SureWest - Construction FAQs
- How will I be kept informed?
- Does SureWest have access to my yard?
- How will construction be done?
- What if my utilities are fed to my home from a telephone pole?
- What if my utilities are fed to my home underground?
- Who do I contact with questions about construction in my neighborhood?
1. How will I be kept informed?
Once construction is scheduled for a neighborhood, each resident is notified by letter thirty (30) days in advance. The letter will explain in detail the network construction process, and address any questions and concerns. Five to 10 (5-10) days prior to construction, residents will also be visited in person by a SureWest representative. If not at home, a door hanger will be left on the front door with a telephone number to call to address issues or concerns. No sooner than 72 hours prior, street signs will alert you that our network construction is about to begin. Our workers will knock on your door to inform you that they are accessing your yard. Should there be a pause in the network construction process in excess of 10 days, a new door tag will be distributed before construction resumes, to let you know we are still working. 2. Does SureWest have access to my yard?
Federal and State law both grant reasonable access by cable companies to the public utility easement for installation and maintenance purposes. This means we are allowed access your yard to install, replace, and maintain equipment within the public easements on your property whether you are home or not. Please be assured that we understand our access is an inconvenience and impacts your feeling of privacy in your home. We commit to you that we will keep you informed of our activities and be accessible and responsive to your needs and questions. We respect your property and will strive to adhere to any special requirements regarding access to your property. Workers are licensed and insured and will be clearly identified with uniforms and badges, indicating they work for SureWest. Vehicles will be clearly marked with SureWest company logos. Please call us immediately at 1.888.946-3477 if there is a problem or some inadvertent property damage occurs. We will rectify the situation as soon as possible. The Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Television Commission, the city and the county monitor our activity by our compliance with inspections, licenses, permits and construction procedures. For more information, you may call the Commission at 916.874.6661 or via e-mail at sacmetro@saccounty.net. 3. How will the construction be done?
SureWest must access the existing utilities. These are fed to the home in one of two ways: aerially – via telephone poles; or underground. Depending on your neighborhood and your home, SureWest will need to access the utilities fed to your home in one of these ways. 4. What if my utilities are fed to my home from a telephone pole?
Make-ready aerial construction activities include the following:
Make-ready Engineering: To be done 30 days prior to the start of construction. Two-man engineering crews will visit all utility poles in the area to inventory all existing conductors on the pole and to measure the relative distance between them to determine if space exists for SureWest cable(s). Poles are also inspected for strength, according to standards set by the California Public Utilities Commission.
Make-ready Construction Crews & Aerial Strand Crews:
Preparation: A three-man crew will use aerial life trucks or climb poles to move existing conductors to facilitate room, per state and federal codes, for placement of SureWest cable(s). In some instances a permanent anchor will be placed in a yard up to the pole to support the new weight. On rare occasions, a pole may need to be replaced before additional wiring is added.
Network Cable Placement: A one to four-man crew will work out of the aerial lift trucks or will climb poles to install ¼"– 7/16" steel support strand on which the fiber and coax cable(s) will be placed. The cable will be placed on the strand and a stainless steel wire will be wrapped around both cable and
strand. The height of this strand and cable will average 18 feet above the ground.
Aerial Cable Crews: One to five-man crews, similar to the strand crews, will pull the cable(s) along the support strand hanging it in small rollers. The crew will then “lash” the strand and cable(s) together with a small (watermelon size) machine that wraps a .045" stainless steel wire around both strand cable(s).
Splicers: A two-man team will trim the cable ends to length and splice cables together and into the electronic components along the cable runs. Two different groups of Splicers utilize different tools and procedures. Coax Splicers and fiber optic Splicers will work independently from each other.
Activation / Testing: One and two-man teams will actually turn on the electronic components and set the signal levels to manufacturer and SureWest specifications.
Using 4 separate crews and an average of eight weeks your neighborhood construction should be complete, not including the “Make Ready Engineering” phase that is completed 30 days in advance of any construction.
5. What if my utilities are fed to my home underground?
SureWest will build our system underground. The cable equipment will be placed within public easements in front yards, sidewalks and the streets. Construction of this type will involve the following:
Identify existing utilities:
As required by law, SureWest must contact the Underground Service Alert (USA) network to identify all existing U/G facilities. Each utility will electronically locate and mark with colored chalk-based paint the location of existing lines and pipes, so as to avoid any disruption in service during construction or to be able identify the line during excavation. Each utility is assigned a color. Power is red, water is blue, gas is yellow etc. The chalk-based paint will dissolve over time, but SureWest will also power wash most locations after this phase is complete.
Exposure of existing utilities & infrastructure build-out:
As required by law, any and all existing utilities along the SureWest underground route must be exposed on an average of every twenty feet. This is done by core drilling an eight-inch “pot” hole and removing the soil down to the utility with a “vacuum” trailer. Potholes will be located in front yards, sidewalks and along the street as necessary but will be filled daily. In some cases of multiple utilities a larger hole may be required and will be covered by metal plates or cordoned off if left overnight.
Installing the network cable:
SureWest places all coax and fiber optic cables in a conduit structure for added protection. This “duct” is placed in the ground utilizing several methods. The most modern underground construction technology today is called directional boring. The boring machine is a large state of the art piece of equipment that allows digging underground without the need for open trenches. It drills horizontally under the ground for about 500 feet. The drill is reversed and as it is removed, plastic conduits are pulled through back to the machine. Later, the network cable is easily pulled through the conduit using a rope conveniently placed inside the conduit. In order to obtain the needed direction and angle to dig within an easement, the boring machine may need to be occasionally placed within some front yards.
Flush mounted vaults, level with the ground, will contain the connections needed to splice the network cable together. These flush mounts will be located either by the sidewalk or on the back of the walkway and will be 2 feet x 3 feet in size. Larger above ground equipment may be needed in some locations (the largest of which usually are in commercial zones). Occupants will be contacted personally prior to their property being used for any equipment larger than a flush mount to allow questions and discuss placement options. Once the entire infrastructure is in place cabling crews will begin to place the coax and fiber into the duct and vaults per the network design.
Splicers:
After all cables are placed, Splicers trim and splice cables together and into electronic components along the cable routes. Two different groups of Splicers utilize different tools and procedures. Coax and fiber Splicers work independent from each other.
Activation / Testing / Clean up:
One and two-man teams actually turn on the electronic components and set the signal levels to the manufacturer and SureWest specifications. SureWest will have a crew to perform the removal of all USA markings on street and sidewalks.
It will take an average of eight weeks and five separate crews to complete the above neighborhood underground construction activities.
6. Who do I contact with questions about construction in my neighborhood?
SureWest Broadband is committed to offering you the highest level of reliability, advance technology and unsurpassed customer care. If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions regarding construction in your neighborhood, please contact us:
SureWest Broadband
5411 Luce Avenue
McClellan, CA 95652
1.888.946.3477
E-mail: info@surewestbroadband.com
SureWest Broadband Residential Services operates under a license granted by the Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Commission to provide competitive cable television services within Sacramento County. You may contact them at:
Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Television Commission
901 H Street, Suite 206
Sacramento, CA 95814
916.874.6661
E-mail: sacmetro@saccounty.net
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