Minnesota is making unprecedented investments in broadband infrastructure. But as new telecom fiber is laid underground — it’s causing damage to gas, electricity and other underground infrastructure, reports Minnesota Public Radio. That’s according to a brief released last week by North Star Policy Action, an independent research firm.
“Our research found really troubling amounts of damage being caused by broadband installers,” said North Star Executive Director Jake Schwitzer. “What we found was the telecom industry accounted for 60 percent of all damage from directional drilling over the last three years. So, over 1,300 instances of damage caused by the telecom industry [and] they’re averaging 1.27 strikes per day to underground infrastructure.”
Schwitzer cited a home explosion in 1998 in which a crew installing broadband fiber in St. Cloud struck a gas line. The explosion killed four people and destroyed six buildings.
He says workers in other industries like gas and electrical installation, where they’re doing the same kind of work, are not having as many accidents. “The accident rate is lower. And it’s because they’re much better trained,” Schwitzer told Minnesota Public Radio.
“We think that broadband installers should be held to the same standards as other workers working in these underground spaces, which are getting increasingly congested,” said Schwitzer. He recently testified before the state legislature on a bill to raise the training and safety standards for telecom installers in Minnesota.
According to Schwitzer, the state has spent about $35 million a year on broadband infrastructure over the last decade. He notes an influx of federal money means that the total is going to jump to over $130 million per year over the next five years. He says now is the time to address the safety standards and regulations.
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