San Rafael Woman Upset At Comcast After Utility Box Installed In Yard Without Warning
SAN RAFAEL (KPIX 5) – A woman in San Rafael returned home from a doctor's visit to discover a large Comcast utility box installed right in front of her home.
While the installation is perfectly legal, she's asking why homeowners didn't receive warning ahead of time.
Claire Halenbeck is proud of her San Rafael home, but amidst the neat landscaping, there is a new addition to her garden.
"Seriously, I was gone for two hours and when I came back, that was there," Halenbeck told KPIX 5.
The five-foot tall steel box contains a backup battery for a Comcast hub hanging from a nearby utility pole.
The box's appearance in Halenbeck's front yard on Friday came as a complete surprise.
"There's a huge truck in front of my house and the guy tells me, 'we're doing an installation for Comcast,'" she said. "And I said, you've got to be kidding me, what's going on here? Nobody told me about this. And he said, 'well, Governor Newsom wants these installed.'"
The state has ordered a 72-hour backup power supply for key communications infrastructure in case of a disaster or power outage.
Companies have a legal right to place them on private property, and Comcast had a city permit to do it. But that's not what's bothering Halenbeck.
"There was no notice. The city signed off on drawings, but we weren't notified," she said. "You, know, they really should have told us. I mean, someone should be notified, someone should have to have at least a conversation."
Halenbeck and her neighbors understand the purpose of the battery, but they said they're disturbed that it was placed without even the courtesy of a post card or phone call.
Later, a Comcast spokesperson told KPIX 5 that the battery installations have just begun and they are trying to contact homeowners when they can. And she stressed that they are there to make the area safer.
"So again, we're not against any of this," said Halenbeck's next door neighbor, Tim Hale, "it's just to be included in the process or the plan."
The city, at least, may be listening.
A sign taped to the box said the installation had been halted Tuesday and Halenbeck learned the city and Comcast would be coming by Wednesday for a meeting.
She would like it relocated to a less obtrusive place, but no matter what, she's hoping they will get the message that the public deserves respect. And while utility companies may have the power to do something, there's no reason they can't be nice about it.
UPDATE: 2/2/22: Representatives from Comcast and San Rafael met with the Halenbeck on Wednesday morning and the company has offered to move the battery box to the side yard of the house and is willing to pay for landscaping to hide it from view. Halenbeck says she is happy with that outcome.