Vermilion County Officials Raise Alarm Over Fiber Optic Cable...

In Tilton, Illinois, local officials in Vermilion County convened a meeting to tackle a shared issue plaguing several towns: the disruption caused by fiber optic contractors inadvertently damaging utility lines.

The gathering was orchestrated by Westville Mayor Troy Strebin, providing a platform for public works employees to express their concerns directly to area representative Brandun Schweizer.

Bill Wear, the mayor of Tilton, highlighted a recent incident where a construction project led to the rupture of a water line, resulting in a flooded basement for one family. Mike Bennett, the public works director for Westville, expressed that managing such issues detracts from the primary responsibilities of his five-person team.

“Westville simply doesn’t have the capacity for any more infrastructure projects,” Bennett remarked.

Danville township’s road commissioner, A.J. Wright, said a water main line was ripped out of the ground on a fiber project last week.

Damage caused by broadband projects happens all the time, according to Wright.

“People’s sewer lines, our water lines, our drain lines, quite a few, it’s like several a day,” he said. “It disrupts their lives. Their water’s not on, their basement’s flooded. Their sewer’s not hooked up. It’s a very big deal I think.”

Now, he’s hoping to propose a local ordinance to prevent more instances from happening.

“If your name’s Comcast and you’re on on this piece of paper, a representative of Comcast will come to our township and you will sign off on understanding that you are 100% liable,” he said, discussing the ordinance.

Comcast and Conxxus were the two companies mentioned by name in the meeting. WCIA reached out to both companies for a statement.

We have reached out to Danville Township officials to understand the concerns raised. We take these matters seriously and are committed to working closely with local leaders and our construction partner to resolve them.

Comcast spokesperson

We have just been made aware that there are concerns that were raised and we take any report like this seriously. When issues are brought to our attention, we work closely with our teams and partners to review the situation thoroughly. If something within our scope requires attention, we address it promptly and in accordance with industry standards.

Connexus spokesperson

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Vermilion County Officials Raise Alarm Over Fiber Optic Cable Installation Concerns

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