The Power of Choice: Subscriber or not, Pulse drives down costs
Publicly owned internet has been a financial game-changer for our community, potentially saving Loveland residents $30–60 million over the past four years, whether they subscribed to Pulse or not. By establishing a local fiber-optic internet option, the city has not only created an option for affordable, reliable service but also sparked competition, driving down prices across the board. Assuming a modest average decrease of between $10 and $20 per month for residential internet costs due to competition, the total savings for Loveland residents could amount to $30-60 million. This community-driven effort has helped to keep more money in our pockets.
More Internet Bang for Your Buck
Feeling like your bill hasn’t decreased, especially when costs for everything are rising everywhere? The increase in competition may have mitigated inflation pressures, or you might be getting faster service (more Mbps!) for the same price. Internet plans are typically based on speed, with options like 500 Mbps or 1 Gig (1,000 Mbps) plans. The speed you need depends on factors such as the number of people or devices using the internet.
The cost per Mbps has seen a dramatic decline. In 2017, Loveland households paid between $.15 and $1.00 per Mbps of download speed. Currently, in 2024, Pulse’s Pro plan offers 10 Gigabits (10,000 Mbps) of symmetrical internet – meaning upload and download speeds are the same – at $0.02 per Mbps. Other providers’ prices have also fallen into the ranges of $0.07 to $0.43 per Mbps.
Additionally, as a city-owned enterprise, revenue received from services provided is continually reinvested to pay for operations and maintain our future-proofed infrastructure, further enhancing service quality and reliability. This model keeps more money in our community’s pockets, supports our local economy, creates jobs, and fosters a sense of unity and pride.
Pulse has not only contributed to significant financial savings but also improved the standard of living by ensuring everybody is able to reliably connect to work, study, access healthcare, and play online.
The goal of community-owned internet has always been to provide the highest quality, affordable internet service as a choice for the entire community. Four years after Pulse subscribed its first customer on June 22, 2020, this goal has been achieved. Capital network construction past every home and business in the city was completed just 48 months after it began, and the network has been recognized as a national leader in quality and reliability. According to PCMag Pulse was the second fastest ISP in the United States in 2023, and it is the Best Gaming Quality Network in the nation in 2024.
We are proud to deliver 99.95% network uptime with outstanding customer experiences, and that the power of choice has saved our entire community real money at the individual household level.
Want to learn more about how Pulse will make your digital life better in every way? Give us a call at 970-541-4990 or visit us at our new location at Forge Campus in Loveland at 815 14th Street SW, Suite C240.
