Wider view from back northwest corner of my house, looking south. As you can see the 6 foot square slab would be approximately 10 feet from the corner of my bedroom - furthest window on left. AT&T picked my house - and the old utility right-of-way in front of it - as the first stop in their build-out to expand high speed internet and video service. Fiber Optic bundle will go to a rather large (4 ft square by 5 foot box with attached heat pump on 6 ft slab) DSLAM box. Only problem is... their maps are wrong! They were wrong 20 years ago, and they are still wrong! They notified me by a letter dated 2/19/2007 that I received on Friday, 3/2/2007! The letter didn't say when digging would begin or what equipment would be installed. Knowing the problems from installation 20 years before (I had to stand in front yard, refusing to move, until the agreed to move the location!), I tried calling them over the weekend, but, of course, no one was home at their office. I left a message. By the time they'd called me back, left a message and I was able to talk to them at lunch the following Monday, it was 1pm and the hole seen here was dug and ready for step 2. Needless to say, I was furious! Ever try and find an attorney who'd take a case against AT&T on contingency? Good luck! They have since moved it to the other (west) side of the existing box, but my yard is still a mess and the driveway's less-than-2-year-old gravel surface chewed up pretty good. Despite my extreme anger over the way this was conducted, I never bothered to mention I was chairman of the Cable TV Advisory Committee of Beloit. Their letter never mentioned video services as part of this construction, but that's what this is about - bring video service over telephone lines to compete with Cable franchises. As long as it's called "communications service" they can build under existing grandfathered right-of-ways. If they mention video, they enter an whole 'nuther regulatory environment and open a can of worms they expect to see superceeded with new regulations before too long. (Wisconsin is expected to consider and pass such legislation soon... unless the hapless feds do it first.) This ain't over yet... not by a long shot.

View from front, southwest corner of my street-side lot (I have 1/2 acre wooded lot to immediate left of this view). AT&T picked my house - and the old utility right-of-way in front of it - as the first stop in their build-out to expand high speed internet and video service. Fiber Optic bundle will go to a rather large (4 ft square by 5 foot box with attached heat pump on 6 ft slab) DSLAM box. Only problem is... their maps are wrong! They were wrong 20 years ago, and they are still wrong! They notified me by a letter dated 2/19/2007 that I received on Friday, 3/2/2007! The letter didn't say when digging would begin or what equipment would be installed. Knowing the problems from installation 20 years before (I had to stand in front yard, refusing to move, until the agreed to move the location!), I tried calling them over the weekend, but, of course, no one was home at their office. I left a message. By the time they'd called me back, left a message and I was able to talk to them at lunch the following Monday, it was 1pm and the hole seen here (behind backhoe) was dug and ready for step 2. Needless to say, I was furious! Ever try and find an attorney who'd take a case against AT&T on contingency? Good luck! They have since moved it to the other (west) side of the existing box, but my yard is still a mess and the driveway's less-than-2-year-old gravel surface chewed up pretty good. Despite my extreme anger over the way this was conducted, I never bothered to mention I was chairman of the Cable TV Advisory Committee of Beloit. Their letter never mentioned video services as part of this construction, but that's what this is about - bring video service over telephone lines to compete with Cable franchises. As long as it's called "communications service" they can build under existing grandfathered right-of-ways. If they mention video, they enter an whole 'nuther regulatory environment and open a can of worms they expect to see superceeded with new regulations before too long. (Wisconsin is expected to consider and pass such legislation soon... unless the hapless feds do it first.) This ain't over yet... not by a long shot.