Frontier plans light speed fiber expansion in Marble Falls
Adobe stock image for illustrative purposes only
Frontier Communications is working on a major expansion project in Marble Falls that should bring light speed internet to homes across the city. A presentation to the City Council on Jan. 6 laid out the details on the expansion and what it will mean for residents.
According to Frontier Vice President of External Affairs David Russell, the communications company will soon begin buildout of a new fiber optic cable network, which should bring 7 gigabit download and upload speeds to about 4,300 homes in Marble Falls by the end of 2026.
“We’re building this advanced technology in dozens of communities across Texas to modernize our network,” Russell told the council. “We appreciate this opportunity to make (the council) and residents aware of this investment that we’re making here in Marble Falls.”
Frontier–a Dallas-based company– is funding the expansion with its own money, raised in capital markets. The project is not funded by tax dollars or grants according to Russell. He did not share a specific price tag for the investment, but described it as “quite a bit of money.”
Russell explained that Frontier staff had met with city staff in December 2025 to ensure that the project followed all necessary city rules and guidelines. Once these guidelines are clear, work will begin and the expansion could be completed before the end of 2026, with residents gaining access to the new fiber optic network as it is completed.
This is a private internet network, but its infrastructure will be in the public right-of-way throughout the city. The fiber will follow Frontier’s existing copper cable network, 74 percent of which is suspended along power lines, and the remaining 26 percent is buried.
Marble Falls city staff are working with the company on proper procedures for the project to move forward, but there is no official action for the City Council to take in greenlighting the project as long as it follows local, state, and federal regulations.
Frontier crews will leave door hangers and notify residents of the work as they proceed. The work should be relatively non-invasive, as it does not require streets to be torn open or any trenching.
Russell also said that Frontier Communications would be merging with Verizon in the coming months, and residents may see a change in branding after the companies combine.
Use of the fiber service will be optional, and once it is installed, the speeds can be upgraded in the future without impacting residential infrastructure. Russell said it will be an exceptional upgrade.
The industry standard for broadband, high speed internet is 100 megabits per second download speeds and 20 megabits per second upload speeds. The 7 gbs fiber optic service will offer speeds 70 times faster than the standard download speed and offer the same speed when uploading.
“The fiber itself is ultra-pure glass, as thin as a human hair, and then we use high intensity lasers to shoot different wavelengths of light through that glass and each wavelength has different levels of communication on it, depending on the different frequencies of the light signature,” he said. “By being able to put communications in light, over fiber, it’s the fastest form of communication that physics will permit as we know it.”