High-tech needs accompany Pahrump area construction growth

Robust new home construction so far in 2017 has caused some excitement with Valley Communications Association, the company said in an announcement this week.

With the new construction, Valley Communications Association has been bombarded with questions from contractors regarding the installation of fiber conduit to new homes, the VCA reports.

The Nye County Building Department said 309 new homes have been built in 2017 through November.

Ken Johnson, VCA executive vice president for broadband business for Valley Communications Association (VCA), said this signifies a shift in Pahrump.

“It is interesting to know that the new homes in Pahrump will be getting fiber-optic cable,” Johnson said in an announcement released this week.

“VCA’s investment in the high-speed internet infrastructure is aligning with the growth of the town. Having the fiber built into new homes makes the new homes more valuable. This is especially true for those wanting to get away from the city, for it makes working remotely possible.

“Our fiber-build ties in with the organic growth of the town,” Johnson added.

VCA said that it put the call out to contractors, builders, supply houses, and others in the construction industry for an informational meeting on the standard for the installation of fiber-optic cable to new homes.

Kathie McKenna, chief operating officer for VCA, was pleased with the turnout at the meeting held in the Valley Conference Room on Nov. 29.

“I wasn’t surprised by the 40 contractors that showed up at the meeting,” she said.

McKenna, and Jack Venezio, VCA network communications engineer, explained the standards. Johnson spoke about the variety of VCA services offered.

Venezio gave the contractors all the specifications needed, which included conduit size, trench depth – basically everything a contractor needs to know going from the main fiber-optic line on the street to the point of service.

“For the fiber buildout, there is a lot of new homes going in,” Venezio said. “We have developed some standards that we can pass out to everyone and use as a guideline. This will be a good start to get everyone on the same page and be able to have fiber ready to be pulled. VCA is asking the contractors to install the conduit from the street to the point of service.”

It is important to place the conduit for the fiber-optic cable in the ground during construction so the conduit is there in the future for the new homeowner, VCA said in its announcement.

Venezio then reiterated that this was a guideline and added, “We obviously encourage that this gets put in,” he said.

“It adds value to the home. It makes the fiber installation much quicker. We don’t have to come across and tear up people’s landscaping later on when fiber is installed.”