Comcast/Xfinity to begin fiber installation in Woodland Hills; city to require excavation permits by section

Comcast, operating as Xfinitys network provider, will begin installing fiber infrastructure in Woodland Hills this spring and staff told the finance committee the company will run lines through sections of the city over multiple months.

"They're gonna start, boring and laying lines over the next 3 weeks, and they'll be here till October," said the speaker who described the Comcast plan; staff later clarified the company intends to bore where possible and to use trenching and conduit where necessary. The companys contractor marked planned work locations with white Xs, staff said.

Public-works staff said Comcast submitted an excavation permit that shows the initial route will proceed up the north side of Woodland Hills Drive, crossing at Oak and requiring a road cut at that location. "Some may cross over the road at some time, and then they'll have to cut and fill," a public-works staff member said. Staff said the city will require an excavation permit for each section of roadway rather than a single large permit. That approach is intended to reduce the administrative burden on public-works employees who must handle blue-stake coordination and inspection scheduling.

Officials discussed franchise tax and permit fees. Staff said the citys franchise tax rate for utilities (electric and natural gas) is set to the local maximum and that permits for excavation will be reviewed; the committee asked staff to confirm the permit-fee schedule to account for the increased inspection workload.

Public-works staff said the contractor will attempt to use existing conduit (including SESD conduit where agreements exist) where feasible to minimize trenching. Where conduit is not available, the company will excavate and place conduit, and the city will require proper traffic flagging and door tags to notify residents ahead of work in their blocks.

Committee members discussed likely resident impacts, including service interruptions to existing providers during work and repair timing. Staff warned there may be temporary service cuts: "Will be cut. So we'll have some upset residents, and and we're gearing up for it," a public-works staff member said, adding the city will provide advance notice to affected addresses.

Staff also noted that Comcast has asked the city to split large excavation permits into multiple section permits to avoid one-time large permits that are difficult to inspect and manage. The committee asked staff to propose any permit-fee adjustments to cover additional staff inspection time.