In spite of voting for measures to be taken to improve internet capabilities in Grand Junction two years ago, complaints about the lack of high speed internet, otherwise known as broadband, continue to be voiced. Colorado Mesa University is less concerned about the issue with regard to its own capabilities as it is with how better broadband can affect the community.
In 2005, Colorado Senate Bill 05-152 went into effect and took away the ability of city and county leaders to negotiate with broadband internet service providers. Ten years later, a majority of Grand Junction voters moved to override the bill and allow the city of Grand Junction to take steps toward improving the quality of internet available.
This was seen as a necessary step for economic growth in a region of the state that has a relatively stagnant economy when compared to front range cities. In the wake of the 2015 vote, both the economy and the internet have remained approximately the same.
CMU is not personally too concerned with the issue as it pertains to how the university functions.
“I think this has been kind of a non-issue for the campus,” Vice President of Student Services John Marshall said. “[…] our pipeline has increased by an order of magnitude every couple of years.”
Marshall stated the bigger challenge for CMU related to the “town” on campus with an estimated 2,500 residents. Students that live on campus, watching movies and streaming music creates a load on internet capabilities that extend beyond educational purposes of the classrooms and library to the personal use in residential complexes.
In response to increasing load, CMU continues to expand its pipeline. Marshall compared it to chairs in church. As capacity nears 95 percent or greater, more chairs are added so people don’t stop coming to church. In like manner, CMU monitors bandwidth usage and increases capacity as it nears its limits.
“You’ve got to have some flex in there so that when you and I get on YouTube to watch the latest absurdity, you can stream it in real time, right away,” Marshall. “And so I think for us, we’ve just continued to increase the size of that pipe.”
Marshall attended the city presentations two years ago, heard the complaints and understood why it has been more an issue for the community than it has been for CMU.
“Part of it is just a function of cost and resources. There’s very few entities that have the resources a university can to get the fiber,” Marshall said. “I mean, it’s expensive.”
Though CMU is not directly affected by broadband capabilities outside the campus, there is an indirect way that poor quality affects the university. That is through the school’s connection to the community.
“From a community standpoint, I’ll […] say the more broadband that’s available for business, for small business, that’s really important. That’s how the community changes. That’s how we get entrepreneurs.That’s how you guys graduate and start your own small businesses,” Marshall said. “You’ve got, you know affordable access to high-speed internet. That’s really important for small business.”
For CMU, the issue of better broadband for Grand Junction is a matter of partnering with the community to create a business-friendly environment that will pay off in economic growth. If businesses thrive around the university and partner with CMU, the university can also continue to grow and expand its influence.
