What's the next step?

bntspencer

Greetings,

About a month and a half ago, I was on the forum asking who I needed to contact to resolve a pole issue on my property. I was contacted by phone and a service tech come out to assess the situation. Routinely, the tech checked my service speed, etc. and then looked at the problem with the pole. The tech got his supervisor on the phone, who in turn said that I would be hearing from a construction supervisor in approx. four days. This was the second time I have tried to have the situation addressed and still no feedback from Spectrum on this.

Also, keep in mind that we no longer have a storefront in my community where things like this could be easily resolved in person. All we have available now is an automated 800 number with a limited selection of choices to try to get through to the right department.

So, what is the next step for getting this issue resolved?

James_M

Hi @bntspencer -

Your first post has been archived since you were referred to your local maintenance team, but we have access to the post and the notes. When you mentioned above that this was the second time you are trying to resolve the issue, do you mean you tried to resolve prior to February 2025? If so, are there any other details you can provide about the first attempt to resolve?

Can you provide photos of the damaged pole, as well as the new pole? Looking at the notes, it appears this issue was closed by our local maintenance/construction team and if the requested work was not done, then that tells me that either the pole does not meet the requirement for removal, or the new pole is not established or approved for Spectrum use. Sometimes we own poles, and sometimes we rent them, these are not details available to us on the individual customer level. Depending on the situation, we may not be able to move the lines, and the pole may not be eligible for removal. In most areas, utilities lie within an easement area and the property owner is not allowed to remove the pole, this is typically completed by the pole owner, or a contracted and licensed professional. If you have safe and easy access to the pole(s), it may be helpful if you can locate any labels or marking on the poles that will help identify ownership. Photos of these would be helpful as well, but again, only if it can be done safely.

Once we have photos, we can forward this to the local dispatch for a more detailed explanation, otherwise this may be something you may need to pursue with you local town or municipality, depending who holds ownership of the pole.

Thanks!

bntspencer

Hello James, I hope this message finds you well.

I have attached some important information for your review as requested.

Within the last year (2024), I had a conversation with an AEP Supervisor (American Electric Power Co.) who was on-site while connecting another electrical line from the transformer on the newer pole to a property behind mine. He shared that AEP no longer maintains or inspects the older pole and hasn't done so since the installation of the new pole beside the one that broke. This was concerning to hear, so I reached out to Frontier Communications about the phone lines on the old pole. To my relief, they responded quickly and sent a service technician with a bucket truck within two days to remove all their low-hanging attachments using my utility easement access.

Over the past three years, I've had several Spectrum Service Technicians visit my home due to issues with my Internet service. During these visits, I took the opportunity to ask them to look into disconnecting from the old pole and reconnecting to the new one because the Spectrum service line running through my back yard hangs very low. Each technician assured me they would relay my concerns to the Construction Supervisor.

My most recent service call stemmed from feedback I received on this forum, as I had not been given any updates on the situation. During that service call, another technician arrived and took photos and videos of the issues, which I am sending you as attachments. He mentioned that his supervisor instructed him to inform me that the Construction Supervisor would reach out to me within four days. Unfortunately, it has now been over a month since that call, and I have not heard back.

According to the metes and bounds of the property map and the official survey, this easement is owned by me, and I pay taxes on that land; it’s not an alleyway that just anyone can access.

The pole in question is situated right on the property line between my neighbor's land and mine, and it obstructs the common fence-line that we share. I genuinely want to resolve this issue by having the existing, low-hanging Spectrum service line transferred to the newer pole. This would allow for the removal of the old, broken-top pole, which has become a concern for both of us.

If Spectrum has acquired or been gifted this pole from AEP, I would appreciate seeing proof of the legal transfer of ownership. The pole in question is located in my

back yard at (REDACTED).

Additionally, AEP has indicated that they no longer claim ownership of the old pole and do not receive leasing royalties from Spectrum. I kindly request that the Construction Supervisor reach out to me with proof regarding this matter.

Thank you for your attention to this issue, and I look forward to your response.

(REDACTED PERSONAL INFORMATION)

James_M

Thanks for the additional information, this is all very useful. As a sidenote, we edited your post to remove the private information provided, since this is a public space.

I have escalated this issue to the regional field dispatch in your area that coordinates with the maintenance and construction crews. I will monitor for updates and I have asked them to reach out to you directly. Please allow up to 5 business days for a response, although it is usually much sooner. I can share that I have already received an acknowledgement that the escalation was received.

I have also reached out to one of our contacts regarding issues like this one. I can relay (and to clarify my previous post) that in most cases, Spectrum does not own utility poles, we rent or lease. As well, in almost all situations, it is the local city manager or municipality manager that coordinates the replacement and / or removal of old utility poles. While we wait for a response from the local field team, you may want to contact your city managers office to determine if the pole has been identified for removal or replacement. In very general terms, notification from the city manager that there is an issue and a pending removal or replacement usually triggers the process to move utility lines, including Spectrum cable and internet lines.

I will post here when I get any update or additional information. As well, feel free to post any updates, please be cautious to omit any personally identifying information.

Thanks for your patience and I am confident we can get a satisfactory resolution soon.

James_M

Hi @bntspencer,

It's been a week, I wanted to see if you have been contacted or have made any progress toward getting this issue resolved. I have not heard anything else from the regional dispatch in your area, but that is not unusual since they typically circle back to our team once the issue is resolved.

Looking forward to hearing from you,