Light Fiber proposes $18 million citywide fiber network for Eagle Pass

Light Fiber announced to the Eagle Pass City Council on Nov. 4 that it plans an $18 million, privately funded project to build a citywide fiber‑to‑the‑home network serving about 6,500 residences and businesses.

Mark Eichenbaum, vice president of government affairs and community development for Light Fiber, said the build will include roughly 177 miles of fiber, about half aerial and half underground, and is planned to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025. "We're going to do the fire hose directly to the house," Eichenbaum said, describing the company’s intent to provide fiber all the way to customers’ premises rather than fiber‑to‑a‑node coaxial alternatives. He added the company aims to provide symmetrical speeds up to 10 gigabits per second.

Eichenbaum said the company’s model emphasizes reliability and resiliency: the design calls for redundancy into town via two separate routes, a fiber ring to enable self‑healing in the event of a cut, cabinets with backup power, and a mix of underground main lines to improve weather resistance. Light Fiber presented construction practices the company said it will use, including fielding teams to map routes, public notices and door hangers for affected properties, 811 locates prior to excavation, and local restoration following work.

The company said the Eagle Pass project would create more than 35 full‑time jobs locally and pledged to contribute 1% of gross revenues to local charities and to provide free Wi‑Fi access points at community venues. Eichenbaum said Light Fiber is backed by a large digital infrastructure fund and that engineering, design and construction management will be performed by staff and regional teams based in Texas.

The council did not take formal action on the presentation. City staff said they are coordinating permitting and community notification procedures with Light Fiber as the company proceeds toward permitting and fielding work.