I am rural and utterly tired of Comcast and still not having the mid-split. Regardless, it still wouldn’t be fast enough for me. They’re playing games with our township by not acknowledging that a new franchise agreement needs to be written up and/or signed (been going on for like a year). When I drive around the area I’m always looking at the lines running between poles. One day I noticed one of those round fiber splice enclosures on a numbered route about 5 miles from my home. I followed it and lo and behold it feeds the local cell tower. The line keeps coming towards my home to an intersection maybe a half mile away. I’m thinking this is some obscure company that leases out dark fibers to people. How do I find out who owns the lines? If I did find out, and that’s their game, how would one connect to the internet via dark fiber?
In my country, there’s a ‘dial before you dig’ service that tracks not just underground services, but all public works cabling. Not sure how it works for where you are, but maybe look for your equivalent?
I think what you are really asking is “how can I find out what other Internet providers offer service at my location”
And the answer is to go to this site and enter your address:
That’s not what I’m asking, because I already know.
Cut the line, then wait around for whoever comes to repair it!
… or just go Starlink?
Starlink is not a viable alternative. 1. It’s not as fast down as I get, and latency would be worse. My issue is with upload speeds on cable. 2. I am surrounded by trees.
The short and realistic answer is you don’t.
The long highly unlikely answer: you can do anything if you have enough money. Before spectrum came to my rural area the nearest cable/fiber node was about 10 miles and 2 roads away for a commercial customer, the sales rep said I had have to pay out of pocket to run a line from the node to my house( this was before a state program to run fiber across rural areas was enacted) his off the top of his head estimate was around $60,000 iirc. It was not specified if new poles would have to be erected or if line was going to be buried, they weren’t interested in doing the work for 1 residential customer and I wasn’t interested in paying anywhere near that amount.
That wasn’t just a fuck-off number. Building out infrastructure is expensive. Line crews, police details, permits, lease fees, improvements fees, etc… 60k for 10 miles actually sounds reasonable compared to some of the prices I’ve seen.
$60k for 10 miles is super cheap unless you owned all the land between. I was quoted $15k to run an additional copper line so I could have bonded DSL a quarter of a mile up my driveway.
I have fiber that goes through my yard to the tower next door. I know the feeling.
I think the premise that there might be an obscure company leasing dark fibers to people is hopelessly optimistic.
But, the question about utility poles should be answerable at the township; they should know and have records who has been granted use of the rights-of-way along their public highways.