What to know as city of Des Moines updates residents on fiber optic cable construction

Des Moines residents want fast internet, but to get it they're having to put up with an ongoing welter of construction.

Google Fiber, Metronet and Lumen Technology, formerly CenturyLink, are installing fiber optic internet cables throughout Des Moines in projects that are moving at different speeds and in different locations.

They can't do the work simultaneously in a neighborhood because each company uses its own technology and it would be unclear which would be liable if things went wrong on a shared construction site, said City Engineer Steve Naber.

The city has newly posted maps on at facebook.com/DesMoinesGov charting where work is going on. It cautions that the maps, provided by the companies, aren't necessarily comprehensive, so they may not show where work was previously completed or where it may happen after current phases are done.

Though the work may be inconvenient and annoying, Naber said, it ultimately promises to bring Des Moines residents faster, better service and a wider array of options.

"It is good that our residents get choices," Naber said. "That's good for the health of our community. While it's painful now to have construction going on and to tear up the yards, it is beneficial to have these choices for our residents."

Where is Google Fiber building its network?

Google Fiber started construction of its Des Moines network along Grand Avenue in October 2022. Phase 1 took the network from that trunk into the Waterbury, Westwood and Frisbie Park neighborhoods.

That work is almost complete, as is a second phase in the Woodland Heights, Ingersoll Park, North of Grand, Sherman Hill and Linden Heights neighborhoods. Phase 3, which is underway, calls for construction in the Cheatom Park, River Bend, Drake Park, Evelyn Davis Park, Carpenter, Mondamin Presidential, Chautaqua Park and New Visions neighborhoods.

Phase 4 is getting started. it will cover an area from Interstate 235 to Hickman Road, centered on Drake University.

Google Fiber has further plans to extend its network into south Des Moines, where the company still needs to get right-of-way licenses, Naber said.

"From our discussions with them, it sounds like they're going to install fiber all over the city," he said.

Where is Metronet building its network?

Metronet plans to spread its network across most of Des Moines through 2023 and 2024. Pockets are complete on the north, south, west and east sides of the city. More are scheduled to be complete by the end of the year, according to the city. The company's goal is essentially to install fiber in front of every Des Moines home, Naber said.

"They have had contractors everywhere installing fiber," he said.

Where is Lumen building its network?

Lumen plans to start construction of its network in 2024 in sections of the River Bend, Drake, Sherman Hill, King Irving, Woodland Heights, Chautauqua Park, Mondamin Presidential, Cheatom Park and Good Park neighborhoods. Its initial plan covers a much smaller area than Google Fiber and Metronet's.

Has the city gotten any complaints from residents?

There have been occasional internet outages amid the work, and the city has gotten a handful of complaints from people who thought the disruptions were caused by contractors who clipped existing cables, Naber said. Most complaints, however, relate to work that residents feel wrongly invades their yards, he said.

Where can companies install fiber optic cable?

Companies can install fiber in the public right of way in front of homes or within public utility easements. The right of way usually is a strip extending in from street curbs and frequently includes sidewalks. Public utility easements are five-foot-wide corridors across yards for the use and maintenance of utilities, according to Naber and the city.

Naber said residents often don't understand why crews are working in their yards because they are unaware of the easements.

"Not every property has them," Naber said. "But many do, and a lot of the time people don't know."

In all, 44 companies have right-of-way licenses to install fiber in various parts of the city. As Google Fiber expands its network, it gets licenses to install fiber in more areas.

Can the city stop a company from installing fiber optic cables?

"These are private entities that are doing this," Naber said. "We can't really deny them."

But contractors must meet certain requirements under right of way permits, Naber said. They include providing notification of the work and restoring disturbed areas.

If residents have concerns about the work, who can they turn to?

Residents can call the city's permit and development center at 515-283-4200 or the engineering department at 515- 283-4920 with concerns about issues such as restoration of rights-of-way disturbed by the work. Those who want to know about services provided by the companies installing fiber optic internet, such as when it will become available and what it will cost, should call them directly, or if they are experiencing an internet outage, they should contact their existing provider, Naber said.

Each of the companies involved in the installation projects has a website with information:

• Google Fiber at fiber.google.com/comingsoon.

• Lumen at facebook.com/QuantumFiber.

• Metronet at metronet.com.

How long will this last?

Metronet will likely be finished installing fiber in 2024, Naber said. The timelines for Google Fiber and Lumen are less clear, he said.

Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What to know about Google Fiber, Metronet, Lumen fiber installation