Underline Infrastructure Services FTTP and Strategic Broadband Master Plan
- Private Sector
- Private Utilities
Market
- Fiber + Broadband
- Private + ISP
Services
- National
Locations
Challenge: Despite a conspicuous presence with high-technology and defense economic sectors, the Colorado Springs region has long suffered from a reputation of having essentially one choice for internet, with complaints about poor service, slow speeds, high prices, and a lack of what the FCC defines as broadband (25/3mbps).
Underline Infrastructure Services, LLC (Underline)—a company well-known for its designing, financing, constructing, and operating “open access” fiber optic networks—hired HR Green to advise them as to how best to bring Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) to the growing community. Underline engaged HR Green to first conceptualize the technical elements and assist in discussions with community leaders to ensure a successful FTTP initiative.
Solution: As the project was deemed feasible, Underline again engaged HR Green to lead the detailed engineering design supported by more than $100 million in private financing.
Starting in 30 square mile area, including the downtown urban core, Underline brought an unprecedented, truly state-of-the-art Fiber-to-the-Edge, Active Ethernet, Software Defined Network design. The fiber optic architecture designed by HR Green and installed and operated by Underline allows consumers to choose among a variety of ISPs.
The financial feasibility report done by HR Green is allowing Underline to be 100% financed by the private sector – without any reliance on government financial support.
Additional construction is underway in Fountain, south of Colorado Springs, and Underline is planning to expand into other areas of the Pikes Peak Region as well. The result is more than 100,000 consumers are scheduled to receive fiber broadband to their homes–increasing competition, enhancing speeds, and decreasing costs in many cases by more than 50%. Underline is providing low-cost or no-cost high-speed internet to thousands of underprivileged and low-income school children and residents helping them bridge the “digital divide.”
