Courier photo by John Waters Residents of Sangre de Cristo Ranches in Costilla County could have the fastest Internet speeds in Colorado by next year. Pictured here is the Blanka Array taken from SDCR.
COSTILLA COUNTY — Blanca Telecom is proposing to provide high-speed broadband Internet to approximately 100 households in the Sangre de Cristo Ranches (SDCR) subdivision of Costilla County.
According to Jordan Wehe with Blanca Telecom, the company already provides additional service to residents near this building, and the company has submitted the necessary permit documents to Costilla County.
Ben Dunn, Costilla County Chief Administrative Officer, offered this update on the permitting process.
“Blanca Networks submitted a special use application to our Planning and Zoning office last week to install fiber along Luke and Sonora roads in the Sangre de Cristo Ranches subdivision,” Dunn said. “A special use review requires a public hearing before Planning. Commission and public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners. Our land use administrator is working to hold a hearing before the Planning Commission at the June 14th meeting. It then has to go before county commissions for several weeks. after that.”
Dunn added that commissioners will brief residents on the permitting process at their June 6 meeting without making a decision.
Several residents asked their commissioners to approve the permit request. In a letter to Commissioner Robert Espinoza, SDCR resident Nicole Langley wrote; “As you know, technology has changed quite a bit since the pre-Web days of Blanca Telephone canvas ‘bag phones’ and Yagi antennas. Today, while the remaining antennas. As the world moves into the 21st century, our neighborhood, like many other rural areas, has been left behind. Many of us are elderly or retired, and for medical and social reasons we need fast and reliable ways to get in touch. the world. Economic times are tough, so some of us are finding ways to make money by teaching, consulting, or selling online. And for all of us, opportunities for education, artistic expression, professional development, or remote work simply don’t exist because we don’t have access to high-speed Internet, we need your help.”
Espinoza told the Valley Courier he would look into the matter and respond later.
Fiber optic construction will bring multi-service to home-based residents.
Business owner and SDCR resident Steve Navratil told the Valley Courier. “Having a reliable Internet connection is absolutely critical to my business, Colorado Digital Labs, Inc. Customers in the US and abroad. Everything from the microprocessors, electronic components, special equipment and materials that go into building a CDL must come from outside suppliers from around the world.”
The process of bringing a new service to an area is a four-step process, Wehe says. The first step is design work, where the company consults with local authorities for a customs plan. The second step is to build and connect the fiber paths. Step three is connecting the fiber lines and connecting the underground vaults. Step four is installation and the screws visit the residences to get things up and running. Wehe said Blanca Networks is currently between steps one and two.
Residents have access to broadband internet, one and two gigabytes at the same upload and download speeds, which Wehe says are the fastest speeds in Colorado.
If the permitting process goes smoothly, Wehe says construction is slated to begin later this summer, and the full connection will be available in the summer of 2024.
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