The town of Rico will not experience a break in Internet connectivity next month.
That’s according to Rico’s new Internet service provider Direct Communications, which operates the Rico Telephone Company. Rico’s previous Internet service provider, Farmers Telecommunications, announced in late December that it would stop providing Internet service within the town. But Brigham Griffin, marketing director of Direct Communications, says the Rico Telephone Company is ready to take over Internet service at the beginning of February. The company is planning updates to its Internet infrastructure, which Griffin says will improve Rico’s Internet capacity into the future. Direct Communications also reached an agreement with Farmers Telecom to carry high-speed Internet traffic out of Rico. Griffin says Internet prices and fees will stay the same, and there is no need for Rico residents to search for another company.
Colorado governments also support bringing broadband to rural communities like Rico. Southwest Colorado Council of Governments Executive director Myriam Gillow-Wiles tells KSJD that government can work with internet providers develop their networks to increase redundancy and reliability. The town of Rico is part of the Council of Governments, and Gillow-Wiles says she has notified the Colorado Governor’s office of information technology about Rico’s internet situation. In his State of the State address on Thursday, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper pledged to deliver broadband to all parts of Colorado by 2020.
