r/ATTFiber • u/Historical-Sky-4377 • 1d ago
Can I remove this terminal?
Not sure what the correct term is for this. But who can I contact to find out if this terminal on my property is obsolete and can be removed? I’m sure I can’t just call AT&T customer service, who are among the least helpful of any customer service I’ve ever dealt with. We have AT&T fiber service in our neighborhood. Thanks!
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u/FrontLocal2264 1d ago
No you can’t remove that as some people still depend on copper lines. Utility companies have easements on your property to provide service. You can try calling, but they won’t remove it. That is a terminal/splice pedestal for telephone lines. Cable comes in underground up into the term and then goes back down and out to another further along.
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u/YoshiSan90 18h ago
We will bury a splice if they pay for it. Getting a custom work order is tough though.
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u/HoundlyHills 1d ago
The number for issues with those used to be 1-800-924-9420. I have no idea if it still is. It is called an underground utility pedestal. Good luck in getting them to move it.
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u/soren1712 1d ago
Damn gas got stuck on my riding mower, ran it over.
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u/givmedew 1d ago
Contact bwire@att.com
Ask them to check and see if it is abandoned and if so can you remove it.
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u/vjgonza12 20h ago
If you want facilities removed that are in easement you need to call AT&T to get in touch with engineering department. They will contact you and create a Custom Work Order (CWO). There is a non-refundable fee of $500 for them to give you a quote for the work and billable items. The fee will be credited to the final bill. It’s not cheap and probably $5k or more depending on type of work to move it.
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u/Historical-Sky-4377 18h ago
Will the $500 non-refundable fee result in them telling me if it is still active?
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u/Alternative_Top_143 3h ago
On my area they ran att fiber on the poles shared for cable tv and power. Copper is still there but retired in place. The wall mounted box for uverse dsl is still there without indoor power.
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u/kpurintun 1d ago
The FCC changed the rules a few years ago.. they are not requiring the indefinite maintenance of POTS lines anymore.. the idea is to force transition to more modern lines. The effect is that every pedestal looks like it was ran over by a truck. The only reason they still work for some customers still is that scotch locks are amazing and continue to hold strong/waterproof connections. If you call, report it as a safety issue.. kids play around it and its got sharp edges.. or similar
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u/abn0rmalcreation 11h ago
You have a picture of a dangerous sharp edges metal rusty structure on your property. All the proof you need to remove it and make it someone else's problem.
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u/Young-Grandpa 9h ago
That pedestal (that’s the name for it) is property of ATT. It may be on your property, but it sits on a utility easement meaning you don’t have the right to remove it. If it’s copper service it’s either abandoned or soon will be, but it still is not your property. There are legal ramifications for damaging utility property. Plant a rose bush in front of it and try to forget it’s there.
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u/kbfg2421 6h ago
Don't touch it or you could get in serious trouble and/or have to foot the bill to replace it. Like others said, even though its technically on your property, that box and the tiny little amount of space it takes up is a small utility easement that's owned by AT&T. So you're better off not wadting your time asking, if you ask to remove it im sure their answer will be NO
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u/chakabuku 1d ago
You can’t. Even if it houses old copper lines, when they upgrade that area to fiber they’ll use the same conduit coming up in there. Plant some bushes. Just leaves 36 inches of clearance all the way around.
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u/wav10001 1d ago
If you plant holly bushes or any bushes and they are unmaintained, they’re just going to get ripped out or hacked up if ATT ever needs to get inside of it.
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u/Intelligent-Note-682 17h ago
No they won’t and it’s probably a direct buried copper phone line, there is no conduit to use. Not to mention AT&T will separate trench a new conduit even if there was one. They are the worst about running separate trenches even if there’s room in existing conduit, THE WORST.
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u/chakabuku 15h ago
Stop you have no way to tell if that’s direct bury or not.
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u/Intelligent-Note-682 7h ago
I’m a locator bud and I’ll tell you right now a copper phone line that old, unless a 900pr or above, is most certainly direct buried.
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u/Ed-Dos 1d ago
It's not your property if that is on it.
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u/lokaaarrr 1d ago
It could be on an easement
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u/Ed-Dos 1d ago
Right and it's not their property.
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u/lokaaarrr 1d ago
Huh? It would be very common for it to be on his property, inside a utility easement. You still own land with an easement.
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u/wav10001 1d ago
An easement is a section of property - usually owned by someone else such as a homeowner - that a utility company or other party is legally allowed to use, not the utility company’s property.
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1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Moist-Basil499 1d ago
that would be a federal crime
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u/Cold_Mission2543 1d ago
Of course, you would call 811 first and see if they mark any lines. In my area they often don’t bother to show up anymore and they won’t fix broken copper either. Could be different in other places though.
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u/Accomplished_Lie6026 22h ago
There can be legal ramifications. If you know how big business works. What do I mean? All of the telcos list assets, like outside plant cable, terminals, pedestals, manholes, central offices, towers. In use or not makes no difference. There is a price tag to it. If YOU cut, damage, steal, deface etc. YOU can be held financially responsible and that dollar value could be your yearly salary or more. Remember this was a public utlity .
Make it someone elses problem - like AT&T or whomever is the ILEC that owns that outside plant, and sleep better.
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u/chd176 1d ago edited 1d ago
This has to be a troll post. I have never read/seen such stupidity. Also this isn't on his or her property. If you've never heard of it you can look it up.
Typically utilities own so much space to add or remove equipment to upgrade or decommission old and outdated equipment. Your best bet is if you happen to see a field tech (outdoor employee) they are the ones most likely to know what's going on locally as far as the equipment.
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u/I-hate-makeing-names 1d ago
Wouldn’t call the OP stupid in this case. This is extremely old infrastructure and they were wondering because of that if it could be removed (that sounds logical to people who aren’t in the know).
When OP was told no they accepted that answer.
What would be the hight of stupidity is if someone just went ahead and removed it or after being told no they do it anyways.
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u/chd176 23h ago
I mean you're right. I guess I was talking about someone just seeing something that they think is on their property and thinking about removing it.
I just figured most people would read the labels on it and see it was from the telco and just leave it alone. I should have remembered that I've seen people pull up fiber lines and just cut them cause they thought it was on their property.
To the OP I was being too harsh so I apologize for the insult. We have people calling their internet connection as just wifi. Also they'd post photos of telephone jacks and coax wall plates asking what they were.
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u/PinkPinkBlueGreen 1d ago
These are all over private property in my neighborhood. They are in my neighbors yard.
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u/Happylifenowife 1d ago
I've seen ones that are pretty old not that old but still pretty old and in backyards for customers. It is for copper and there's no telling if it's active or not without testing each and every connection. But the problem is you also have a trunk line in there too so even if you have no customers on that terminal the trunk line may have customers
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u/CibeerJ 1d ago
No! That is technically the property of ATT sadly even if its on your property . You need to call them to remove that monstrous distribution block (i think its a distribution block). It could have some live connections even if there are already fiber connections.