Low Density Disregard

I travel quite a bit in countries that are taking on the challenges of developing their economies. A major priority in less developed countries, particularly in remote regions, is access to electricity and internet connectivity. Over the years, I'm consistently shocked to return home and find how little reliable access I have had to these basic public utilities for the past 35 years (enjoying much more sophisticated and reliable connectivity in remote jungles of Central and South America, The Caribbean, The Tahitian Islands, and Savannas of African Countries).

Until 2012, Dial Up Speed was the only option for my home which is located about two miles outside of Boulder City proper. Extended electrical outages were also very common and remained so until the last few years. In 2013, the phone company did provide high-speed internet access via landline, but decided that the lack of density in the foothills wasn't worth the expense and quickly discontinued that service. Satellite connectivity did eventually find its way to our foothills homes, an expensive and unreliable nightmare from shoddy internet companies like Hugesnet and Viasat. Until Starlink opened its availability in 2023, I've been wrestling with unreliable, expensive and slow, low-data, internet issues. Yes - only for the past two years have we had reliable, affordable, fast internet!! This is Boulder, Colorado!!

My understanding is that GoldHill and other residents further up the canyon do have fiber optic connectivity due to an upgrade in repairs from the devastation of the 2010 fire. My point is that reliable electric and internet connectivity in the foothills, has never been enough of a concern for utility companies or our county government. Will it take another fire like in 2010 for us to upgrade the current state of our wildly out-of-date electrical equipment? My argument is that it is the responsibility of our electrical service provider to do so proactively, to do so now! I do not know the details on why we had to wait for three days after the major winds subsided to finally see our lights on again, but it seems obvious that the re-connectivity issue after wind events would also be solved by upgraded equipment.

Our property taxes have skyrocketed over the past few years, leaving many old-time residents no option but to sell their homes and move to affordable locations (the reason prop 13 in California was established - something else for Boulder County to consider). Can Boulder County reasonably hold the argument that our foothills properties are worth their assessed value without access to the basic utilities of electricity and internet?

We must look honestly at these issues. At how far behind Boulder has fallen and the extent of this negligence in providing electricity from a dangerously outdated electrical infrastructure. At the inescapable truth concerning how life-threatening the situation has become. Our attention must shift to solving this negligence and providing safe and reliable electricity, and - maybe throw in some broadband connectivity while we're at it. We have established that the current situation is dangerous, negligent and life-threatening. What would be the responsibility of any company when faced with this truth?