Los Alamos County delays Comcast franchise hearing to June 9

Los Alamos County pushed its Comcast franchise hearing to June 9, extending public review of a 10-year agreement that would govern cable service in county rights-of-way and set the rules Comcast must follow for the next decade.

The county said Ordinance No. 754, a proposed cable franchise for Comcast of Florida/Michigan/New Mexico/Pennsylvania/Washington LLC, was originally set for a public hearing on May 19 at Los Alamos County Fire Station No. 3 in White Rock. The hearing will now be continued to the June 9 Council meeting because the county’s main consultant will not be available until June.

The ordinance would grant Comcast the right to construct, operate and maintain a cable system in the public rights-of-way and provide cable service in the incorporated County of Los Alamos. It also lays out the terms and conditions of the franchise agreement and the remedies the county could use if Comcast violates the franchise, making the measure more than a routine business arrangement.

For residents, the delay matters because it keeps the process open before Council acts. A franchise agreement can shape service standards, buildout obligations, complaint handling and other operating limits tied to a utility-like service many homes still rely on for internet access, television and emergency information. With the hearing moved, residents, officials and stakeholders have more time to review how the ordinance would affect local oversight and what leverage the public has before a vote.

The county’s regular session calendar now lists the hearing for Tuesday, June 9, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Municipal Building Council Chambers, 1000 Central Ave. in Los Alamos. County meetings are held in person, streamed live and available through Zoom, with video on demand afterward.

The timing also lands alongside Los Alamos County’s own Atomic Fiber Initiative, a county-owned, open-access fiber-to-the-premise network intended to improve internet access, reliability and affordability in Los Alamos and White Rock. The county says Atomic Fiber is designed to serve more than 10,000 homes and businesses, with construction planned in eight phases across 47 distribution areas and first customers anticipated in Fall 2026.

Council rules make the June 9 meeting consequential. Agendas are posted at least 72 hours before regular meetings, public comment is included for items not on the agenda, a quorum of four council members is required and at least four affirmative votes are needed for valid Council action. For a franchise that could shape how Comcast operates in Los Alamos County for 10 years, that hearing is where the county’s next round of broadband oversight begins.