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NextLINK outlines 18-month plan to bring fiber to Rockdale; council seeks monthly updates
Summary
NextLINK told Rockdale's council it plans a citywide fiber build using directional boring, staged across 16 grid areas with an estimated 18-month completion timeline; the company said residents will not be forced to subscribe and staff will coordinate preconstruction logistics to limit utility disruptions.
Jason Arrington, director of fiber construction for NextLINK, presented the company's plan to bring fiber throughout Rockdale's city limits and answered a range of questions from council members.
"We're planning to fiber up the city limits," Arrington said, describing directional boring operations, roadside handholes placed in rights-of-way and a phased approach dividing the city into roughly 16 grids. He said construction rigs will bore under streets, crews will place 11-by-11 handholes in rights-of-way and the project will enable gigabit service to homes and businesses that opt to subscribe.
Arrington estimated the full citywide deployment would take about a year and a half, though he cautioned that timing depends on permitting, utility-locating capacity and weather. "It's gonna take us about a year and a half to complete everything," he said, and noted preconstruction meetings and daily coordination with the city's right-of-way inspector to reduce conflicts.
City Manager Tim Kelty and council members pressed NextLINK on community impacts and coordination. Staff and the company agreed to schedule preconstruction meetings, and Kelty proposed monthly progress meetings so the city could communicate which areas would be under construction. Council members also asked about franchise/right-of-way fees and whether the city would be paid for use of the public way; NextLINK said such fees are regulated and paid in accordance with state rules.
Arrington addressed service rollout and subscription questions: the company will activate service and sell subscriptions as neighborhood grids are built rather than waiting for the entire city to be completed. He also said the company offers wireless alternatives for addresses outside the city limits.
Council members asked about construction disruption and utility strikes; NextLINK said crews would mark locations and clean up after each section and would assist in repairing accidental damage to sprinkler and service lines. The company reiterated that residents are not obligated to buy service, and that rate and subscription details will be provided via mailers and posted materials so residents can compare options.
The council asked staff to coordinate traffic-control planning, preconstruction meetings and regular construction-area updates so residents and emergency services can anticipate localized disruptions.
