Vexus Fiber to operate telecommunications in RR

The city council passed an ordinance granting Vexus Fiber, LLC, a nonexclusive franchise to operate a telecommunications network within the city limits at the Oct. 12 Governing Body Meeting.

“Rio Rancho is a huge opportunity for us. It’s a huge opportunity for us to get into that market. It’s also great because of how much development is going on, we can get in and not tear up as many roads,” Kevin Folk, regional vice president of Vexus Fiber, said.

Vexus Fiber, LLC, wanted to obtain a franchise to operate a telecommunications network within the city limits by utilizing certain public places such as streets, alleys, easements, open areas, public ways and public places, via the payment of franchise fees for a period of 10 years.

The company is a fiber optic telecommunications company providing high-speed fiber internet, IP television and digital telephone services for residential and business customers. Vexus Fiber has a long history of providing services to cities including Lubbock, Abilene, Amarillo, Wichita Falls and, most recently, Albuquerque.

Folk says they are not intimidated by competition when it comes to other networks in the area.

“One thing we pride ourselves in is we are local. We want to be local,” he said.

Folk also says the company will bring temporary and permanent jobs to Rio Rancho.

“The big thing here is we will be bringing 75 full-time construction jobs to the city. It will be constructed separately from Albuquerque. So the major focus would be Rio Rancho with that team,” he added.

He says once the company is fully constructed, there will be about 30-50 permanent jobs.

Mayor Gregg Hull was grateful that the company is non-exclusive.

“For the first 10 years I have been in office, my number-one phone call is, ‘Why does Rio Rancho have this exclusive franchise agreement that doesn’t allow any other carrier to come into the city?’ Now we have two new ones entering the market, which will arguably give Rio Rancho more choices than anybody else in the state when it comes to internet connection,” Hull said.

Hull added that the city is not afraid to be different and as the city gets bigger it makes more sense to have multiple options.

The ordinance passed unanimously.