The Divide: How Federal Funds and Horses Brought Broadband to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

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Estimated listening time: 25 minutes

Why This Matters for Rural Electric Co-ops

This episode is the backstory behind a well-known co-op fiber program, told by a DMEA executive. The useful part for a board is how Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) decided. Community members pushed the board to open up the fiber it had built for its electric substations, the board commissioned a full business case to confirm the venture would be sustainable, and the co-op used a demand-mapping tool to build first where interest was strongest before voting unanimously to proceed.

It also shows how grant funding can help reach terrain that would otherwise be too costly to serve. A $5.6 million pandemic-recovery grant plus a $3 million match funded a hard-terrain build to the Black Canyon area, where the contractor used horses to pull fiber through the roughest stretches, and the national park can now run operations like admissions and concessions that failed on DSL. A co-op can use this to get ideas on how to validate demand and how to reach its hardest-to-serve areas.

Key Takeaways

Implementation Considerations

• Cost or Funding Requirements: The hardest terrain was funded by a federal pandemic-recovery grant plus a match. Co-ops should expect to combine outside grants with their own capital for the most remote segments.
• Staffing or Technology Requirements: Hard-terrain builds can demand specialized contractors and methods. Co-ops should scope difficult terrain realistically and budget for slower, costlier construction.
• Time-Sensitive Information: The pandemic-recovery funding used here is no longer available, and DMEA's remaining premises depend on a state BEAD application. BEAD is under federal review that may deprioritize fiber, so co-ops should not assume the same funding path.

Notable Examples

• Delta-Montrose Electric Association: Has built fiber to about 85 percent of its members and used a $5.6 million pandemic-recovery grant plus a $3 million match to reach 1,700 premises in the Black Canyon area.
• Elevate Internet: DMEA's wholly owned fiber subsidiary, launched in 2016, delivering the service.
• Lightworks Fiber & Consulting: Contractor that built the hard-terrain Black Canyon segment, using horses to pull fiber through the roughest stretches.

Listen to Episode

Estimated listening time: 25 minutes