Unofficial results show that the city of Longmont’s telecommunications measure, 2A, has passed by a large margin.
The county clerk and recorder’s office shows that 60.82 percent of the votes were in favor of 2A, while 39.18 percent were opposed.
2A allows the city of Longmont to begin fully using the fiber-optic network it installed in 1997.
Currently, the majority of the fibers in the 17-mile network are unused, and the city is exploring the creation of its own municipal telecommunications utility. The ballot question was needed because of legislation passed in 2005 that prohibits cities from offering telecommunication services without sending it to the ballot. (Some say that law was passed at the behest of major telecommunications companies like CenturyLink and Comcast.)
The last time this question came before Longmont voters in 2009, the Colorado Cable Telecommunications Association was the primary contributor to a $250,000 No Blank Check campaign that successfully defeated the measure. Industry opponents claimed that the initiative could put Longmont residents at financial risk, and they point out that the city already has plentiful options when it comes to telecommunications services.
But every Longmont City Council member and candidate who responded to a Boulder Weekly questionnaire was in favor of the measure.
