City of Rio Rancho working with Comcast to ensure smooth expansion project

VIDEO: Comcast celebrates $150 million project in Rio Rancho

Rio Rancho will have another connectivity option as Comcast celebrated its expansion into Ri…

Rio Rancho Governing Body helps bring Comcast internet to the City of Vision

Despite what many Rio Ranchoans may believe, the City of Vision is not a one-horse town when it comes to internet service options. Rio Rancho citizens have several internet options and soon will have another as Comcast is expanding into Rio Rancho. The city of Rio Rancho and Comcast agreed to a nonexclusive franchise agreement […]

Growing the future by growing broadband

In many ways, Rio Rancho is leading the way on broadband, but the state still has a long way to go in providing access. “When you look at the options that Rio Rancho has, I think we have more options for connectivity than anywhere else in the state,” Mayor Gregg Hull said during a recent […]

A large crowd gathered Wednesday morning at R4 Creating to celebrate the official launch of Comcast’s $150 million expansion project in Rio Rancho.

The project will expand broadband service to homes and businesses across the City of Vision, giving residents access to the full suite of broadband, video, voice, home management and business products and services.

Comcast initiated its installation in residential areas late last year, and it has gotten off to a bumpy start.

According to the city of Rio Rancho, “the installation started with 811 line spotting with spray paint markings in the right of way and public utility easement (PUE). Within the residential areas, the installation includes a combination of open trenching and underground boring. Boring is the primary installation method and is primarily within the PUE. The PUE lies 10 feet behind the back of the sidewalk in front of existing homes. Comcast, as an approved franchisee, within the city of Rancho has the right to place their facilities within the PUE and within the road rights-of-way. Restoration of disturbed landscaping and roadway infrastructure is required and shall be restored back to the condition of such property immediately prior to excavation/disturbance.”

After hearing some complaints from residents about the installation process, Mayor Gregg Hull and the city have held several productive meetings with Comcast representatives.

“Part of those meetings was the fact that we were getting a lot of concerns that Comcast was moving very rapidly, coming in very strong and there was a lack of communication as they were going through these neighborhoods,” Hull said. “I went and walked an entire street knocking on doors randomly saying, ‘Hey, did anybody talk to you about what this is?’ And of course, they all said no. And I said, ‘OK, I'm going to be working with the company to try to improve that communication level.’ I immediately called Comcast and met with their construction manager, the communications department and said, 'There are steps that I think you really need to take.’”

Among those steps are yard signs and door hangers to provide information to residents and businesses in advance of any work impacting each neighborhood. The door hangers will include a phone number to contact with any questions or concerns.

The city also has a Comcast Expansion Project page on its website to provide more information for residents. Residents with questions or concerns can also call 505-273-7893 to speak with a Comcast rep.

Issues with Comcast repairing pipes that were broken during work were brought up by a citizen during the May 9 governing body meeting. Casey Robinson, who manages a homeowners association, said pipes have been broken and not properly repaired by Comcast.

“Comcast is a major problem, and my homeowners are calling me daily about them. It has nothing to do with HOA, but they don't know who else to call,” Robinson said. “I understand that you guys are starting to do some work with them. I was there for that meeting. It was one of my first-ever council meetings where you guys gave them the authorization and I was excited. We need some higher-speed internet options here, but not not at this cost. And what they're doing, they're doing shoddy repairs after they do their work that’s not even up to code.”

Chris Dunkeson, area vice president for Comcast in New Mexico, said the company has listened to the concerns of residents and is working closely with the city to ensure a smooth operation as the project continues.

“The reception by Rio Rancho residents has been great and the partnership with the city has helped us be able to do this. The work at this volume has been really helpful as well,” Dunkeson said. “We're grateful for the partnership, and it's frankly fun seeing the reaction of the community. We're partnering with the city when we do hear concerns from consumers or owners. I would say, overall, it's gone really smoothly. But we do want to address those concerns as they come up. We absolutely want to be good with the community.”

While Hull was displeased with certain issues that have come up, he applauded Comcast for bringing this project to Rio Rancho and being willing to right some of the wrongs from the initial phase of the installation.

“This is a massive investment in infrastructure in the city of Rio. Rancho. This is an extremely attractive service to entrepreneurs and people that run home offices. People that do school from home, if there is any type of online activity where they have to have a stable internet connection and high speeds. This will give Rio Rancho a competitive edge unlike any other in the state,” Hull said. “Rio Rancho, being the City of Vision, we're always looking for cutting edge ways to supply new, up-to-date, state-of-the-art services. This is such an investment Comcast has committed to and we will hold them to their word to fix any damage that they've done and to restore things back to the way they were before they started. That's something that we're committed to make sure that they do and I know that they're committed to doing it as well.”

Comcast will continue to meet with the city to alleviate any issues that come up during the work on the project, which is expected to be completed in 2026.

“We update the city on the progress, where we're at, how it's going, as well as where crews are working,” Dunkeson said. “We look for ways that we can also minimize the impact to residents as we work through the neighborhoods.”

Despite some rough patches to the start of the project, the partnership with the city and Comcast is on pace to be fruitful for Rio Rancho.

“Progress is painful. But once it's in place and all the dust settles, we have an improved way of life, improved services and improved communications across the board,” Hull said. “We are asking for everybody's patience as we move through this process. This is like fixing a road. It's going to be inconvenient for a little while, but once it's done, it's done.

"After this is all done, and I'm asking you for a deep breath and a lot of patience, I promise Rio Rancho is going to be fabulous for homeschoolers, for home offices, for home businesses, for people wanting to do work from the internet and have that ability to have the same speeds they have at their office," he continued. "It's an exciting addition. I know right now it feels very disruptive. But anytime you introduce a new technology or a new process to a pre-existing system, there are going to be levels of disruption and just levels of inconvenience. As we move forward, we are confident that the journey will prove to be worth the wait, presenting an enriched economic opportunity for both residents and businesses.”