 Good evening and welcome to the backstory my name is Tim Waters and as a volunteer for Longmont public media I have the good fortune of hosting the backstory which is an opportunity to share with Longmoners Stories about topics of interest that you won't get a chance to read about in the in the newspaper or the local news sources and tonight By the way, this is a live program This is the first of our backstories that we've done in studio with a live studio audience and Your audience is going to have a chance to ask questions and with live guests tonight who I'll introduce in just a moment So if you're watching this tonight, it's May 19th It's coming to you live with all of the risks of live television. So we'll see how that goes If you're not watching tonight, you're going to watch this as a recording You won't have a chance to call in and ask questions at some later day But tonight this the topic is Focused on one of Longmont's greatest assets next slide Really a differentiator for Longmont what differentiates Longmont from so many other communities is our municipally owned Internet service provider and to tell the story of Longmont tonight is Valerie Dodd the executive director of next light Dennis Pappas our network director by the way a couple of cameras go and you can look right out there I'm looking at this one over here and Bruce Brian Kavanaugh, who is the founder and co-CEO of Streamwise and Part of the fun the fun part of this story We're gonna talk about where we've come from where we are and where we're headed and Streamwise is a big part of that story so Welcome to our guests. Welcome to the studio audience and let's get started Valerie I'm gonna ask you to get it going You get to the degree that you want to talk about yourselves your backgrounds kind of what brought you to the work I'll leave that to you right, but really you're the one who gets to started talking about what is the back story? What did we come from with next life? Yeah, I will refrain from talking about myself because if I said I had 30 years experience in the business I'd sound kind of old so I won't say that but I do and So really in terms of next light the story the back story is probably longer than you think so next light is Going to be celebrating its eighth birthday this year But the concept for fiber internet really began back in 1996 so that was when you had PRPA and LPC getting together saying it'd be really cool who are PRPA and LPC Flat River power authority and Longmont power and communications and so those two entities got together and said wow We need to connect all of our electric substations with a fiber ring So they created the fiber ring This was about the time that internet really started cranking and people started understanding what fiber internet was about And so it got the community really excited So city leaders partnered with the company and said hey We want help building the business case and the network plan to deploy a fiber based broadband service unfortunately that company went belly up and Also, unfortunately as we and other units municipalities around the country are really starting to talk about Building their own internet because maybe they didn't have the speeds that they wanted Then what happened is you had the competition wake up So the sleeping giant maybe a cable operator that you might think of and some telcos and other companies started getting in front of legislators and Next thing you know, Colorado legislators passed Senate bill 152 Which said municipalities really can't get into the telecom space the cable TV space the internet space So that was very frustrating. So we have Senate bill 115 152 now in in our way So we decided well, we can overturn it It's got to go to a local ballot And so we're going to take it to the voters and we'll try to get that repealed so that we can control our own destiny well What happened as soon as we take it to a local ballot vote another one of those large cable companies Spends several hundred thousand dollars providing information to the community that might have been confusing and maybe I'll leave it at that and so what happened is the vote did not Repeal Senate bill 152. I think voters got scared. They didn't understand what was happening. This was a local This was our opportunity our opportunity just like de-taberizing. We got a chance to D. 152 Right exactly. There just wasn't enough information And I think people got scared about their tax dollars and what was going to happen And I think that's you know was the intent of the competitor They didn't want us dipping into their revenue stream So next thing you know you've got Google going into the fiber internet business And so Google was searching to find a city to be the first gig city in the country There were eleven hundred applicants of which Longmont was one and Longmont was on the very short list Which is super cool. So they ended up choosing Kansas City So they did not come here as you all well know But what did happen is it woke people up and it said wow It got people salivating at the idea of having having a fiber-based solution here So next time we take it to the ballot guess what it wins overwhelmingly So that really did pave the way for next light and in 2014 We put a shovel in the ground the first of the year and by the end of the year we had customers in service So talk given given that history You put shovels on the ground with a mission, right both a mission and a vision for what next light was It could become One thing is we don't want to be like everybody else. That's one thing But the vision really is a fully connected Longmont. It doesn't mean we're going to just select areas with high density Or areas with certain demographics We're going to really make sure that every single household and premise and business in the community has access to a world of Possibilities and they're empowered to really live and function really well in this digital age And so that's the vision is really we want everyone connected. It's not about profitability Dennis and I have worked in places Maybe one of those competitors where it was about profitability and there were plenty houses You didn't choose to build to or didn't pass the business case Everything passes. We don't do a business case We're here for the purpose of making sure everyone has a fiber connection and fiber is you know The state of the art the way to go Dennis can talk about that in a few minutes But so next light operates within the context of the city as a nonprofit Share holders in Wall Street We worry about connections and then the other thing that I think that we do and that's part of our daily mission is Making sure that our customer experience is exceptional. We know that people sometimes need a help with technology It doesn't come easy for everyone. We are there seven days a week to provide technical support for people We have Spanish language technicians and customer service reps We're truly trying to make sure that we're helping everyone in our community get online. I drove down a little bit more on Accessibility, what are you doing? To ensure that all long models are everyone within the catchment area within the service area has access Yeah, because really accessibility is Everything and it's like you know if we're talking about connections. It's it's got to be acceptable excuse me accessible And to me accessibility is two things. It's physical access and to its affordability So in terms of physical access Dennis and his team work every day to make sure every apartment every duplex every quadplex every Mobile home park every neighborhood is turned up with fiber So accessibility first and foremost is getting that fiber to every location and then second of all It's really making sure that there are live bodies for people. You can come down the street You can find a live rep English speaking Spanish speaking Someone that'll be really patient with you and and explain some of our services We have after hours payment so that if you don't work a traditional hour or traditional nine-to-five job Well, I don't know who does that anymore, but You can just certainly come down and make a cash payment if you only want to deal in cash That's great with us We just want to be really accommodating and so that's the accessibility piece from a physical perspective And then from the affordability perspective We have very competitive excellent rates for those that can afford a traditional gigabit service for $69 But we also recognize not everyone can and really it's about equity not necessarily equality And so even before the pandemic and before the federal government came out with some subsidies We next light created a program called sharing the next light whereby families that were participating maybe in a free and reduced lunch program They could sign up and they could get free internet at their homes Because we wanted to make sure and I think this is one of your big things is no child gets left behind And it's really important that early childhood Development happens and occurs and really you know access to the digital world is part of that So now we went from having the sharing the next light program Then we realized well, that's still a little bit confining to people with student students at home Well, then the pandemic hit and as soon as the pandemic hit hit we all went home Well, guess what not everyone got a connect has a connection or you know got to go home to a connected home So we quickly introduced some discounted pricing and we had a $15 internet offer So that was great. We sold hundreds of those very quickly Fortunately, it was a year ago. I believe in 2021 When the FCC kind of caught up and said, you know what we need to further enable this And so they gave subsidies up to $50 per household for internet connections, which We were already doing you know the $25 discount But now what this meant is that families regardless of children at home and and supported by the federal government not locally Could get free internet also at that time I'm really proud to say as we had all these people at home We took our 25 meg entry level offer and we said we're going to quadruple it So with no cost no added cost to any of our customers. We started offering one met 100 meg Symmetrical which cable does not do so it's 100 meg up and 100 meg down So that's really important if you're on a video call in a video classroom or what have you so We've done a number of things To ensure affordability. Lastly the FCC changed their program. They went from an emergency broadband benefit program ebb To acp, which is affordable connectivity program. They lowered their subsidy from $50 down to $30 But we said, you know what I'm not going to start charging these people internet So we're absorbing that within our budget and so we're adding a 10 to $20 subsidy depending if they get 100 meg Or one gigabit service for $20 So we think we've done our part in terms of access and affordability. All right, some of those Letters the ebb and the acc. Well, hopefully the viewers will know what all that meant I won't press you on it. So Uh Do you have any idea I as I said here? I don't know how many municipally owned or internet service providers that are on the united states It's a good question. I should know that and it's probably in the 20 to 40 range. It's not many given the number of cities It's not a lot, but it's growing rapidly We know there we know that there are municipalities in In colorado that have wanted to try to hook on to what we're doing And we have sub now that are creating their own But it has been a differentiator We know we have businesses that part of our economic development efforts people who come to long month because of utility rates What we've done with water and um, and their access to low cost high reliability Fastness in the world. Yeah, internet service. So in fact Those data those facts have resulted in uh featuring next slide in a in a Documentary Talk a little bit about the documentary that we that people will have a chance to see Well, it's funny because when I took the job and I didn't I mean I knew how great What long month was it doing was? Um, but the phone rate rings a lot a lot of people from around the country asking questions and and so in fact That's how I met brian as he called to do an interview with me for a blog that he writes And I was like we need to continue this conversation. Um, but anyway phone rings once again And it's a producer from um a show called denise quade's viewpoint And it's a mini documentary format and denise quade Uses that platform to go find social issues to educate people Um about various things if it's equity inclusion digital divide and that was what um, they were calling us about So clearly I said we want to do a story on digital divide They did a little research and guess who kept popping up long months. So we got the phone call which was super cool So we worked with their producers Unfortunately, not denise quade himself But with the producers and created a five minute documentary that's really nice It kind of tells our story and some of the things I just talked about in terms of the access piece of it Dr. Haddad at the st. Frain Valley school district the superintendent He spoke on the behalf of the network that we built for the school system Many years back and how they wouldn't be functioning You know without the affordable fantastic reliable network We built and then of course our city manager, you know herald demigas was Featured in that and did a great job telling the story and the vision for us So really exciting that we created this mini documentary It's airing in about five different media markets In the next month or so and then it will be distributed to I think 170 public tv stations in the country to run You know indefinitely to tell the story and to show other cities that again you can control your own destiny So you wanted denise quade and you got tim waters I'm so sorry about that Where with where with what where with long monitors have a chance to to see this? We will be posting that On our website. I'm sure that we'll be partnering with longmont public media to get it produced and published as well So we'll make sure it's out But if you were Happen to be watching cnn msnbc headline news fox news really over the next couple of weeks You're very likely to see the five minute video I will look for it And is there is there a title that we ought to be particularly viewpoint with denise quade And then on what next light as the as the focusing. Yes, so my solutions. I'm sure we'll be bringing that out to the next Excellent, excellent, right. We're going to get a chance to learn more about that. How we access it through you So what's this? How have you got what's the scale right now of Of the rollout Are you getting how many customers do you have or are you where you want to be in terms of numbers? We far exceeded the business case or the feasibility study We've been really fortunate That we have and part of it. I really do credit to lpc Longmont power communication because they've done a good job for a hundred years providing highly reliable very affordable electric service So I think the city has demonstrated and through your leadership has demonstrated a commitment to the community And there was a real sense of trust and so I think the adoption came quickly also We have a superior product in the market and so I think we originally looked at penetration rates in the Ballpark at 35 percent and we're around 60 percent now So it's exceptional, but it's never high enough I I hate that other people are suffering with other services when they could have Our fiber-fest internet. So um 60 take rate Results in some revenues. Yeah, that would have exceeded what your estimates were originally And we're in the process of servicing debt the city authorized creating some debt to pay for the cost of this So is this a good time to talk about revenues and and how you're using them especially in terms of debt service Yeah, I'm happy to um, so we took a bond out and we will have no issue paying the bond back by 2029 So we are exceeding our customer account which equates to revenue for the most part We have over 25,000 customers and right now we've about an annual revenue of about 20 million dollars So that's on average about 66 dollars per customer including business customers and including some of those subsidized customers So, uh, the trajectory looks really favorable and once we start paying down that debt You know, which is almost five million dollars a year. That's cash And then that cash is you know, what do we do with that next and we reinvest that back in the community That's another reason it makes me. Yeah I feel challenged and um excited to get the remaining customers on with us because their dollars will stay in the community Well, I want to come back to that because in the this this is about where we've come from Where we are and what to anticipate I want to anticipate is what we're going to do with those dollars and that's where streamlice comes in and in some of the other I know Aspects of the vision, but I'm going to give you a chance to take a deep breath And Dennis I'm going to ask you now to pick this up um Where are we uh, in terms of the build out of of the infrastructure, right? That that needs to be out there if we wanted to get to a hundred percent take right for everybody You know of the 45,000 Living units in Longmont. We've built out to about 95 percent of them And so we're nearing the finish line on the build out. I say that But then realize, you know, we're we continue to annex Now on the north side of 66 where we don't have a presence We have plans to to poke under 66 and get our fiber over there so we can start serving The mdu's that are going in there and and some of the other Subdivisions that are over there that haven't had our service in the past. So Our real focus is just trying to keep up with the growth There there are some trailer parks and mdu's in town that Have exclusive marketing agreements with and and charge and companies get door fees So we haven't been able to get into those There's been some action taken by the FCC in the past this year And we expect to see some relief to where folks that even live in those The trailer parks and the apartment complexes are going to have a choice now who they want For their for their broadband provider. So an mdu would be a multifamily dwelling Correct is what mdu's and and I know we've we've heard a lot from residents in multifamily Housing projects or or developments Their acts their difficulty their disappointment that they can't get access or connected to next light So what should they know now going forward? I think what they should know is soon there'll be some relief and they will be able to come to us and ask for us to provide service a great example Not that we were blocked from getting in there, but grand view meadows, which is over by silver creek high school We were able to do a build into that development in 2021 About mid-year and we're against two competitors there formidable And in a in a very short period of time with very little marketing We almost have a third of the residents that are already on the network on the next light network. Yeah, great so We hear a lot about the reasons why people might want to be Take advantage of the opportunity to access next next light Part of that speed so talk about the speed of Of this network and what people can actually access and take advantage of Well, as it's advertised and we've been recognized in pc magazine We're a gig city And we provide symmetrical one gig service to every one of our customers We have Three different paths out a long line So that from a redundancy standpoint if something were to happen catastrophic along one of the paths on i-25 There would be within milliseconds the network switches over We have our traffic spread amongst all three of those paths if anyone gets hit We have the capacity on the other two to So that nobody will notice any difference in their viewing, you know, whatever they're viewing I think More than the gig service though and valerie touched on it very briefly is The fact that that we're local And it's just not that you know, we say we're local you're going to talk to someone here, but the the technicians The technicians weren't people that have been in this business like me and i'll go ahead and state my time for 40 years I've been in this business You know, we've got tech we have technicians that were Plumbers and garage door installers and and gentlemen that worked in the oil fields and all this stuff So they really grew up Learning this network and knowing this network and they all live in the community So really, you know, if you have a if you have an issue We had an issue with a customer who I believe was over the weekend on sunday And we are out there and we took care of it Our response time is Uh is amazing and we receive It's so nice to live in a community where we receive kudos for what you know for what you do And the stories, you know Happened weekly where you know, we talked about we had a young man that just started with us and he was recognized for just how Pleasant he was he helped a person, you know, make sure that all their equipment was installed working correctly and the networking was done So I think it's that local piece and then the pride that all of our All of our technicians and our csrs and our tsrs Which are kind of our technical service reps and our customer service reps take in in helping our customers So you mentioned not just on the west side of town, but i'm certain in other places the two competitors you have Can you talk about the differences in In working with next light from those competitors in terms of some of the features you've just described What do you what's what's possible are available through network through next light that they wouldn't a customer wouldn't experience With your competitors. There are um now some upgrades being done in town from some of our competitors That will get you a gig service, but it's not symmetrical. It's asymmetrical Which means you have a higher upload speed than you do the download speeds The calling when you when you call in a case of trouble With our competitors You're not speaking with anybody local and chances are the time frame in which somebody's going to be out there is at least Overnight the next day if not a couple days. We don't have call centers in around the world So so I came from And our call center was in the Philippines And it was very from a technician standpoint It was very frustrating and we understood it was going on So I can't imagine from a customer standpoint how frustrating it had to be for them Well, and I I know just enough about your backgrounds I know you all came out of that world right to be kind of doing what you're doing now So you really have first-hand practical experience with with those differences. Um, so you mentioned reliability and and High reliability is critical Redundancies that are required to achieve that and my guess is If I if I started mentioning nines, you would say we we are five nines reliable So you might talk about what that means and how do you get there and maintain them? Five nines means that our our services up 99.999 of the time And we measure that basically just on the report rate that we have So to give you an example Other competitors in the marketplace run probably a three to five percent report rate, which means That's how many troubles case of troubles they have per 1,000 lines is five percent Ours is a 0.9 percent Fibers are very reliable a very reliable medium copper you know electricity electrical influence water Damages we have about 15 percent of our plant here in in long month. That's aerial Squirrels wreak havoc with that aerial plant We have an effort we we have an initiative underway right now where we're starting to replace The aerial plant with either armored cable. They can't chew through it or it takes them a lot longer to chew through it Or we're we're going to start burying Some of those some of that aerial line that has been damaged multiple times Well, we expect five nines reliability when it comes to water Electricity right it likes to go on every time and to have that kind of reliability with internet services Critical right and and and not common I think and for most users. Yes So we're clear right now what your service area is you mentioned Burrowing under or drilling under 66 and we won't get into discussions about annexation tonight We do the we'll do save that for another for another time, but Assuming there will be Your service area will grow What is your vision for how large the service area becomes are you going to stay inside? Is there a definition? Boundary for what what you'll serve would you serve outside of that whatever that boundary is right now per the bond? It says that we serve within longmont and within the power footprint lpc footprint, which opens up for us hygiene It opens up lions to a certain degree. I think most of lions My plan is we just So there are six phases the way the network was built around the city Most of those phases are in substations we just Built phase seven, which is at the county line substation We're doing a test today. It's pretty exciting day around the place. Um, we have our first 10 gig customer We don't know how much uh, how much demand there's going to be for that service But there there is some need from a you know day trader gamer standpoint for the 10 gig service and we reinstalled our first one today. So I really see us go in west I think there's also some other opportunities to do some partnering Um, we've invested a lot of money in a device to help curtail DOS attacks that They're their attacks of somebody can launch on your internet service to slow it down And it was expensive to the tune of probably close to a million dollars They have these scrubbers that scrub the data and everything Um for Collins longmont for Collins level in estus park There's really no need for them to make the investment in a tool like that So we'll work with them to see maybe if we can transport all their traffic and run it through our scrubbers and then ship it back to them I think frankly, there's the same capability for our friends that are under the interstate to the east here in Frederick and Firestone to They don't have to invest in all the back office Expenses that we had to invest in you know, we could do dispatching for them. We could do billing for them. We could Uh, you know be a call center We just opened up a network operation center a knock It's over at the um at our building over here on Sherman Sherman street We could even take calls for them into our network operation center, which is a 24 by 7 network operation center So to do that kind of expansion is there new technology emerging technologies? What's what would require be required technologically speaking to do that kind of Extender reach in ways you're describing. So I Got here two and a half years ago. I think roughly Um, we've really set the table to have the technology already in place And the capacity that we needed to do what exactly what i'm talking about today So without much more additional expense, we can do we can do everything that I wanted That I want to do and I see us doing in the next few years so with with what denis is is describing in terms of capability capacity right now Back to Valerie Are there other services? That um next light is prepared to offer in addition to access to a great big pipe right depend with That an internet service provider makes available. What else? Yeah, certainly because I think of it as the Foundational fundamental thing you do is you put the big pipe in we kind of call it a big fat dump pipe Um, and it's not this big it's this big So um, but I would hate to say our internet's this, you know, um So we understand fiber is really small. It is very small glasses like hair. It's tiny and so um, we've got the the high capacity pipe into the household and I we call it dump because it's it's just connectivity We want to make that a smart tool. We want people To be able to fully connect their home all of their devices have a smart thermostat that knows when to turn the ac on When to turn it off it manages your electric consumption So it really helps people be smarter and and also wiser about how they spend their money And so we really think that there's an opportunity to expand within the household Um other services that we offer today and I'll include the tv component is so certainly we offer 100 meg symmetrical and a gig Symmetrical internet then we have digital phone which is sort of a hybrid between a voip phone And between a traditional landline it but it gives you the security for those people that want the security the backup They need a medical alert. It's a wonderful option for them And then we've recently kind of concurrent with um the new Streaming and antenna tv services. We rolled out what's called wi-fi 6 Which is the latest technology for wi-fi and some people get confused between wi-fi and internet You know internet is kind of your connection to your home Wi-fi is the router which propagates that Signal throughout your house. And so this latest technology And brian, you know will speak to it is phenomenal And so now you just have one little router and it might hit, you know two stories of your home or the backyard or The far reaches of you know someone's bedroom. So that's really a cool thing this new wi-fi 6 technology So we love that and then really we're realizing to help people and to get people off their dependency of cable and maybe dish or A satellite type service Then it's like we need to help them and so I want to make sure again that We are helping the community get connected to all of the services they need and making that big dump pipe Really usable for them. And so the next obvious step for us was we need help Helping people cut the cord It's really a dynamic business in the entertainment which is also kind of a word for tv Business because it's changing constantly. We can't manage that. That's not our core competency And we want to stick with our core competency, which really is mostly the fiber piece So that's when really brian and stream my solutions came in and feel devoid for us It's not for everybody a lot of people Have already, you know switched and cut the cable cord or kicked the dish or whatever it may be But we find it to be a really valuable partnership And i've never seen a partner as committed to the customer as we are and the results in the surveys show that So we're really excited and proud of that partnership. All right, well, we're gonna And i was gonna say i was gonna add one other thing about a partnership. We are doing a An lte wireless build in partnership with saint brian lte which is which is Oh I didn't mean to say why i was trying to test you just But it's an unlicensed spectrum. It's a wireless type of service that we're doing. There's about 4200 students in longmont That are on the free and reduced lunch program A lot do not have access to internet service Again, you know, it could be in those apartment complexes that have marketing agreements and stuff So we are setting up a wireless network That these students will be able to access with jet packs that the school district is going to provide to them And they'll be able to get on Our network wirelessly and again have a free service so that they can access their schoolwork So it makes it more ubiquitous you bet Where we're pivoting now we've we've heard the back story. We've kind of learned about where we came from Where we are now we're talking about where we're headed and that and you've made this pivot and Brian Kavanaugh, you're part of that future. So you you Came out of the same background and and now have co-founded something called streamwise. Yeah talk about what streamwise is How it becomes kind of a custom tv service Yeah, I mean we have a lot of the same background coming from kind of big corporate telecom and tv and We saw a lot of the things that were broken and needed to be fixed. Um I'm the founder and co-CEO of streamwise solutions. So Obviously, I'd seen a lot of what was going on there and realized that there was just a lot of either misinformation or lack of information So that's why I created streamwise solutions was to you know, be able to help people out really at the end of the day At a high level. I mean what we're all about is getting the best least expensive most flexible tv solution And really, you know, we have the traditional cable and satellite thing that's been going on for for way too long And people are obviously frustrated with it by looking at some of the nps scores and Things that are happening there over the years But for us it's more about There's this change happening, you know, just the first quarter of this year alone Two million people have cut the cord from cable and satellite You know, it's just obviously steamrolling and getting worse and worse The problem is though, it's just it's really confusing for a lot of folks. They're not techie. They're just busy They don't have time to kind of figure it all out. So that's really where we come in is is, you know, to fit that space I should have mentioned For for those who are viewing can I and may watch this as a recording? You're not quite a native son I think you shared that you your your family moved to the area when you were one year old We're raising along when you're not a resident now, but you're but you've come home to do this work So yeah, I spent basically about half my life here in long months. So so near and dear to my heart for sure So let's now then build down on how we stream wise as a solution different from Cable options or satellite work a little more specific. Sure. So we're not a service provider. So really at the end of the day We're not somebody you're going to like a traditional cable and satellite and saying, hey, here's my 200 channels a month for $200 a month That model's broken and we believe it's broken at least and I think obviously two million people in the first quarter 2022 think it's broken too So what we're about is we can get you the same channels. We can get you the same services dvr hd, you know, whatever you need We just do it in a different fashion where we're bringing together A lot of different things Whether that's over the air antennas whether that's streaming Obviously the next light partnership makes a lot of sense because we're helping people and we both have the same mindset there But it also brings in a lot of things like high speed internet and having like wi-fi 6 technology to be able to bridge the Not just the digital divide, but also just bridge kind of those Those confusing points and the fail points that really people run into when they're trying to cut the cord themselves and you know DIY and have it be Fail and be frustrating and difficult to use So, you know, we do a lot of different things kind of related to tv and internet and all that stuff And we're more of like a white glove type of service where You just sit back and relax and all that stress of trying to figure out where my cable channels are and is this going to work? Is it going to be easy to use? That's what we do because we've been doing it for 11 years Yeah, and what I really love about it Is I don't think people understand this whole antenna tv thing. It's no longer that giant ugly thing Again, i'm showing my age with the giant tv antenna because now the antenna is really small You put it on your rooftop and you you pay for the antenna you pay for the installation And you get 60 plus channels free into perpetuity. It is over the air It is just capturing that tv signal So people that just want to say i'm going to spend my couple hundred dollars and i'm done. I'm not paying for tv Um, that's a wonderful solution. So I love that piece of it. And then I personally said, okay I want you to come to my house. I'm too busy. I need help cutting the cord I've been a Satellite tv subscriber for a long time and they came in they put my wi-fi routers in my house They tested the signal to make sure it was reaching throughout the home and you know would get to my televisions As well as you know if i'm in the backyard on my laptop And then they helped me set up, you know my amazon fire stick And it was just really easy and then I get youtube tv because I get local channels and It was just it was very custom to what I needed and hear the channels. I want to watch brian Tell me what I need and he told me exactly what I need So somebody who wants to Get brian or somebody from his installation team to come to the house. They call you or they call us and then We will set up an appointment with them Yeah, we're handling the billing um for that um because we're trying to to own the customer relationship And then they are just really kind of a yeah a terrific partner behind the scenes So are there other services as if we have we described or presented the bundle of services that you that you make available Yeah, I mean good question tim so basically there's I kind of look at it as there's two sources for tv really in the world of court cutting there's The over-the-air hd antenna setup, which that's going to get you you know all your major local networks Every single broncos game all the major sporting events all the major really events the grammy's the oscars whatever All the top network shows so really the most expensive most watch shows ironically are totally free and better hd quality off of an antenna Um a lot of people make the mistake of buying the little cheap indoor antennas And they don't work and they're breaking up and you know, we never install indoor antennas We never will because we're really all about that's why we got nothing but five star reviews is just do it right the first time So it'll be rock solid and actually better than what they pay for with cable and satellite So that's kind of one option and that's like your base for tv maybe and you know, maybe for a third of Next-like customers. That's all they need And then the other side of the the equation is more of the second source for tv which is streaming and obviously that uses a backbone which is having You know Yep Next slide internet is obviously incredible compared to some of the other competition competitive offers out there that really aren't Competitive because they're more expensive and they don't work as good You know, so it's kind of a no-brainer to kind of pair those two together You haven't already I haven't done my job But anyway streaming is where you obviously get things like netflix and amazon prime and hulu and things like this Which to me are game changers people are realizing like Hey, i'm paying 10 $15 a month to netflix and i'm watching that 80 of the time and then i'm paying You know $200 a month for this big gigantic bundle of tv stuff over here to cable and satellite and i watch that like 10 10 20 percent of the time like why am i doing that? And that's what we help people obviously transition across And it's not just things like that, but you can actually get any cable channel you want So literally you could get any cable channel you want via streaming for a lot less money no contract So you're you're in control again. It's that flexibility No contract do what you want when you want in real competition So to clarify too, we're not a service provider We actually just recommend what is best for the customer. I know it's a really crazy concept But it's not the 200 channel bundle. We're not shoving something down your throat that you don't need We're having a consultation upfront and then actually saying hey this matches best for you Just an option. You can do whatever you want, but we'll put it all together for you You know do everything you need to get it so it sounds like you're part of the portfolio Of what gets offered you're the service provider and what you're offering includes This combination of right we call it custom tv solutions because it is different for every single person They really enable what people want and they disable all of that stuff that's been a burden And that has annual rate hikes and all those other things and probably not great customer service So if somebody hasn't or things they shouldn't call you They get access to brian or his installer. What kinds of challenges or problems do they typically experience? Well, if you're saying people that are kind of cutting the cord themselves and Yeah, I mean and that's certainly we actually support that like we're we're here to help in any respect We have a lot of resources on our website, you know on stream wise stream wise solutions We have a monthly blog that we we you know go out to again how baller and I met in the first place But at the end of the day, yeah, there is a lot of different challenges You know a lot of people do the indoor antenna thing and they're like, oh, it doesn't work I they give up and they go back to paying for cable and satellite A lot of people Set up a lot of piecemeal different things and different solutions and they have 10 remotes and they're changing inputs and they're frustrated It's difficult to use You know then they go back to paying for cable and satellite a lot of people Um can't find the channels they want or maybe they're stacking things So we actually were talking about that earlier before we were on air of you know You stack this you stack that you stack this and then you're paying more than you're paying for cable and satellite That makes no sense, right? Yeah, so for us like we've been doing this for a level probably longer than anybody else in the country quite frankly They were experts at it So we know all those little pitfalls and you know how to get around them and not have to even deal with them in the first place Um and you know really the other the other thing too is we're taking someone's bundle Let's say 200 a month with the old cable bundle and we're chopping it down with our partners with next light to You know 40 to 70 dollars a month worst case scenario and then you're adding on zero for tv Zero if you want a dvr Zero if you want extra tv so it's not the cable and satellite game where they nickel and dime you with Oh, you want a dvr? That's another ten dollars a month. You want to you know, so it's really Enabling people to put money back in their pockets and do what they want when they want with no contracts and just choose And it's putting money back into the city of loggamot really at the end of the day so um Is there a uh a typical kind of storyline for your customers when it comes to To straighten the use of streamlines that you could characterize people have found their way into this And um and they make the call What's the feedback you're getting from folks? I'll brag for you If you are so humble Because that was an important thing that they were as I mentioned earlier equally committed to the customer experience And so part of our contract with them is to maintain that level So they do what's called a net promoter score customer satisfaction survey Cable on average runs I think around five or ten for that score Some companies are negative number. They're in the 95 range in terms of customer satisfaction Customers are so thrilled. You're saving them money. They're so nice They spend as much time as they need to with them And so I just find that customers are saving money They feel like they were well cared for and they've made a smart decision. And so that's my yeah Thank you. Yeah, I mean much appreciate. I mean that honestly when I founded the business I kind of took everything that I had seen with the big corporate tv and telecom thing and I said, you know what? We need to do the exact opposite because it makes no sense to me. Why are people paying $200 a month? For somebody they Complain about every month like it's ludicrous really like there is no it's because they don't have options and because they don't Have the information they need to be able to make the decision and kind of make that change Which is really what we set up is we want to be not only the enabler But we also want to just not just talk about customer service, but truly like be customer service You so you've been doing kind of an r&d approach for a while And we some of us have heard about this new partner streamwise, you know and what might be coming You know as we move forward all this is available today. Yeah, you've been testing this for a while Right, so when did you start? Yeah, experimenting kind of iterating into where we are right now So we started last summer I think it was july when we really started getting things going and we did a little bit of a teaser campaign with some bus shelter advertising and things to just sort of Peak the curiosity of the marketplace and we had some really good obvious pent up demand And so we had a lot of customers in the beginning And we continue to get a lot of customers It's one of those things where it's hard to keep in front of people It's hard to break through all of the noise and to say no really we can simplify your life and reduce your bills You know and then it's you know the power of inertia and you know body You know sitting there. It's like oh my gosh. I don't have the energy in the time to go change But it's worth it because it saves them money and then you know like as in some instances you have free tv for life But we're continuing the partnership. We're working on a big marketing campaign right now So every time we you know put some marketing into the marketplace. We see a spike in sales So we're still trying to figure out What's the perfect media mix and message and part of why we're here tonight is we really want to tell our story Because we know it will help people and and we're really proud of what we're doing That's part of what we're doing with the back story, right? It's it is all storytelling Yeah, if I could add to that too tim I mean the thing that we've seen over the years because we've been doing this for 11 12 years now is People have been burned so much from switching from cable to satellite back to cable again that You put a message out there and people are like, oh, yeah, it's the same thing. I've been told for years Well, actually what we're doing is totally different. We're the anti-cable and satellite company So what we're doing is totally different, but it it takes a while to kind of bridge those gaps I mean that's part of the reason we kind of have the process that we have which is You can schedule a free consultation We'll just give you all the information you need We'll tell you exactly how much you're going to save every month from your old bundle We'll tell you exactly how much your one-time cost is exactly how much you're paying every month And obviously all the free options and hey if you want to go do it yourself. That's great if you need help You know because you're too busy because you're not techy whatever it is You want to make sure you're getting everything right not paying over paying for stuff Making it easy to use and that's where we step in So it's it's a pretty open process And we don't just install the hardware we actually go out and Literally demo people how to use it, you know because it's some of this is pretty new for for some people We actually support it. We have a bunch of online help videos, you know, we have A monthly newsletter, you know that just talks about new services and way to save money stuff like that So it's kind of like point a to point z and it's more of a white glove type of process too Because that's what people need it to be able to make that get the information Understand and get real information unbiased information because we we just want to give you the information to make your best decision We don't have any skin in the game and they can make the best decision for themselves So in terms of where we're headed, this is we've heard about digital phones now and And the w the wi-fi 6 right is a is an is an opportunity custom tv services You will we will be approaching relatively soon in in terms of lifetimes, I guess The retirement of the debt you're going to have five million dollars a year at least at least As we grow and you're and you continue to generate revenues from new Customers you're going to be able to invest In the community and next light services going forward talk talk about that vision. What should people anticipate In terms of what's coming when you have more capital to spend right and for one You know we owe it to you all to provide that vision But I also want to make clear That we represent what the community wants and needs it's hard to fully understand what that's going to be But there are a number of options what we could do with that That new found cash You know, it could be we decide to reduce rates. Have you ever seen a broadband provider reduce rates? We could do that we could perhaps build an innovation center We could do an education learning center Let me there's so many it's almost countless The ideas that we could do and we'll certainly try to do some research in the marketplace to understand How people really want us to reinvest the dollars that they voted and approved to spend And so I think that's the thing but we you know, I think we'll spend a lot of time trying to create that vision Um, but there's yeah a lot of fun things. I mean it could be a park. It could be A sports arena. It could be you know, whatever the community needs and wants us to do But we look forward to that day and you know, know that we're not skimping Dennis is spending, you know, the adequate amount of money to ensure that the network is reliable into perpetuity So I feel really confident that we're spending a lot of money now and up front And that we're just going to continue to build a little margin We're not for profit, but those dollars will go back in you know to funds to benefit the community Yeah, well non-profit doesn't mean you know generate margins. It's what you do with them It differentiates the profit from a for profit. Yes. Thank you some of that input from the community Sounds like you're going to continue to listen to the community. We could start tonight That'd be awesome because we have a studio audience here. I love it and I'm guessing some of them have questions So before our hour is up Anybody in the honest one audience want to ask a question? Yes, ma'am. And I'll repeat I'll repeat the question So folks in here I have a question about the outdoor antenna. Yeah How Well, yeah, it's going to be 90 and then it's going to be nine and we're having a foot of snow The question for viewers was tell me more about the outdoor antenna and is it going to be subject to Uh, the consequences of of severe weather Spoken question asked by someone like me who's going out and knock snow off your Off your dish. Yeah, go ahead now. So it's actually a great question We get that one quite a bit ironically and it's funny because it comes from the old Cable and satellite world. So a satellite dish again, we do what we do and use what we use for reason It's cupped So just by design the wind hits it. It's going to have issues the snow sticks to it So then you now you're wasting $200 a month But then you're frustrated because you're pixelating and you're having to go up there and brush it out all the time Our antenna that we use It's literally about a quarter of the size of that But it's it's not cupped at all. So we never ever I've I've not gotten one call in 11 12 years Hey, it's not working because of the snow or the wind So it seems crazy and counterintuitive because you're actually paying zero dollars a month for the rest of your life And you're getting better hd quality But it's actually also better reception better service. So you won't have any of that pixelation issues or any of the Getting the broom out, you know, I'm getting up on you And stop by the civic center, we have one on display at the next light kiosk or booth So you can go see one. It's really small And I recognize a handbag there at Shaquille So the Comcast the company pays a franchise fee to the city in order to carry his lines across the city and In order to basically pay the city for the land and to provide service to the citizens of long line Um Does next let's pay the same franchise fee that I know that franchise fee is used to fund things like The police department and long bond public media shouldn't next let me pay that fee as well Let me repeat the question we the city receives Uh, a franchise fee when when companies like Comcast get a contract with the city. It becomes at the time it becomes Um A contract without competitors right a service without competitors They generate a fair amount of money and the in the requirement of the FCC as I recall Was that some of that money is going to get paid back to the city It's a fee for the franchise each new customer generates a fee The question is why doesn't why does not next light pay a franchise fee just like Comcast does And I may need assistance with this one. It's a great question. And I would think it's because we're a city entity and so it's different it's Using city assets and it's a city. We're not Yeah, I'm trying to think you said at the beginning that you were a non-profit one by the city. That's not the same thing I so the question was Is it a non-profit owned by the city? I framed it that way as a as a non-profit. It's it's It's a service center within the city. It's not unlike I'll say I'll speak to the audience here. It's not unlike any of our enterprise Operations or funds in the city Where we charge a fee For parks or for, you know, other activities and that money is used to help maintain the operation the golf fund the Parks there's enterprise funding parks. There are others. So so yeah, technically an enterprise fund Is there another question I see a hand back there scott Hi scott converse Valerie talked before I'm going to ask you a question. I asked you three or four years ago when you first started two and a half years ago Yeah, when are we going to have a special program for non-profit organizations in the long run from a pricing perspective? Five or six years ago. I asked Tom earlier. It's the same question you promised me You would have something back then I have yet to see So the question that was asked is is there a plan and when might that plan occur or the time occur where Non-profit organizations get a different rate a lower rate for access to Our internet service provider Yeah, I appreciate the question. So the issue of non-profit pricing has come up We do obviously provide service to a number of nonprofits and We're starting to really look into that and see if there's a discount of pricing if there's an opportunity to do Um, some type of service trade as well So there's all kinds of options that we just recently really started revisiting. So Um, so get back with me. Stay tuned. Stay tuned. Please scott Keep asking the question any other questions Yes, sir How many people have antennas now and how much Potential is there for that? This may be the last question We're going to run out to how many antennas are out there now and And what is the what is it? What do they think is going to be the saturation? What will how many might you actually deploy penetration? Yeah, so a good question. I mean If we're talking long month specifically, we basically just started july august. So we haven't even been been at this for a year um, you know, it's it's all more of an awareness thing I would say more than anything else and We don't necessarily do antennas for everybody, you know So some people might make more sense just having a streaming only solution Which is why we have the consultation up front, but I would say Really all said and done. We've probably already installed a good, you know, 300 antennas Uh, probably even a little bit more actually Over, you know, whatever that is nine months or so and it does work in this market It doesn't work in every market where your yeah coverage isn't great But people are getting 60 plus channels. Yeah at least 60 to 80 channels and most importantly, they're free and you're not paying a dime the other interesting thing too is We also have an arm of our business that works with mdu's, you know, multi dwelling units Where like the suites the lha property of the suites in here in long while we installed a master antenna So instead of the city of longmont and long one housing authority dropping $5,000 every month to pay Comcast They're actually getting tv for zero dollars a month now So every single resident in that building, you know 100, I think they had 120 140 units That one master antenna is providing, you know, 80 channels to every single person in that building And again putting money back into the city of longmont. So not a franchise fee, but a benefit. Yes All right, I have to say to you three. Thank you so much for what you do every day for the city of longmont Thanks for giving up part of your evening to be part of this story telling to the studio audience I want to say thanks for giving up part of your evening to be here and for those of you who might have watched Thanks for tuning in That long monitors is your backstory On next light where we come from where we are and where we're headed