AT&T has been hit with a lawsuit regarding the installation of fiber optic cables for high-speed internet in North Texas.
In Denton County, several residents have sued AT&T for negligence and harassment, alleging that work in their neighborhood caused extensive damage, according to NBC 5 DFW.
“It has been nothing but headaches,” Denton resident Lauren Sinno said, reported NBC 5 DFW.
The lawsuit includes photos that show how existing underground utility lines are meant to be located in advance and marked with flags so as to avoid any damage to them.
“The subcontractor pulled a locate 30 days after the installation happened,” said Sinno.
Sinno’s Wynnwood Haven Estates community gets its water from a well through a small utility, and she said the neighborhood does not have the funds to fix leaks residents claim AT&T caused, according to NBC 5 DFW.
Geoff Henley, the attorney representing the residents, said, “AT&T ultimately is the one who needs to foot the bill because they’re standing at the top of the totem pole, directing all these events,” NBC 5 DFW reported.
Henley said the work AT&T performed in the neighborhood must be repaired and redone.
The lawsuit is seeking extra compensation for plaintiffs to set an example, NBC 5 DFW reported.
The neighborhood in question is located on a peninsula in Lewisville Lake, in an unincorporated portion of Denton County with no sidewalks or drainage ditches, the outlet reported.
“They brought in fill dirt compromising the drainage flow. The water has nowhere to go which then results in lots of puddling,” said Sinno.
Around three dozen residents are a part of the lawsuit claiming damages, and Henley said he expects more will join the suit, according to NBC 5 DFW.
“I can assure you this. The president of AT&T wouldn’t want someone going and digging in his yard,” the attorney said, per NBC 5 DFW.
The harassment portion of the suit stems from Sinno’s interactions with the company after she voiced her complaints.
“When I brought it to their attention, they lied to me, they bullied me, I’ve had several engineers stalking my home,” Sinno told NBC 5 DFW.
Last month, AT&T announced it was partnering with Private Equity giant BlackRock to invest billions in fiber-optic network expansion as it plans to pursue broadband customers beyond its local phone territory, The Dallas Morning News reported. The unincorporated neighborhood in Denton being targeted by the company appears to fall under that category.
An AT&T spokesperson delivered the following statement in response to the lawsuit, per NBC 5 DFW:
“As we work to bring high-speed fiber internet to more communities, our goal is to minimize impact on residents as much as possible. We require our contractors to obtain proper permitting, follow applicable construction codes, and abide by rules governing rights-of-way and property easements. If construction-related issues do occur, we work to resolve and restore any impacts from our work. Whether large or small, when damages impact the public, that is not lost on us.'”
Hell, most of these companies hire “subcontractors” who are not even specially licensed and do not even follow the basic regulations. In my neighborhood there is a lot of sand, The installers just use a flat spade and then press the cable into the split in the soil. It is installed 4 to 5 inches deep at most. When the temperatures rise the cable expands and unburies itself in the grass. The lawnmower cuts the cable every year.
The codes are clear, the material manufacturer or the authority having jurisdiction sets minimum depth, the greater of the two is the requirement. There is NOT a single fiber optic cable that lists a depth of LESS than 12 inches. Meaning that all cables must be MORE than 12 inches deep to be legally installed!
Then there is the placement of the main trunk cable. Many times in order to avoid the jumble of utilities, the cable installer will move the main trunk off of the right of way and INTO the private property of a home owner. Most home owners would never know or find out unless they damaged it somehow.
At my house I found out BEFORE they laid the cable on my property as they had clearly marked their intent! I had to explain to the “subcontractor” (an unlicensed LLC of two men) that the cable Trunk MUST remain in the right of way. I brought my pistol on my hip when discussing it. I let him know that should that cable enter onto my property there will be a suit, and there will be an arrest, and there will be a conviction. I then called the County and let them know of the issue and that I was armed and ready to defend my property. It eventually was resolved.
The issue is that in most juris, there are no inspection requirements and no permit requirements as the companies are supposed to handle everything thought their own engineers. However they sub everything out now and no one is actually responsible.