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The Multi-Use Network Project

The Department of Personnel & Administration

Troy A. Eid - Executive Director, Department of Personnel & Administration Rick Malinowski - Director, Division of Information Technologies

    Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the Multi-use Network (MNT)? 
    Colorado's MNT is a public/private partnership to build a high-speed fiber-optic network for the State of Colorado.  Qwest is the partner selected to build the MNT with the State serving as anchor tenant.  Through MNT, the State will consolidate Colorado State government agency telecommunication requirements from its current multiple networks into a single network to reduce administrative and maintenance costs to the taxpayers of the state.  As anchor tenant, the State’s investment will help leverage the development of telecommunications infrastructure and expand delivery of advanced services to all geographic regions of the State.

  2. Why does Colorado need the MNT?

  •  Bridge the Digital-Divide
    The MNT enables the same digital applications and services in the rural counties as well as the metropolitan Front Range cities. MNT will be capable of delivering time sensitive services that accommodates emerging technology for all counties of Colorado. Network bandwidth can expand to meet the customer requirements of more reliability and flexibility.
  • Economic development
    MNT promotes rural economic development by extending telecommunications infrastructure to all corners of the State by encouraging private investment with the State acting as the anchor tenant.  This "upgrade" of the State's telecommunication infrastructure, through the aggregation of existing and impending demand, will provide many benefits to state agencies, schools, libraries and institutions of higher education.   
  • Backbone of e-government
    MNT also provides a strong backbone for e-government and with it the telecommunication infrastructure will aggregate traffic and reduce cost.  The ability for an increased number of Coloradoans to access state services online will be greatly enhanced, saving both time and money for the taxpayers of Colorado. 
  • Aggregate to reduce costs
    An aggregated network approach streamlines government by avoiding additional expenditures for duplicative state networks and provides the base infrastructure for electronic transactions.
  1. How does the MNT relate to the Colorado High Speed Digital Network?
    The MNT proposed customers, are the anchor tenant, renting bandwidth and providing the business case for the deployment of the fiber broadband and related CHSDN backbone equipment. 

  2. What does the 23% surcharge for the Colorado Digital-Divide Elimination Fund (CDEF) cover?
    MNT has changed the pricing model for telecommunications in Colorado and in doing so has implemented a 23% surcharge that is the Colorado Digital-Divide Elimination Fund (CDEF).  The CDEF reflects the geographic disparity of service availability throughout the state of Colorado.  By bridging the Digital-Divide the MNT will enable the same digital applications and services in the rural counties as the metropolitan Front Range cities.

    CDEF covers a portion of the MNT contractual fees, including Qwest project management fees, Aggregated Network Access Point (ANAP) fees, state core switch (MGX) maintenance fees, LATA Crossing, Super ANAP circuits and ISP-layer three development.

  3. What are the benefits to a State agency to be on MNT and what types of services will it provide?
    MNT will be capable of delivering time sensitive services like video and IP data services to all counties of Colorado.
  • Quality of Service 
  • Network bandwidth can expand to meet the customer requirements – more reliability and flexibility.
  • Reduced backhaul.
  • Aggregation of video conferencing, IP telephony, higher bandwidth
  • Fiscal accountability
  1. Where is this network operational?
    Forty-three ANAPs have been implemented in Phase I; an additional eleven ANAPs will be implemented in Phase II, year 2002; and the final sixteen ANAPs will be implemented in Phase III, year 2003. See ANAP Map for more information.     

  2. What is Beanpole funding?
    Beanpole funding is funding for community level aggregation of network traffic, also known as community incentive funding. The Department of Local Affairs and the Colorado Rural Development Council manage the $4.6 million program with funding appropriated under House Bill 99-1102, a bill concerning encouragement of private sector telecommunications investment by providing incentives for the public sector to serve as “anchor tenant”. The Department of Local Affairs supports a Beanpole Project Advisory Committee to review grant guidelines, establish evaluative criteria, and review grant applications from Colorado’s regions and communities

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