FiOS apartment installation - are technicians authorized to thread fiber into apt?
alfarabi
Enthusiast - Level 2

I recently scheduled an upgrade to FiOS in my apartment in light of the fact that my building was deemed FiOS-ready. When the Verizon technician arrived, however, he noticed that the fiber optic cable for my apartment didn't appear to have a terminal already within my apartment even though there was a labeled cable for my apartment in the box of cables for my floor. I was also able to find a loop of the outer part of the cable tucked behind a hallway lighting alcove immediately outside my apartment, but the end that should be visible within my apartment evidently was plastered over during some unrelated renovation in the past. The technician seemed genuinely puzzled by this scenario; he seemed to expect that the building management was responsible for uncovering the fiber terminal, and told me to reschedule the installation for after the cable end was uncovered.

Given that a loop of the existing cable is visible outside of the apartment, may I request that the technician drill a hole from within my apartment to where the cable is visible outside, cut the part of the cable that is buried in the plaster, and splice it to a new length of cable into my apartment? Given how the lighting alcove is situated, the hole would be completely invisible from outside of the apartment. Or are Verizon technicians not authorized to perform such manipulations in apartment buildings? (Getting my building's management to perform such manipulations themselves is unfortunately quite a hassle - I already had to reschedule my FiOS upgrade twice because management repeatedly failed to dig into the plaster to find the cable end.)

0 Likes
1 Solution

Correct answers
Re: FiOS apartment installation - are technicians authorized to thread fiber into apt?
alfarabi
Enthusiast - Level 2

The technician who attended to my rescheduled order installed a new fiber line without any problems and without raising any questions. Evidently some Verizon technicians are better prepared than others to deal with the vagaries of apartment buildings.

View solution in original post

0 Likes
Re: FiOS apartment installation - are technicians authorized to thread fiber into apt?
CRobGauth
Community Leader
Community Leader

I would assume that Verizon tech would be relucatant to drill in to the walls of an apartment.

And they can't just cut the fiber cable and splice it.

Takes special equipment and training.

I would escalate to your apartment manager.

They are responsible for maintaining the wiring in your building.

0 Likes
Re: FiOS apartment installation - are technicians authorized to thread fiber into apt?
alfarabi
Enthusiast - Level 2

I escalated with management, and the building superintendent (who claims to have worked for a cable company in the past) indicated that the cable I had found was a coaxial cable, not the fiber optic cable. He added that it was the technician's responsibility to thread a new fiber optic cable from the Verizon distribution box in the stairwell to my apartment via the alcove I mentioned because my apartment had never had any fiber optic lines installed before; he said that I should get in touch with the technician's supervisor if he claims to be unable to do so when I reschedule the installation. He also offered to talk to the technician himself if necessary.

Relatedly, I recently did see another Verizon technician in my apartment building threading what seemed to be a length of new fiber between the stairwell and another apartment. Not sure what to make of the behavior of the fellow who attended to my installation order.

0 Likes
Re: FiOS apartment installation - are technicians authorized to thread fiber into apt?
alfarabi
Enthusiast - Level 2

The technician who attended to my rescheduled order installed a new fiber line without any problems and without raising any questions. Evidently some Verizon technicians are better prepared than others to deal with the vagaries of apartment buildings.

0 Likes