Carson awards $26.9 million contract for citywide municipal fiber backbone

The Carson City Council unanimously approved a construction contract with HP Communications Inc. to build phase 1 of a citywide municipal fiber-optic backbone, a project staff said will connect city hall, the city yards, and 12 city parks and improve free park Wi‑Fi, public‑safety camera capacity and network resilience for major events.

Project scope and cost

City staff described the phase 1 scope as installation of up to 120,000 linear feet of fiber and associated conduits and pull boxes using a mix of horizontal directional drilling and open trench methods. Phase 1 will run along Avalon Boulevard and several streets to connect city facilities and the following parks: Anderson, Calais, Carriage Crest, Carson, Del Amo, Dolphin, Dominguez, Foisia, Mills, Memorial Park, Hemingway, Stevenson and Veterans Park. The recommended contract value is not to exceed $26,919,708.50; staff estimated a 12‑month completion schedule from notice to proceed.

Benefits and phasing

Director of IT Gary Carter and staff said phase 1 will primarily benefit city operations, free Wi‑Fi at parks, public‑safety camera capacity, and the city’s capability to live‑stream and support traffic expected around large events such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics. Carter said residential and business retail service to individual homes was anticipated in later phases — the project team expects to operate the backbone before…