MARBLE, CO – Don’t accuse Visionary Broadband of taking the easy way out. To the contrary, the more difficult and challenging, the more interesting.
Take the tiny town of Marble. It is nestled deep in the Colorado Rockies and boasts of an official
population of a mere 134 people; 413 homes and businesses if you include the surrounding areas. Visionary believes those 413 locations deserve high-speed internet service every bit as much as any other
rural American. Visionary is the company that’s made a name for itself by serving communities
in the rural West of the United States – communities that most ISPs wouldn’t bother to think
about. Communities like Marble, where Visionary just completed installation of broadband internet service.
Now the sparse number of residents and the few businesses that call Marble home have access
to high-quality fiber and wireless internet.
One of those businesses is Colorado Stone Quarries Pride of America Mine, for many years
known as the Colorado Yule Marble Quarry. The town of Marble is headquarters for the quarry.
As such it has a great need for 21st century technology. Old communication technologies say
those of the early to mid-20th century, the technologies the company had to use when it
produced stone for such iconic structures as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., had to
be replaced. Enter Visionary.
“Acquiring high-speed internet has been an improvement in all facets of our operation given the
secluded location of the Pride of America Mine. Reliable and high-speed internet has had a
positive impact allowing for better safety communications, ease of connecting with customers, and
increased information sharing. This allows for better coordination regarding safety procedures
and quicker more consistent responses,” said Daniel Penfield, Safety Manager for Colorado
Stone Quarries.
The new service, an $890,000 project, is a partnership of Visionary, the Colorado Broadband
Development Board and Holy Cross Energy Co-op. It creates not just internet service to Marble
and the town’s famous quarry, it fills in the missing links so that the entire Crystal River valley,
from Marble and McClure’s Pass to Carbondale, is now served by FTTH (industry parlance for
Fiber to the Home).
Anyone who has ventured into the spectacular, rugged terrain in and around Marble knows that
construction of any kind there is difficult.
“You know Marble is not really flat, not square, and doesn’t have typical allies with power poles.
It can be tricky getting fiber from pole to the home, but we are getting folks of Marble
connected to future-proofed internet and providing them an affordable, reliable option,” said
Derek Morrow, Field Services Supervisor for Visionary.
About Visionary Broadband:
Visionary Broadband was founded in 1994 in a rural community in Wyoming. It is a homegrown
company that has developed technical abilities with a focus on reliability. Today, the rural
internet provider serves five states and has a proven track record of connecting the most rural
communities, bringing a commitment of efficiency, reliability and affordability to its customers.
To learn more visit, https://www.vcn.com/
Image Credit: Jeffrey Beall