Broadband & Utilities

Internet Services

Northwest Colorado Broadband: In 2012, a consortium of local governments and non-profit organizations formed the Northwest Colorado Broadband (NCB) to pursue more affordable, reliable and redundant broadband service, initially for public and non-profit NCB partners, and in the future, on a county-wide basis in partnership with the private sector. Accomplishments to date include:

• Creation of a carrier neutral location where broadband demand of public and non-profit partners is aggregated and met by a competitively selected middle-mile provider, with resulting savings of 5-10X over prior internet service costs, and a redundant pathway to protect against outages.
• Completion of the Routt County Strategic Broadband Plan
• Construction included nine miles of 288-strand fiber optic cable and three miles of lateral connections to additional community anchor institutions. NCB anticipates offering excess capacity to private providers with the goal of improved broadband service options for residents and businesses.
   

Electricity 

Yampa Valley Electric Association is a locally owned and controlled electric cooperative providing service to more than 26,000 residential, commercial and industrial members in northwest Colorado and portions of Wyoming. According to YVEA, residential electric rates are the lowest of any electric cooperative in Colorado, and the association currently includes 15 percent renewable energy sources in its power portfolio.

Natural Gas 

Regional natural gas provider Atmos Energy serves all of Routt County and has a local office in Steamboat Springs. Atmos Energy has an efficiency program to assist residential and commercial customers available here.