Ethos hits snag in DSL project

There has been a reel of cable sitting along highway 27 just south of Hillsboro for what seems like years but more likely has been months. That reel of cable belongs to Ethos a company that, with much assistance from county, state and federal dollars, is working to modernize the communications, economy, education and general well-being of county residents by installing fiber optic cable and supplying internet access.

Delays to any project in this corner of the world are not uncommon so I, for one, would drive by and wonder “when are we ever going to get Ethos out this way?”. Then the rumors started to fly. “There is a guy down the road who won’t let Ethos string the line on the poles that are on his property. He doesn’t need internet and thinks no one else should.” Could that be possible?

My first stop in answering this question was to contact Misti Willock, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Ethos.  She told me this was the first she heard of the rumor and after contacting her outside plant team confirmed “There is a property owner on Hwy 27 that refused access to Ethos.  Our engineering team is exploring alternatives. Most likely, it will not impede the project.”

I tried to get a better understanding of how many people will be affected by the delay including both those south of where the project has stopped and those to the north where cable has been strung on power poles but service not yet made available (Hillsboro and Kingston). Unfortunately those emails and phone calls were not answered.

I met the property owners who refuse access to Ethos and, while initiating the conversation by trying to explain that the Sierra County Citizen is a free online news and information service for the county, was told “I don’t use it, I don’t need it”. I explained that I was not selling anything but just looking for information. “I got no information”, was the response.

A sigh and eye roll on my part followed by a “just let me ask” provided enough time to say that there were rumors the property owners were stopping Ethos from hanging cable on the poles of their property. “They are liars!” the property owner said.

I reiterated what I heard was rumors. (After all, rumors are rumors. They are neither true nor false until confirmed one way or the other.) I told the property owner that I just wanted to hear their point of view about what was going on.

The property owner told me that he was not stopping the project. “I don’t need it, I don’t want it, I don’t want them on my property” he said. Then added that Ethos told him the line could be strung without going on to his property and that was the last he heard from Ethos.

The poles are indeed close enough to the property fence line that the equipment can reach it from outside. No doubt, however, accessing those poles would be safer and easier for the workers if done from the property-side rather than the road side where there is a steep ditch down off the road. 

So, we have our answer to the question if someone was stopping Ethos’ project because they don’t think it is necessary. No, that is not true. The project was not stopped but only slowed down.

That leaves another question. First, are there other poles on private property that might be inaccessible for stringing the cable line? It is fortunate that the poles on the property in question can be accessed from the road right of way without stepping on the property. However, not all poles that are on private property are so close to property lines. What happens if Ethos’ equipment cannot reach them from outside private property? More delays no doubt while Ethos’ engineering team explores alternatives.

Ernest Holman of Sierra Electric Coop explained how easements for existing power poles work. The Coop has easements to access and work on the power lines on all existing poles. The exact width and location of the easements vary from site to site but consumers do not need to be concerned that one of their ‘neighbors’ might prohibit needed repairs.

Other businesses, like Ethos, that utilize the poles must obtain their own easements from each landowner, explained Holman. Willock said that the all the easements for Ethos (under the name SWC Telesolutions) are filed with the county clerk’s office. Before Ethos began their project, they obtained easements from an alphabet soup of governments entities that have property in the county. Only a mining expedition through the county clerk’s records would determine if Ethos dotted all the i’s and crossed the t’s in their ready work for the project by contacting and obtaining easements from all private property owners.

Fortunately work has recommenced. A property owner further south on highway 27 informed me that Ethos contacted them to request use of their property as a staging site for equipment. Another source described additional equipment staged at a second site. The project moves on….

The most disturbing aspect of this situation is the further erosion of neighborliness not only in society as a whole but in our rural county. A property owner does have a right to decide who does and does not step on their property unless there are preexisting easements. Many times there are good reasons for denying access. It is just very difficult to imagine “because I don’t want them on it” to be a good one. Especially when the property owner knows and interacts with his neighbors and knows there are neighbors trying to homeschool children, or with no other access to phone service, or trying to earn a little extra income with an online business. The price to pay, a few hours or days of someone stepping foot on your property, seems such a small price to pay for a little kindness.

Disclaimer: I am a resident of the county and anxiously await access to this new service.