by Malcolm Butler
Pardon the progress.
That is the unspoken motto throughout numerous residential areas in the city of Ruston recently as RightFiber by Ritter Communications has had its general contractor and additional subcontractors laying fiber.
The good news is that when the project is completed, area residents will have another option for their home internet needs.
The bad news is that some yards are seeing a little “disturbance” as the work is done.
Back in March, the City of Ruston announced that it had sold its fiber optic broadband network to RightFiber, a brand of Ritter Communications headquartered in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
The city had only been servicing commercial areas as well as city systems such as wells, stations, city halls, etc. There was no residential service.
“That’s one of the main reasons we did this,” said Walker back in March in reference to providing residents an additional option. “This has been a long excruciating process, but we finally got it done. RightFiber is a very good company that has a reputation for being customer friendly and customer centered. We are excited they chose us.”
So, over the past month or two, many neighborhoods in Ruston have seen workers digging in their yards to make this a possibility.
“RightFiber is predominately what people are seeing over the last few weeks,” said City of Ruston Public Works Director John Freeman. “But we have had AT&T putting in a fair amount of underground fiber too, maybe not as aggressive as what we have seen recently from RightFiber. In some cases, AT&T has been getting rid of some of the old copper. There are a number of different (companies) installing fiber.”
Freeman said that Etheridge Performance Cable out of Monroe is the general contractor for RightFiber and is handling about 40 percent of the work. The other 60 percent is being handled by subcontractors.
“I think probably eight or nine out of 10 instances where you see someone installing fiber, it’s RightFiber,” said Freeman.
According to Ritter Communications Public Relations Manager Jessica Odom, the project of installing fiber throughout residential areas is expansive.
“RightFiber will place just under a thousand fiber boxes, or ‘hand holes,’ which allow access to the fiber for installation,” said Odom. “Residents may also notice a cabinet that will be above ground where the fiber connects and services several hundred customers.
“RightFiber worked closely with the city to ensure all boxes are installed within the city’s right-of-way (ROW). Hand holes are flush with the ground and vary in size. They are distributed throughout various areas of the Ruston community.”
Freeman admitted that the city has received calls from residents, many simply curious about what is happening. However, some are questioning the viability of the contractors digging into what they perceive as their yards.
“We are a curious bunch in north central Louisiana,” said Freeman. “And sometimes it is just someone asking what is going on. And that is great. It has been helpful having the RightFiber signs with the QR codes and the phone number that people can call to get information.”
However, there have been times when city officials have had to help explain the right of ways.
“Right of ways vary,” said Freeman. “They can be anywhere from 30 feet wide to some that are 80 feet wide.
“We had a citizen call and saying, ‘There is someone digging in my yard, and I did not give the permission. Why wasn’t I notified?’ said Freeman. “I told them I would do some research and get back to them.
“In this case it was a curb and gutter street. It was a 50-foot right of way. So, they have dedicated that 50-foot swath according to the title in the courthouse to the public, so it is public property.
“The (company) had received the permit from the city of Ruston based on their plans. So based on their plans they were installing 20 feet from the base of the curb, so they were three feet within the public right of way and had every right to be there.
“We all treat that area as it is our yard. I do the same. But in this case, they were well within their right to be there.”
According to Owens, the project is expected to be completed in early July.
“Residents are currently being connected as construction wraps up in individual areas,” said Odom. “We encourage residents to visit www.RightFiber.com to get their place in line to be scheduled for installation as soon as service becomes available in their neighborhood.”
