Find a lawyer who is versed in the state data transit laws and have them help you with the city you are working with.
I did that. One of the cities wanted to charge me per customer. Since I decided I don’t do telephone or TV, they put me under a franchise. My lawyer had a good conversation with the city attorney about how its actually illegal to do a franchise like that in the state of Utah, lol! So we worked out a different agreement. The cities just can’t deny you access. There has got to be a way. Another thing to do is just garner a LOT of support behind your product. Then have the residents come forward and push for a change. That has worked for me too. From: Af [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Zephyr Broadband Sent: Monday, January 19, 2015 10:57 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [AFMUG] Laying your own fiber? So we've started looking at trenching our own fiber but we've run into a couple roadblocks and I thought I'd reach out to the list and see if others have run into similar issues. Obviously this is location and jurisdiction dependent, but we can't seem to get anyone from City Hall to return our calls or offer any hints as to where to look. How did you get permission to use utility right of ways and easements? Did you file for CLEC certification? Did you look at a CATV franchise agreement with your city? Did you approach each landowner and negotiate your own easement? Also, do any of you offer triple play services? We haven't had a lot of luck looking into distribution agreements for TV services either. Any info or resources would be appreciated!
