Complaints of torn-up yards halted fiber internet installers in Lexington. Now they’re back

Lexington has fired the starting pistol for two fiber internet companies to install lines in town after one of those companies caused a variety of issues earlier this year.

North Carolina-based Ripple Fiber saw its work in Lexington halted by the town in March. Residents had complained to town officials about trucks driving in yards, yards being destroyed and not being put back together, and workers using the bathroom in people’s bushes stemming from installation efforts that were started without the franchise agreement that is typically required for such work to proceed.

Meanwhile, Lumos Fiber, a North Carolina- and Virginia-based company that was hit with similar complaints earlier this year when its efforts in the city of Columbia were halted, is also looking to move into Lexington.

Both companies are making big pushes to enter the market in various parts of Carolinas.

At a Monday Lexington Town Council meeting, Ripple and Lumos were unanimously granted franchise agreements allowing them to proceed with installation within the town limits.

“We went through an extensive process with both companies,” said Town Councilman Todd Carnes. “We wanted to grant those franchise agreements simultaneously to keep the playing field level. Because running fiber in neighborhoods right now, it’s kind of like the old gold rush of the 19th century. It really is somewhat of a race by these companies.

“Government should never pick winners and losers. We wanted to make a level playing field, and quite frankly, it’s the first time this has happened to us. And Ripple showed up early without a franchise agreement and caused a lot of chaos.”

Officials for both Ripple and the town said they have worked together to find a way to resume work that will keep residents from being impacted, including meetings behind closed doors and at least one public meeting where residents were able to ask Ripple questions directly.

Lexington Mayor Hazel Livingston said it’s important to have franchise agreements in place for this kind of work.

“Franchise agreements have strong terms and conditions to ensure the protection of our infrastructure and our citizens’ assets,” she said, adding, “I don’t feel like they had guidelines and they was just doing whatever. I feel like it’s very important anytime somebody’s doing that kind of work they should have guidelines to follow.”

Councilman Gavin Smith echoed this sentiment.

“Staff has gone through the process of making sure that the franchise agreement is in place and making sure that there are protocols in place so that they don’t mess up our citizens’ yards and cause issues throughout the community like they were causing in the beginning,” Smith said.

For its part, Ripple said it’s excited to resume work and committed to not causing more issues.

“Ripple Fiber understands the intention behind the Town’s extended discussions and their need for a franchise agreement, and we are thrilled to be back on track,” the company said in a statement. “While awaiting approval to move forward with construction, our team made it a priority to refine processes and communicate expectations to both new employees and local contractors. Our goal during construction continues to center around minimized disruption for all residents in our build areas. We look forward to announcing the arrival of our fiber internet service to our first customers in Lexington later this month.”

But local complaints about Ripple’s work persist.

Ron Cook, who lives just outside the Lexington town limits near Lake Murray, said workers with the company knocked out his phone line last month while work was stopped within the municipality, leaving him without phone service for more than a week. He added that the only reason the crew didn’t cut his sprinkler lines was because he watched them working and warned them when they nearly hit them.

“It’s just ludicrous,” Cook said. “They come in here and destroy, and they don’t care. And Ripple don’t care. They got this job, they’re gonna move on next week down the road and do another job.”

Ripple didn’t address the situation with Cook and whether it’s receiving other similar complaints in unincorporated areas of Lexington County when asked by The State.

Lumos is entering the installation fray in Lexington for the first time, but it made its intentions clear last year, having announced “a $100 million investment in Richland and Lexington Counties to blanket the area with nearly 1,200 miles of fiber,” Derek Kelly, the company’s vice president of market development, told The State via email.

He said the company is set to reach portions of Columbia, Forest Acres and Arcadia Lakes in Richland County and West Columbia, Lexington, Cayce, Irmo and Springdale in Lexington County..

“While we are often the first fiber provider in the communities we serve, Lumos works with local governments and HOAs to ensure we have the correct permitting before beginning, which can take some time,” Kelly said when asked if installing fiber ahead of competitors like Ripple is an emphasis. “At the end of the day, we know that fiber technology has the power to change people’s lives, and we are supportive of the widespread expansion of this critical infrastructure and of the consumer choice competition creates.”

As to not repeating the issues seen in Columbia in Lexington, Kelly said Lumos is committed to “exceeding industry standards throughout our work and follow strict protocols to minimize impact on residents during construction. We communicate regularly with Town officials and utility owners during our construction process. We also stay in touch with residents during construction, communicating before, during and after construction so that residents can contact our teams with any concerns.”