Preliminary assessment work begins for CBN

Published on March 12, 2025

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Los Alamos County residents in the North Community and Western Area neighborhoods may notice crews and trucks from Kelly Cable assessing conduit for the Los Alamos County Community Broadband Network project as early as March 17. This assessment will continue through April 11, with teams operating Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents are encouraged to avoid parking in work zones.

Contracted by Los Alamos County’s vendor, Bonfire LLC, Kelly Cable will conduct assessments and surveys of conduits in the roadway shoulder adjacent to sidewalks as part of the initial phase of the Community Broadband Network, a fiber-to-the-premises network project. This phase evaluates the location and condition of existing infrastructure in various neighborhoods.

What Residents Need to Know

While impacts to residents are expected to be minimal, Los Alamos County officials request that residents help facilitate the work by adhering to the following when crews are present. 

  • Park vehicles in driveways whenever possible.
  • If parking on the street, use the opposite side from where crews will be working.

Tentative Work Schedule

The proposed work schedule for March 17 through 25 is listed below but may vary due to differing site conditions and unforeseen circumstances. The County will provide a follow-up notification with anticipated crew locations for subsequent weeks as more details become available. 

March 17-20

  • Trinity Dr. between 46th St. and 49th St. (Park on the north and east sides)
  • Sandia Dr. between 46th St. and Trinity Dr. (Park on the south and east sides)
  • 49th St. between Trinity Dr. and Sandia Dr. (Park on the west side)
  • 48th St. between Trinity Dr. and Sandia Dr. (Park on the east side)

March 21 and 24-25

  • Walnut St. between 33rd St. and Villa St. (Park on the south side)
  • Urban St. from 34th St. to end. (No street parking as conduit exists on both sides of the street. Park in driveways)

March 26 – April 11

  • More information to follow in a subsequent notification.

Next Steps

Following this assessment, Bonfire will finalize the network design and present it to the County Council for approval. Pending approval, construction could begin as early as summer 2025, with the entire project expected to take up to three years to complete.

The Los Alamos County Council approved a $35 million agreement with Bonfire in November 2024 to design and build the network as part of its commitment to providing reliable, affordable, high-speed internet access to the community. Additionally, the Council approved a $15 million agreement over 20 years for Bonfire to oversee network operations and maintenance.

The multi-year initiative will establish an open-access network, allowing multiple independent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to offer competitive services to residents and businesses. Once fiber installation is complete in a neighborhood, residents and businesses will have the option to subscribe with the ISP of their choice or remain with their existing provider.

For more information and updates on the project, visit losalamosnm.us/CBN or contact Project Manager Jerry Smith at jerry.smith@lacnm.us.

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