COMMUNITY AWARENESS

Lack of Community Awareness

Most residents have little idea of the scale and scope of what is happening in their front yards. The small trench in the grass may look like a routine repair, or a one-time utility upgrade. What they don’t realize is that fiber optic installation under the current County policy can mean unlimited, duplicative excavations by competing private companies — each trenching its own line, each returning again and again — with no County regulation to protect them from unreasonable burden.

Everyday Confusion

One elderly neighbor, watching from her window, remarked:

“Oh, they’re finally updating the electricity — good, it needs to be done.”

When told it was fiber optic installation, she responded:

“But they already installed it last month.”

This is the reality: residents believe they are witnessing normal, necessary upgrades to essential utilities. In fact, they are seeing private companies competing for market share — in their yards, at their expense.

Inadequate Notice

AT&T and MetroNet each mailed a flyer, barely distinguishable from junk mail, announcing that fiber optic service would “soon” be available. Many residents never received it at all. Those who did were given no meaningful information:

  • No description of the scale of excavation to expect.

  • No explanation of how many separate trenches could be dug.

  • No schedule of when or how long work would last.

  • No mention of property restoration standards.

  • And most importantly, no disclosure that multiple companies could dig separate trenches in perpetuity.

Such “notices” amount to marketing, not informed consent.

What Residents Deserve

Residents have a reasonable right to know:

  • Scope of work — how deep, how many trenches, how close to driveways, sidewalks, and foundations.

  • Timing — when work will begin, how long it will last, and how many times crews may return.

  • Restoration — what standards apply, and who is accountable if damage remains.

  • Future activity — whether the easement may be re-excavated by other companies, and what limits, if any, apply.

Compare this to other County-regulated activities: a homeowner needs a permit to install a fence or build a patio, with clear conditions and inspections. Yet a private corporation can cut through multiple properties with heavy equipment, and residents are left with no reliable notice, no direct contact information, and no guarantee of accountability.

Why Awareness Matters

This lack of notification and transparency helps explain why few complaints have been filed: most residents simply do not understand the scope, frequency, and cumulative disruption of these installations — or Orange County’s decision not to regulate them.

In other jurisdictions, municipalities have adopted stronger requirements:

  • “Door tag” or certified mail notifications before excavation begins.

  • Detailed project descriptions filed with the city or county, available to the public.

  • Mandatory signage on-site identifying the company, project scope, and a phone number for resident concerns.

Orange County residents deserve at least the same. Without basic awareness, homeowners are deprived not only of peace of mind but of the opportunity to assert their rights.