Crews finishing fiber-optic cables construction at Beatty

Staff Report

6 years ago

Special to the Pahrump Valley Times/Jeff Scheid Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr (left) looks on as workers lay fiber-optic cables on April 9, 2018. Carr is working to reduce what he called “regulatory red tape” from the approval process companies must go through to lay the infrastructure for high-speed internet.

David Jacobs/Pahrump Valley Times A crew member for Valley Communications is shown working in Nye County this past fall. An effort is underway to make Beatty the first all-fiber community in Nevada, the association said.

Crews from Valley Electric and Valley Communications associations will be working long days from May 29 through June 19 in the Beatty area to complete construction of fiber-optic cables to residences.

The associations made the announcement in a May 24 Facebook post.

For the safety of the line crews, work will begin before 7 a.m., each the morning between the above dates in order to take advantage of cool temperatures.

“Workers will do everything possible to minimize the disruption to residences — primarily due to noise from equipment,” the post said.

The effort is part of a VCA initiative to make Beatty the first all-fiber community in Nevada, the association said.

“We are nearing the end of the construction phase of this project,” Ken Johnson, executive-VP Broadband for VCA said in a statement posted on the VCA’s Facebook page.

“The sooner we can complete it, the sooner more Beatty members can enjoy the fastest internet service anywhere,” he said.

This past September, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval joined leaders of Valley Communications Association, Nye County School District and others who packed the gymnasium at Beatty High School to announce the town will be the first all-fiber community in the Silver State.

“What matters to me is that regardless if you live in Beatty or in Las Vegas or in Reno or in all those other communities, that you have that same access to information and opportunity that every child in the state has,” Sandoval said during his keynote address at Beatty High School at 1 Hornet Ave. on Sept. 15, 2017.

During his address, Sandoval pointed to health care, education and small business as areas that could see improvement in Beatty.

At the time, Johnson said that Pahrump was next on the radar for fiber-optic lines.

Johnson said the association also wants to expand the system to its current service area, which, on top of Beatty and Pahrump, includes Amargosa Valley, Sandy Valley and Fish Lake Valley.

Valley announced they would spend roughly $100 million for its fiber build-out in its service area, which includes Beatty.