mindustrial. Man, that's really bad.

OP here. They dug some holes but they're using subterranean hi tech equipment to actually install the line. Only glitch was some ditchdigger who doesn't speak English was digging right next to a pear tree and uncovering/scarring the roots.

I talked to his 'jefe' and 'jefe' came to the site and told him to dig a different spot since they couldn't go through tree roots.

Maybe they'll be done this week? They're working all over town so they're really spread out.

And, like someone pointed out, it's a sub sub sub contracter-ish situation doing the digging.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Biker_dude,

I had an incident that I will never forget involving an easement. The cable guys will definitely never forget it either. I was awakened by my dog barking at my bedroom window that looks out to the side of my house. I got up and looked out the window and saw 2 guys jumping my fence in jeans and t-shirts. I grabbed my 45 and opened the sliding door and stepped onto the patio and then opened the screened enclosure and met them with the 45 half-raised (not pointed at them, but ready to). I said STOP! and what TF are you doing? The guys froze and said we're the cable guys. No name tags on, no shirts with logos, no paperwork in their hands, no tools, just 2 unshaved, rough looking guys in dirty clothes standing in my yard. One of them said follow me to my truck and I'll show you paperwork, we have an easement and your fence is locked. You can't lock you fence we have a right to come anytime we want. I advised that I did know of the easement, but it wouldn't do them any good if they are both dead. I told them all the options they had other than breaking into my property by jumping the fence that was not locked but the latch was rusted and stuck. Knock on the door, ring the bell, scream cable guy, wear company logo clothing. These idiots weren't even parked in front of my home, they were parked 3 houses down the street which looked even my like criminal behavior.

I tried to get the cable junction moved to outside of the fence and these idiots wanted me to pay $5k to do it. I had a long talk with their supervisor about safety and letting them know once again that yes they have an easement but I own the place and will defend it and my family. Only a fool would behave this way, especially in a state like FL where virtually every homeowner has a gun and believes in standing their ground. Long story ended with them making a 5 min repair in the box and leaving after putting everyone in a life-changing or life-ending situation because they felt their easement allowed them to do anything they wanted to do on my property.

OP here.

FLKev, thankfully it worked out ok.

In my case, this internet company didn't destroy my yard the way the first company did.

First off, this company used a borer and then shot the fiber underground.

Second, they decided to not go through my yard and went through my neighbor's yard.

It worked out ok.

We had some cable company in town this past week boring fiber for new service. Nobody told me anything about it, because they're not closing roads so it's not a police issue.

Well, naturally somebody had to go and make it one. Some old guy called after 5pm bitching up a storm because these guys had put marks on the grass in front of his house between the sidewalk and the road, and he might want to put a driveway there someday and didn't want them putting a box there. He wanted to talk to a supervisor because he couldn't communicate with the guys on the crew because he doesn't "speak Venezuelan."

I told him I didn't have a number for the supervisor, and since it's after 5:00pm all the town offices are now closed so there's nobody over there to ask. I told him I'd try to get ahold of the street department supervisor to see if he could put me in touch with the utility company, but ultimately I don't have any authority to prevent them from working in an easement so they're going to do what they decide they need to do.

I tried calling the street department supervisor, but he didn't answer (turns out he was up to his waist in a hole trying to fix a water line that the fiber people broke), so I went looking for him, and happened upon the old guy who'd called standing by the the road talking to what appeared to be a supervisor from the utility company. Guess he drove by and the guy flagged him down. Turns out the paint in this guy's yard was to mark an existing underground water line, and a union for the cable that was going to be two feet under ground, so none of it was going to be a problem for him anyway. Didn't stop me from getting an earful about why "nobody with the town knows what's going on", though .