Pace of construction prompts contractors meeting at VCA

New homes in Pahrump to be wired with fiber-optic

PAHRUMP, Nev. (Dec. 3, 2017) – Robust new-home construction so far in 2017 has caused some excitement with Valley Communications Association.

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. “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.

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

VCA 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 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 about the standards and 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.

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 peoples landscaping later on when fiber is installed.”

About Valley Communications Association, Inc.

Valley Communications Association, Inc., (VCA), is a wholly owned subsidiary of Valley Electric Association, Inc., (VEA) a nonprofit electric utility headquartered in Pahrump, Nev. Much like VEA did 52 years ago, VCA is bringing critical infrastructure – fiber-optic and wireless broadband – to the communities in its vast 6,800-square-mile service area along the Nevada-California border that were under served by commercial communications providers. VCA is a partner in the long-haul fiber-optic network between Las Vegas and Reno and has expanded into VoIP, IPTV, SmartHome and I.T. services. Long term, VCA’s goal is to expand modern broadband to rural communities of Nevada. For more information about VEA, please visit www.vea.coop.