Question: I live next to Erb Park in Appleton, and there is now a utility cabinet at the southeast corner of the park. Workers there said they were installing fiber-optic cable in the city. What does that mean for me?
Answer: It means that residents in Appleton, as well as Little Chute, Kaukauna, Kimberly, Menasha and Neenah, soon will have another option for high-speed internet, TV and phone services. 12ru Data Cabinet
TDS Telecom, which is based in Madison, announced last month that it is bringing its fiber-to-the-home network to about 60,000 addresses in the Fox Cities. There is no charge to residents unless they purchase the company's services. TDS competitors include Spectrum and AT&T.
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The utility cabinet near Erb Park is the first of 13 that will be installed in the public right of way throughout Appleton to house electronic components for the TDS network. To date, the Common Council has approved the placement of the cabinets — they're called nodes — at the following intersections.
Appleton Public Works Director Paula Vandehey said the city works with private utilities to find locations for their infrastructure "that have the least impact to residential neighborhoods."
"We have to allow them in the right of way," Vandehey said. "By law, we can't say no. We can only say, 'Hey, you need to be farther away from our water main' or 'Let's not put it in that person's front yard.'"
TDS expects to launch its services in Appleton this summer. The rollout will continue in phases through 2022.
TDS recently completed similar fiber expansions in Kronenwetter, Rothschild, Schofield and Weston and is nearing completion in Wausau and Stevens Point.
12ru Post-Crescent reporter Duke Behnke answers your questions about local government. Send questions to dbehnke@gannett.com or call him at 920-993-7176.