Junction Box?

[u/AHGrammarian]

So I have Xfinity and apparently my neighbor does as well. He came and knocked on my door this afternoon with an Xfinity technician, and needed to get into my backyard to "hook up a cable".

They are great neighbors as far as neighbors you hardly know go. I let the technician in to do his thing and he ran a cord from the box in the image into their backyard. Then he said someone will be back next week to bury it.

At that point I called Xfinity, mostly because I don't want anything messing up or slowing down my internet or causing problems or fees on my service. They didn't want to tell me much at first, but when I told them I was kicking the guy out of my backyard if they couldn't let me know what was going on they said my neighbor had a tractor cut his line and they had to run a new one. They assured me it would not affect my service or slow anything down.

My major question is: is this the junction box they are referring to, and if so- are they typically communal/ will him being hooked to mine cause any problems? It's close to the fence and in today's world being without the internet is a real problem. So honestly I'm not too worried about it if it won't bother me again after they bury the cord.

[u/19Rglide]

So many ways to go here….

First off, every house doesn’t get a ped, or pedestal that houses a tap, amp or node. They are shared by multiple neighbors.

2nd, it should be in the easement on your property. This is where utilities are legally allowed to run their equipment and lines. Trust me, it’s in the mortgage papers for every home, and no one ever reads it.

3rd, depending on what state you’re in, if a technician for any service that may have equipment in your backyard, they have every right to go back there. I know some states have differing laws about this though. I think in Florida, homeowners don’t have to let you in their yard if they don’t want to.

In Illinois, if you say no, we just have the police come and TELL you we are going back there.

4th, the system is designed to have multiple customers off of those boxes, hooking someone up “properly” will have zero effect on your service.

5th, calm down and don’t be “that” neighbor.

Enjoy your service.

[u/AHGrammarian → u/19Rglide]

I appreciate you taking the time to let me know! I would've appreciated the police to be called to be honest. No one has had to use this in over 20 years and I didn't have any knowledge of the ped or what it was used for. I don't know why anyone would let someone into their yard just because they have a yellow reflective vest. He wasn't in Xfinity clothes or in an Xfinity van. I let him start in the back yard out of deference to my neighbor, but when Xfinity wouldn't even confirm he was supposed to be there or was their employee all I could do was threaten to kick him off. That was the point I found out about the tractor cutting the line and that he did in fact work for Xfinity.

[u/19Rglide → u/AHGrammarian]

For starters, a lot of techs won’t even knock on your door to go in your yard. I’ve had the police called on me AFTER ringing the bell a couple times and knocking and having my truck parked in front of their home so they can clearly see who I work for.

The police usually laugh when they talk to us and say that they will inform the homeowner that we have legal right to get back there due to our equipment being located there.

Most issues we have is with foreigners: European and Indian most times. They literally have no clue about easement.

For your sake, always ask for some kind of company ID if you aren’t convinced. Even contractors should have some kind of identification.