In researching why the Cable companies seek waivers to use the front utility easement and the City granting them, I found the answer. You and Me!
Most of us only see the SRP guys on meter reading days and the phones connected and disconnected at the Central Office, but cable.....
Seems the consumers have more choices these days with Over-The-Air TV, satellite dishes, dial up modems, wireless, High Speed Internet, and now in our neighborhood, 2 competing cable companies. The cable companies add and remove customers quite frequently. Also, hard as it is to believe, one cable rep told me about cables noted ''outages'' and the need to troubleshoot their equipment at odd hours of the day and night. With backyard mounted equipment they must gain access our backyards to do this work.
In the summer the homeowner maybe on vacation or sunbathing in the backyard when they don't answer the door. It could be the family pooch or a watch dog who's barking on the other side of the gate. In addition many of us feel that the front yard is ''public'' and open but that our backyard is, well ours. We do things out back that are private where we can let our ''hair down'' and don't need interuptions when that crazy guy Chris down the street, cable is acting up again. Many a complaint has been registered when a homeowner didn't hear the knock on the door and had a cable repairman ''appear'' in their backyard.
For their part the cable companies tell me that it costs more to build in the front with driveways, streets to cross, and better landscaping than in the backyards, but that from a servicing and public relations point of view it's worth the cost difference.
I don't know, it's almost too logical, maybe somethings just have to be taken at face value.
Most of us only see the SRP guys on meter reading days and the phones connected and disconnected at the Central Office, but cable.....
Seems the consumers have more choices these days with Over-The-Air TV, satellite dishes, dial up modems, wireless, High Speed Internet, and now in our neighborhood, 2 competing cable companies. The cable companies add and remove customers quite frequently. Also, hard as it is to believe, one cable rep told me about cables noted ''outages'' and the need to troubleshoot their equipment at odd hours of the day and night. With backyard mounted equipment they must gain access our backyards to do this work.
In the summer the homeowner maybe on vacation or sunbathing in the backyard when they don't answer the door. It could be the family pooch or a watch dog who's barking on the other side of the gate. In addition many of us feel that the front yard is ''public'' and open but that our backyard is, well ours. We do things out back that are private where we can let our ''hair down'' and don't need interuptions when that crazy guy Chris down the street, cable is acting up again. Many a complaint has been registered when a homeowner didn't hear the knock on the door and had a cable repairman ''appear'' in their backyard.
For their part the cable companies tell me that it costs more to build in the front with driveways, streets to cross, and better landscaping than in the backyards, but that from a servicing and public relations point of view it's worth the cost difference.
I don't know, it's almost too logical, maybe somethings just have to be taken at face value.
