allow a steady flow of online activity like streaming TV and movies, video calling, online gaming, and social media posting. Just by using fiber internet and upgrading your internet speed, you should easily get all the bandwidth your household needs.
To sum it all up, the more bandwidth an internet connection has, the more information it can send out and get back at any particular moment.
And with fiber’s advanced technology and higher speeds, you’ll have additional bandwidth to disburse throughout your home and among your devices. With fiber’s higher bandwidth capacity, your household can avoid the freeze-ups and slowdowns that still plague so many internet users today.
Keep in mind that internet and WiFi are not the same thing. Speeds are always slower through WiFi than on a wired connection. Older devices and interference around your home from other electronic devices can also slow speeds. Check out Trailblazer’s Internet Troubleshooting Guide for optimization tips.
If you have more questions about how fiber internet and it’s maximum speeds and higher bandwidth can make a difference in your internet connection, feel free to reach out to the helpful experts at Trailblazer Broadband. All Trailblazer customers have access to round-the-clock technical support 365 days a year, and anyone can check out Trailblazer Broadband’s Help and Support pages and Video Library for more information.
According to the Pew Research Center, 59 percent of seniors are active internet users, which means almost 32 million older adults are using the internet.
There is a whole new generation of older Americans who have had long, successful careers in technology and have a strong understanding of how to get the most out of the internet in their retirement. Others – you know who you are – have been early adopters of technology for decades, signing on for the first “brick” car phones in the ’70s, playing Pong on their Atari video consoles in the early ‘80s and wiring up their smart homes in the early 2000s. And yet another group simply wants to check their email.
Regardless of your current relationship with the technology, it’s advantages and opportunities to enhance lifestyles for all ages are growing, especially for older individuals who are finding more ways to use the internet for connection, convenience, as well as safety and wellness.
Connection
Connecting remotely with family and friends is one of the greatest advantages the internet can provide. Watching children and grandchildren grow and being a part of long-distance family events such as births, weddings, and graduations is truly priceless. Many people are using Facetime, Skype, WhatsApp and Zoom frequently to see the faces of the people who are important to them.
Reliable bandwidth with strong upload speeds is essential to these connections. Did you know that only 100% fiber connectivity gives you the same speed for upload as for download and that upload speed is about 100 times faster than any competing provider in the Estes Valley? Upload speed is how fast your data is sent from you to others, and it is necessary for them to see and hear you clearly on a video call. It is also needed for sending and uploading photos, videos and other data through email, social media and cloud services. Only Trailblazer’s fiber connection can provide that reliability when it matters most.
Convenience
If you’ve only used the internet in the past for video chats and a little email, then there is a world of time-saving opportunities to explore from the comfort of your home. Imagine it’s another snowy spring day in Estes Park and you have errands to run, bills to pay and doctors’ appointments. Here are a few alternatives that reliable high-speed internet can offer:
- How about placing an order for groceries online or ordering your dinner from a local restaurant through DoorDash?
- Make that mobile deposit to your bank account and pay some bills online.
- Curl up with a good book. You can buy ebooks from Amazon, Apple, Google, and other digital retailers, but why spend money when you can borrow them from your local library? If your library is signed up with Libby or Hoopla, you can browse, borrow, and read books directly through the app.
- Check out the latest weather, news updates and sports scores on your favorite apps, streaming devices, and websites or check out the webcams around town to see when it’s safe to go out.
- Entertain the grandkids at home if the day at Rocky Mountain National Park got rained out. You have the bandwidth for video games, movies and posting to social media to keep them happy.
- Maybe take a virtual tour of somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit. April in Paris anyone, even in October?
- You can even schedule a telehealth appointment with your doctor instead of a live visit when you need it to stay healthy and get the treatment you need.
Safety and Wellness
At Trailblazer Broadband, we do more than just provide the fast, dependable fiber internet you’ve come to count on for entertainment and productivity. We develop and maintain networks that keep your service as reliable as possible to facilitate wellness and life-saving technology in your home. Wellness often extends to concerns about the health and safety of remaining independent in their own homes, especially if they live alone. The concern of a medical emergency or fall is ever-present.
Fortunately, technology has dramatically improved safety and security at home—the kind of safety and security to keep seniors living independently in their homes.
And with today’s technology, seniors and their families can rest assured that they can enjoy their golden years and independence for far longer.
By utilizing today’s smart home technology and other safety and security features—enhanced by Trailblazer Broadband’s fiber internet—seniors can confidently enjoy their retirement in their own homes.
Below, we highlight some of the technology available to seniors today to help them live at home more independently and safely than any previous generation before.
Personal Emergency Response System
Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS), such as One Call Alert or Medical Guardian, form the cornerstone for seniors to be independent and confident while living at home.
This cutting-edge technology means that help during an emergency—from a medical scare to a fall—is always at hand, even when a phone is out of reach and a family member cannot assist quickly.
The Personal Emergency Response System is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
At the touch of a button, you or your loved one will be connected to emergency contacts to get help as fast as possible.
In addition, the PERS features two-way voice communication right on the device, so there is no fumbling around for a phone or even a need to dial a phone number—just a simple press of the button and the connection to trained emergency assistance is immediately available.
Smart Home Technology
Today’s smart home technology makes basic, daily tasks easier and safer for seniors. For example, by utilizing smart light bulbs, seniors can turn the lights on or off by using their voice, reducing the need for awkward positioning and bending, which can sometimes lead to falls or other injuries.
Smart light bulb voice activation also means there’s no need to search for light switches in the dark, making nighttime walks to the bathroom or kitchen far safer.
Many smart light bulbs are compatible with Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, and other Smart Home devices, which connect to Trailblazer Broadband’s reliable fiber internet.
So, your loved one can easily integrate smart light bulbs into their smart home through easy-to-use voice-controlled devices.
Smart Security
Smart home technology can also help seniors be more secure in their homes.
And recent innovations go well beyond traditional security systems like burglar alarms or surveillance cameras. Smart home security technology can integrate across the home’s fiber internet, providing protection almost anywhere in the house.
Exterior smart cameras allow a loved one to know if an unknown person approaches a senior’s property.
And indoor smart cameras can let family members check in if they cannot contact their elderly parents.
Other smart home advances like glass break detectors can alert a loved one to intruders and help deter property crime. These state-of-the-art technologies can help seniors feel safer and more secure in their homes.
Your neighbors at Trailblazer Broadband are honored to be a part of helping seniors live more fulfilling and self-assured lives at home. And because Trailblazer Broadband’s fiber internet is so reliable, you’ll be confident that your smart home and its safety and convenience features will always be there for you.
Trailblazer Broadband is municipally owned and is Estes Park’s only locally supported high-speed broadband service provided over fiber optic lines. The Town of Estes Park provides information only and does not endorse any of the listed companies, the views they express or the products/services they offer. For more information about internet service, contact Trailblazer Broadband at info@trailblazerbroadband.com or (970)577-3770. More Trailblazer news is available at www.trailblazerbroadband.com and https://www.facebook.com/TrailblazerBroadband/.
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