FAQs

A fiber optic drop cable is connected from the i3 Broadband handhole in the nearby right-of-way or utility easement to your home. This cable is temporarily laid above ground.

The cable is buried using a t-handled spade or a vibratory plow. Both methods place the cable 6-8 inches below the surface and are very low impact on lawns and landscaping.

No. The techniques we use are minimally invasive, and our contractors are held to the highest quality standards in the industry. There is sometimes a visible trace of where the cable is buried, but that will heal and fade (how quickly depends on the weather). If the installation and restoration is not meeting our expectation of quality, we want to know. Please call us at (309) 670-1291 or visit our Contact Us page.

As required by law, we call JULIE before doing any digging. JULIE neither owns nor marks any underground lines. Rather, they notify all underground utilities about the upcoming project. It is those companies who are then responsible for using paint and flags to mark their existing lines. Neither JULIE nor these utility companies will locate any private underground facilities on your property. If you have any such facilities, please let us know. Common examples where you should notify i3 Broadband prior to burial include irrigation systems, invisible dog fences, geothermal pipes, drain tile, or private electric lines for landscaping just to name a few. If you're unsure, please call, as we would rather know too much about what existing lines to be mindful of, rather than not enough.

After your service is installed, the cable burial is typically completed 2-4 weeks later, depending on the weather. This time frame also varies depending on the season. During the summer and fall months, we are generally able to bury cables with minimal weather interruptions, so that wait period is closer to 2 weeks. As winter approaches, rain, snow, and cooler temperatures can slow down the process and burial times may trend more towards 3-4 weeks. Eventually, there comes a point where the frost is too deep, and burials will stop for the winter, typically in mid to late December. In the spring, once the ground has thawed and dried out, we will be able to resume drop cable burials, generally burying cables in the order they were installed. Customers installed in the early spring can expect their cable to be above ground close to 4 weeks, as we catch up on the drop cable burials from the winter.

Yes you can. The cable is fairly durable, and can be moved to accommodate mowing, raking, etc. You can even drive over the cable (if it is across a driveway, for example). Just don't drive a lawn mower or snow blower across it, as that will damage the cable and disrupt your i3 Broadband service.

Call us at (309) 670-1291 to let us know. At the time of your installation, notify the technician so the cable can be routed correctly.

If you think your cable might be in conflict with a project you are planning (landscaping, home addition, etc.), be sure to call JULIE (811) before you dig. Our technicians will mark the fiber optic cable so you can plan your project accordingly. Unlike most utilities (including our competitors), if the cable does need to be relocated, we don't charge excessive fees to do so. Rather, we simply try to recoup our costs by charging the cost of the cable and the burial fee we pay to our contractor, typically totaling between $150-$250.