Los Alamos County, New Mexico is inching closer to the launch of its Atomic Fiber county-wide open access fiber network, which aims to dramatically improve affordable Internet access to the county’s 19,400 heavily-rural residents.

Network construction formally began in May, and county officials say they’re hopeful the first customers will come online by the end of the year.

“We have been delayed a bit with getting our Phase 1 construction done, so first customers will likely be December,” Los Alamos County broadband manager Jerry Smith tells ILSR.

The project was first conceived back in 2024, after locals expressed continued aggravation at the high prices, spotty coverage, and slow speeds of regional telecom monopolies. Officials settled on an open access network that will allow private ISPs to compete in layers on top of the county’s publicly-owned infrastructure.

“Although a need for Internet upgrades in Los Alamos County has long been clear, the private sector was unwilling to take the project,” county officials wrote. “In response, the Los Alamos County Council awarded contracts to Bonfire Fiber to design and build a fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) network for $35 million at the November 19, 2024 Council Meeting.”

The $35 million network price tag is being financed via $40 million in New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) revenue bonds. County leaders have stated that the 20-year maintenance and operations cost of the network will be around $15.9 million and paid off via subscription revenues.

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Once completed, every last rural county resident will have access to next-generation fiber at speeds and prices much better than what’s available in many dense urban markets.

Open Access Brings Open Competition