'Beyond sloppy': Hundreds of Altamonte Springs residents complain about internet company
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - The Altamonte Springs city manager says hundreds of residents have complained about a fiber optics company called "WOW!," after he says people lost water and power service while they installed their optic lines.
"I would call it beyond sloppy," said Frank Martz. "The challenge is that they are federally funded not really well regulated, we have no real way of regulating them because those are public access easements, they have the right to be there."
The company has been installing fiber optic lines in Seminole and Orange Counties, as a part of a push from the federal government to offer better internet access across the country. Martz says he doesn’t have a problem with what they are doing, but how they are doing it.
"They’ve broken a lot of utilities they’ve left yards in disrepair, trash on yards, tools in yards," said Martz.
MORE HEADLINES:
- FTC plans to hire child psychologists to help regulate internet use for kids, teens
- Biden signs sweeping executive order on artificial intelligence development
- Google's internet dominance under siege: Antitrust trial threatens sweeping changes
Martz says the city is providing the company with maps of where current utility pipes exist, but he tells us, he feels like they are being reckless.
"What they are doing is they are going so fast and so carelessly they are just drilling through whatever is in their way," said Martz.
The company has promised they will fix any damage done, but Martz says that’s not the point.
"The residents are going to be temporarily out of water Sewer lines create environmental impacts storm water lines create huge sinkholes," said Martz.
WOW! Sent us this statement:
"Being a good neighbor is WOW!’s highest priority as our crews continue to work on the ground to bring our fast, reliable, all-fiber Internet network to Central Florida. We work very closely with city officials and area utilities throughout the construction process to gain the appropriate approvals and permits, as well as identify and mark all utilities to the highest level of precision possible using public locates and ground penetrating radar.
We do not install fiber on private property. WOW! obtains permits to use public easements between the sidewalk and street and rights of way to install fiber. Notifications are provided to homeowners two weeks before construction activities, as well as again the day before, to minimize disruptions.
We take these matters very seriously and swiftly address issues when they arise. Our teams proactively meet with city leaders on a regular basis to address construction progress and any concerns, and we continue to be in touch with local authorities to resolve any current issues as quickly as possible. Furthermore, we pay for all repairs. If anything was paid by the city, we would have been invoiced by the city and would have reimbursed the expense.
We take responsibility when we are at fault for any disruptions or damage and apologize for any inconvenience. If a homeowner believes WOW! has damaged their property, they should contact WOW! at 321-233-2236 or by emailing cfl.construction@wowinc.com. WOW! will promptly repair damage for which we are responsible at no cost to the homeowner."- Artney Dennis, operations manager.
WOW! says they hang up a door sign two weeks before installation, but several people we spoke to say they never got a notice. Gilbert Vogler is one of those people. He says he went to take out his trash cans and noticed his yard was a mess.
"They dug it up dug some holes, buried something, and left a mess, came a few days later and patched it up I guess," said Vogler.
WOW! also said they take responsibility when damage is done, but Martz said the city revoked one of their permits until it was fixed. He says it's now wasting city resources.
"We have to take staff off of other work to babysit them to make sure they fix the damage that they’ve caused," said Martz.
Martz says Altamonte Springs has created a coalition with Seminole and Orange County to discuss the problems and think about ways to enforce better practices so that their residents don’t suffer during installation.