Football fans have long counted on the major networks to follow their beloved NFL team and keep an eye on their rivals and other league play throughout the season. Indeed, CBS and Fox have carried AFC and NFC games, respectively, for decades, making it easy for fans to find their local teams or the national game of the week any given Sunday. And from the preseason through the playoffs, for almost 8 months, there is a bevy of football action to soak up.
But with streaming technology taking hold in households across the country and the NFL signing new broadcasting deals with streaming platforms, some fans are having a tough time sorting through the dizzying number of channels, apps, and platforms to figure out where to watch their favorite game. It can even get tough to remember which nights their team is playing during a particular week!
Fortunately, MyBundle and its sophisticated features makes it easy to stay on top of your sports-related apps and channels—just as it does with all your other streaming content. And thanks to Trailblazer Broadband’s high-speed fiber internet, football fans can enjoy live NFL games with bright and brilliant picture quality that throws you right into the action.
Below we detail where and when you can watch live NFL football on streaming apps for the upcoming season outside the major networks, so you can easily keep track of your team all season long!
Peacock: Home of Sunday Night Football
After watching Sunday afternoon NFL games on CBS and Fox, fans can tune into Peacock, NBC’s streaming app and the home of Sunday Night Football. Starting with the preseason kickoff on August 3, 2023—also known as the “Hall of Fame Game” held in Canton, Ohio—Peacock will broadcast every Sunday night NFL game, easily available to everyone with a Peacock subscription.
Most interestingly, for the first time ever, Peacock will broadcast a playoff game available exclusively through a streaming service in early January 2024—a crucial Wild Card game. This means that to watch every playoff game this season, having Peacock is a must. So if you aren’t already a Peacock user, check MyBundle for deals and be sure to activate a Peacock subscription in time!
Amazon’s Prime Video: Thursday Night Football
Like NBC’s Peacock, Amazon also has skin in the game for streaming evening football—Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football! In total, Prime Video will broadcast 16 games on Thursday nights for the 2023-2024 season, including some can’t-miss matchups like the Philadelphia Eagles at the Dallas Cowboys on November 30.
Amazon is also boasting about the first-ever Black Friday NFL game, streaming exclusively on Prime Video on November 24, 2023 between AFC East rivals Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. This scheduling innovation is sure to make Black Friday much more than just a shopping day!
YouTubeTV—the new home of NFL Sunday Ticket
For the football fan longing for the freedom to watch just about any NFL game broadcasted on Sunday afternoons, there is another subscription well worth their consideration—NFL Sunday Ticket. NFL Sunday Ticket lets you choose which NFL games you want to watch regardless of where you live—and that service is getting a new home starting with the 2023-2024 season.
Formerly a special add-on offered only by satellite TV provider DirectTV, NFL Sunday Ticket is moving to streaming giant YouTube TV. Industry insiders have reported that YouTube TV paid $2 billion a year for the seven-year contract deal. Though it’s a pricey add-on for YouTube TV subscribers, it may well be worth it to football’s most die-hard devotees!
YouTube TV will let you simultaneously stream Sunday Ticket’s games on multiple devices. However, it is strictly limiting simultaneous streams to devices accessed from the subscriber’s home only, and not from elsewhere. Thus, those intending on sharing their Sunday Ticket subscription with people living outside the home will be out of luck.
But there are still major advantages to multiple simultaneous streams from home, including YouTube TV’s awesome upcoming “multiview” feature, which will allow streaming of up to four programs at once. That means an NFL Sunday Ticket subscriber could theoretically stream four NFL games simultaneously on YouTube TV!
When you combine Peacock, Prime Video, and YouTube TV’s streaming services and features, NFL football fans will have the most complete coverage of professional football anyone can get. So, login to My Bundle today and build a bundle worthy of the most dedicated football fan—and don’t miss a minute of your favorite team this season!
For additional information about MyBundle and how it improves your streaming experience, click here. And be sure to follow Trailblazer Broadband’s Streaming Page and Video Library for more information about streaming your favorite content.
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/.
Congratulations to NOCO Community Fiber for winning the Fiber Broadband Association’s 2023 Star Award at this year’s FBA Fiber Connect conference. Each year at the Fiber Connect conference, the Fiber Broadband Association celebrates outstanding contributions to the fiber industry. The Star Award specifically recognizes a person, community, or company that has gone above and beyond what is expected in the advancement of fiber internet to the home.
NOCO Community Fiber is a partnership between municipally-owned communications utilities and the county they empower, dedicated to the delivery of reliable, high-quality, affordable, and fiber-optic broadband. We have demonstrated that ubiquitous, affordable, high-quality access to critical resources is an achievable goal when communities collaborate on creative solutions, and profitability is removed from the equation.
Trailblazer Broadband is proud to be part of the NOCO Community Fiber collaboration along with other organizations including Loveland Pulse, Fort Collins Connexion, Poudre Valley REA, and Larimer County Government, which are all working tirelessly to bring fiber to their communities and the entire region. The excellent teamwork of NOCO Community Fiber entirely deserves the Star Award!
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/.
The “glue” of Trailblazer Broadband is someone you don’t always see, but she’s everywhere, keeping the wheels of progress – and construction – moving. She is Linda Swoboda, Estes Park Utilities Business Manager. Having worked with the Town of Estes Park since 2015, Linda has spent much of the last 4 years coordinating operations for Trailblazer Broadband as well as other utility projects for the Town. In her role with Trailblazer, she has created and coordinated the entire construction schedule with the fiber team and manages day-to-day operations, subcontractors, supply management, contracts, grant writing, and budgeting.
Swoboda has a dual expertise in Construction Management and Architectural Studies, backed by two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and an MBA. In addition to all her other responsibilities, she used her unique talents to design and renovate Trailblazer’s headquarters at 1180 Woodstock Drive. She has also provided independent estimating consulting services for building contractors and architectural design firms.
Linda grew up in Nebraska where she was a tenured associate professor at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, teaching estimating courses. She was also a project manager for The Weitz Company in Nebraska and Arizona.
After relocating to Estes Park in 2010, Linda and her husband Gary became active community members. Swoboda is an occasional snowshoer, hiker, quilter and long-time member of the Estes Valley Quilt Guild.
“I am so happy to be here in the beauty of Estes Park and surrounded by such a great community of friends. The Trailblazer project has been a labor of love, and I am really looking forward to bringing it to its planned completion in the next year, ” Linda says. Trailblazer is incredibly fortunate to have Linda as its guiding force!
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/.
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.
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