CASE STUDY:

Temporary cabling

The complaint

Trang was concerned about a temporary telephone cable that had been strung across her property for the past two years she has lived at the premises. It had been put in place after the landline servicing the property developed a fault. The provider said that the underground lines connecting her service needed to be replaced. The temporary cable ran for several kilometres and was strung across trees, tied to fence posts and lay on the ground in some places. The cable had been there for so long that a large termite mound had grown up and around it in one place. Trang lived in a rural area and was concerned that the low height of the cable meant she could not burn off her land in preparation for the fire season. There was a risk that her kids would trip on the cable or people would get hurt while motorcycling around the property.

TIO response

We established that the temporary cable had been in place for over four years. The TIO noted that sometimes a temporary cable is needed to provide a service, particularly where the permanent repair is a large or complex job. In this case, the TIO was extremely concerned about the time the cable had been in place, and the potential hazards being caused by the way in which it had been installed, particularly in a rural area.

The outcome

Trang’s provider said it had tried to replace the cable at least three times before Trang moved in, but that the real estate agent had denied it access. However, the TIO reminded the provider that legislation enabled it to access land to maintain its infrastructure without the express agreement of the owner or occupier. As a resolution to this complaint, the provider agreed to fast track the repair of Trang’s service. The repair work was carried out within two weeks. Trang was happy with the outcome but was disappointed that it had taken so long for her concerns to be treated seriously.

Lessons learnt

Temporary cables are sometimes necessary to ensure that consumers have uninterrupted access to landline services, but it is not reasonable for them to be in place for extended periods. They should not cause hazards to people or property, and should comply with industry standards for the installation of telecommunications equipment.

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