Comcast installation marks halfway point

RIO RANCHO — The process of Comcast bringing Xfinity fiber optics to the city of Rio Rancho is now 50% complete.

Comcast representatives held a tour June 4 to show a current construction site, give an update on the benefits of the project and allow attendees to hear from “Project Up” and “Lift Zone,” programs that allow multiple people to use internet without extra cost to the already low-cost connection participants.

New Mexico area Vice President Chris Dunkeson, who leads technical operations and networking engineering, spoke about the project’s progress.

“We’re really excited to be able to announce this milestone, that we’ve completed more than half of our expansion here in Rio Rancho. As of today, more than 20,000 homes and businesses in Rio Rancho have access to our fiber network,” Dunkeson said to a small group of attendees at the tour’s start at the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce.

He stated the project is a $150 million investment that will allow more people and businesses throughout Rio Rancho to get reliable connections.

“This expansion expands on our Comcast long-term investment into New Mexico. In the last three years, we’ve invested over $300 million in our technology and infrastructure here in the state and will continue to make these investments to make sure that our network is state of the art and future proof,” he said.

He admitted that getting a community like Rio Rancho “online” it not without its challenges. During the tour, Dunkeson explained that while construction at any given address usually takes about a week to complete, issues like unmarked utility lines, faulty equipment and more can make the project slow up. He said if a utility line is hit, the company works with the city to resolve the issue within, most of the time, 30 days.

During the tour, Dunkeson outlined the construction process.

“The process of installing fiber optic cable to residents and businesses in Rio Rancho actually sounds pretty simple when you describe it, but the the actual work behind it, as you can see, the drilling and the pipes coming up here, is what makes it more complicated as we work with customers, other utilities, the city, the water lines, that kind of thing,” he said at a site near Pecos Loop.

He said the construction starts after residents are notified multiple times the company will be laying fiber optic cable throughout the main lines, which then distribute back to hub points. The city marks where utility lines are so contractors know where to drill, according to Dunkeson.

“This is a system that’s basically ‘future proof’ and should allow the residents and businesses around Rio Rancho to do whatever they need on the internet for many, many years to come,” he said.

However, Rio Ranchoans have reported numerous instances where utility lines were hit, causing a local demand for action. In one case last year, a woman’s home was flooded with sewage. At the time, Comcast gave resources people could reach out to about the issues.

“Throughout the construction process, Comcast is committed to restoring all construction areas back to the way we found them. If residents have an issue, they should reach out to us right away at customerresponsecenter@cablecomllc.net or 505-273-7893,” they stated.

Now, at the 50% mark, Dunkeson thanked the community for its patience.

“I’d like to close by thanking the community of Rio Rancho for your trust and partnership. We are thrilled to reach this 50% milestone, and we’re looking forward to being a partner with this community for many years to come,” Dunkeson said.

Mayor Gregg Hull, in his speech before the tour, stated there would be issues along the way and people won’t be content until it is complete. He added that holding tours like the one June 4 help the community feel informed.

“I think the more that we inform people what’s going on, the more comfortable they are with the process,” he said.

Hull said he and the city of Rio Rancho are excited Comcast reached 50% but will be relieved when it is 100% compete.

“I’ve said this time and time again, whether it’s fixing a road, installing infrastructure, or just adding new businesses to the community, adding new homes, progress is always disruptive,” he said. “But at the end of the day, progress is always great for our community.”

Hull recognized the age people now live in. He recalled being a part of the “dial-up” generation and some other dated technologies.

“Here we are in this place where Rio Rancho is getting this multi-gigabit fiber network that just delivers amazing speeds and amazing access,” Hull said.

He also said that access is beneficial for small businesses trying to “get a leg up” and families needing to connect to the internet. He added that the need for connectivity became more prevalent during the pandemic.

“When we brought all of our kids home and they were doing school from home, this was a huge challenge. There were people that were lined up as close as they could get their cars to the to the public libraries to try to access the internet so the kids could go to school or to access a book or to access information because they didn’t have that ability at home,” he said.

The investment also brings economic opportunity to Rio Rancho, according to Hull.

He ended by saying the project will be worth it when it is finished.

“We see the benefits of it. For example, just a couple years ago, 528 was torn up from Ridgecrest all the way down to Northern. That was very disruptive, but when they pulled the barrels back, it was kind of a ‘Hallelujah,’” he said.

Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Jerry Schalow marveled at the $150 million investment Comcast brings with this project. He said Comcast invested in Rio Rancho because it is the fastest-growing city.

“We have economic development expanding every day, and business is growing. Where Comcast is really going to be crucial, is we have over 3,000 home-based businesses. Now, they have the ability to have high-speed broadband right in their house, and they can expand and grow their business,” Schalow said.

One of the ways Comcast is partnering with the community is through the “Project Up” and “Lift Zone” programs. Rio Rancho’s ReadWest and R4 Creating are participants. CEOs Shelly Gruenig from R4 Creating and Cindy Ratliff from ReadWest talked about how they benefit from the program.

One of the big topics Ratliff brought up was the job market. Students at ReadWest benefit from internet access because it gives them opportunity to learn English as a second language. But if they don’t have internet, they can’t fill out job applications, which they can do with the free service at ReadWest.

Gruenig, who works with students, says the program helps participants with their homework and projects at R4.

Both say digital literacy is a necessary skill for people to use in the future. According to Comcast data, 92% of jobs require some level of digital skill.

So far, Comcast’s fiber-network construction is complete in the west and southwest areas of the city, including neighborhood areas like Cabezon, Northern Meadows and Star Heights, according to Comcast.

“Customers in these areas have full access to the full suite of Xfinity and Comcast Business products and services,” Comcast communications stated.

As Comcast continues construction in areas such as Enchanted Hills and Rivers Edge, customers outside of the completed construction area can sign up to get real-time updates on when Xfinity and Comcast Business services are available to them at xfinity.com/mytown.