- Jefferson County officials had installed broadband utility boxes in locals’ homes.
- Some neighbors say they feel violated because this was done without permission
Colorado homeowners have long been enraged after broadband utility boxes were installed in their front yards without their permission.
Residents of Kipling Villas in Jefferson County were caught off guard when they saw several people digging up their yards and installing utility boxes for BAM Broadband, formerly known as DirectLink, into holes in the ground.
Michael Clarkson, who bought his parents’ home in the area in 1976, described the entire process as “very violating.”
“We can’t get our county, which is normally very receptive, to act on this,” he said. ABC7.
Residents of Kipling Villas in Jefferson County were caught off guard when they saw several people digging up their yards and installing utility boxes for BAM Broadband, formerly known as DirectLink.
Michael Clarkson (pictured), who bought his parents’ house in the area in 1976, described the whole process as “very violating”.
But officials argue that residents had been informed about the installation and said there was a permit between the county and the company that allowed the installation.
In February, the Kipling Villas Homeowners Association published its monthly newsletter that read: ‘Why is there a box in my yard? Almost every other home will have a access box in their garden. This box is necessary to access and bring fiber Internet to your home.’
The Jefferson County website also read: ‘As a Jefferson County resident, you may be wondering why crews are installing fiber in your area.
‘The Colorado General Assembly has considered broadband regulation a statewide issue of concern and has limited the ability of local governments to regulate the placement of broadband in local rights-of-way.
Clarkson later said that after weeks of complaining, the box in her garden was removed but others remain.
“Under this legislation, broadband providers have the authority to locate on public rights-of-way.”
But residents do not believe their yards affected by the facilities constitute “rights of way.”
One resident told the channel: ‘For me, this is as much about responsibility as it is about our community as a whole.
‘Because the thing is, a company comes and does this, and it’s fine. Five, six and more will follow.
Clarkson later said that after weeks of complaints, the box in her garden was removed but others remain.
BAM Broadband has not yet commented on the complaints.