Carson, California, Breaks Ground On New Municipal Fiber Network

Leveraging years of regional fiber collaboration, Carson, California, has broken ground on a municipal broadband pilot network city officials hope will someday be expanded to bring affordable fiber optic broadband to the entire city of 95,558, situated just 13 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.

Carson is looking to leverage $8 million in federal and state grant money to connect 1,000 unserved households and 372 businesses, with City Hall, the Civic Center and Cal State Dominguez Hills serving as anchor institutions for the new network. A new city announcement says construction has begun, with the pilot construction phase to be completed in 18 months.

“This visionary project is set to transform Carson into a cutting-edge digital hub, revolutionizing broadband access for residents, businesses, and city services,” the city said in a statement announcing the groundbreaking.  

The new network deployment comes as the Los Angeles area prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and is being built on the back of previous collaborative fiber deployments amid the state of California’s landmark effort to boost statewide broadband competition.

“This project represents a major milestone for Carson,” Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes said of the new deployment. “By investing in our own fiber network, we are creating a foundation for enhanced connectivity, economic growth, and future smart city initiatives. This is just the beginning of a transformative journey for our community.”

Like many U.S. cities, Carson sees only muted competition between regional broadband monopolies Charter Communications (Spectrum) and AT&T, resulting in slow speeds, high prices, spotty coverage, and substandard customer service. Carson officials say the network will not only bolster municipal connectivity, but ultimately regional broadband competition.

Officials say the first phase of the city’s network will install over 100,000 feet of new fiber optic cable, bringing high-speed connectivity to all major city parks located within District 1, District 2, District 3, and District 4. Officials say the build will leverage a combination of directional boring, trenching, and bridge attachments to maximize reach and minimize disruption.

HP Communications was tasked with construction for phase one of the city’s network construction. Officials say the primary fiber network backbone will be constructed along Avalon Boulevard, forming the foundation for future citywide connectivity.

Officials did not respond to questions asking them what the full cost of the network build will be or the total projected passings of the first phase of deployment. But officials are planning to leverage an $8.19 million California Public Utilities Commission Last Mile Grant currently awaiting a final award decision in the FY2027-28 state budget.

“The City of Carson’s fiber optic network is more than just a technological upgrade – it’s a catalyst for the future,” City Manager David C. Roberts said of the launch.

Building on history of fiber collaboration

Carson’s efforts to take control of its own telecommunications destiny extends back to 2016, when Carson and fourteen other California cities joined forces to construct the South Bay Fiber Network.

SBFN, developed by the South Bay Cities Council of Governments dramatically bolstered essential connectivity to numerous public and municipal facilities, enabling smart city communications, improving real-time transportation and traffic control, and laying the groundwork for improved affordability and remote work and telehealth services.

Carson’s efforts have been further buoyed by California's Broadband For All initiative, first born in 2021 thanks to Senate Bill 156. The proposal, as well as all state Last Mile Federal Funding Account Grant Program grants were made possible by the 2021 federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Not only did SB156 include $2 billion for last mile broadband deployments, it included $3 billion to help construct a new middle mile network intended to dramatically boost California broadband access dubbed the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative. That middle mile network, as it turns out, runs right through downtown Carson.

Key components of California’s broadband expansion effort will also be funded by California’s looming $1.8 billion share of looming federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment subsidies.

Gary Carter, Carson’s Director of Information Technology & Security, says he’s hopeful that Carter’s new network will reflect state efforts to address long standing redlining of low-income and minority California communities that are not only excluded from upgrades, but often pay more money for worse service than less diverse, more affluent neighborhoods.

Despite being just 19 square miles in size, Carter (who previously helped the city of Santa Monica launch their own municipal broadband network) has noted how Carson has always been harmed by redlining and deployment discrimination.

The all-too-familiar pattern forced the city to examine solutions that go beyond just waiting for regional monopolies to get their act together.

“There's just a few pockets of the city where our current duopoly providers have provided service that would be standard in other areas of L.A. County,” Carter told LAist last year. “But a large swath of the city is either unserved or underserved.”

Affordability will be key for a city where the average household income is $65,000. Especially given the recent Republican dismantling of the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided a $30 discount broadband discount for low income Americans. Carson hasn’t publicized last-mile pricing, but hopes to provide service for as little as $40.

“Above all benefits the network will provide, perhaps the most notable will be a testament of Carson’s self-reliance to close the digital divide created by decades of digital redlining since the internet’s inception,” Carter said of the city’s fledgling network. “The City’s strategic planning for Carson’s fiber network to end the historical digital redlining that perpetuates educational, economic, and health inequalities has led to Carson’s competitive position for an $8.19M California Public Utilities Commission Last Mile Grant.”

This article was published by the Community Broadband Networks Initiative of the Institute for Local Self Reliance on CommunityNets on April 1, 2025, and is reprinted with permission.