NEWS HOME

Verizon has been busy in Cedar Mill

Some readers were concerned about markings in their yards and excavation work happening around the community. We discovered that Verizon has Washington County permits to install new fiber optic cables throughout the area.

Land Use and Transportation Public Affairs and Communications Manager Melissa DeLyser provided us with a list of approved projects, including work on Butner, Cornell, Cedar Hills Bl., Thompson, NW 113th, Science Park Drive, Murray, Jenkins, and Barnes roads.

We asked if telecommunications companies like Verizon get a blanket permission to install cables etc., or is it hole by hole? Aaron Clodfelter, LUT Principal Engineer, responded, “They do not have blanket approval, although they do have the right to use the right-of-way (ROW, land along streets that is owned by a jurisdiction) as long as they obtain the proper permits and comply with our conditions.

Clodfelter explains that, “We don’t have a single document that outlines criteria for approving ROW permits. It’s a combination of road standards, internal guidance, standard specifications, Oregon Statutes, traffic control manuals, standard details, and past practice.”

We wrote in August about policies regarding cell towers in the ROW. This is a different topic, since it apparently doesn’t involve tower installation. However, DeLyser mentioned, “That discussion is still ongoing. …my understanding is they are installing underground fiber optic cables.”

A Verizon spokesperson said, “In the Portland area, we're working to improve our wireless network and prepare for future technologies. To do this, we're installing 4G LTE small cell nodes that connect to the network with fiber optic cable backhaul. How quickly we can do this work depends on our ability to secure the permits needed to build out a robust and densified 4G LTE network that will pave the way for innovation that will benefit the community.”

Previous article

NEWS HOME