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Farmers say low-installed fiber and abandoned telephone lines are blocking harvest; county staff cite policy, right-of-way and cost constraints
Summary
A Lebanon-area farmer presented photos showing new fiber-optic lines installed at low heights and abandoned landline infrastructure that he says physically blocks grain unloading; county engineers described a 15-foot accommodation policy, crowded rights-of-way from multiple broadband projects and potentially high costs to relocate lines.
A farmer told the Boone County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 3 that new fiber-optic lines and legacy telephone infrastructure are interfering with field unloading and creating safety hazards, and asked the county to explore remedies on a case-by-case basis.
Chet Crow, who identified himself as a farmer, presented photographs and a written packet showing fiber installed roughly 40 inches below existing power lines and said a grain cart was “rubbing their fiber optic line” while trying to unload at the road. Crow said he measured the cable at about 14.5 feet above grade in one location and contrasted that with an INDOT spec he cited as 18 feet above roadway cross points. He urged the county to seek targeted solutions: either require or fund raising of lines or localized burial where installations block farm operations.
Crow also highlighted a separate problem of older landline wires and pedestal hardware that appear to be abandoned, sagging into ditches or hanging low across fields. He said many of those lines no longer appear to be in service and that their presence complicates mowing and creates a public-safety concern.
County engineer Nick Barr responded that the county’s utility-accommodation policy generally seeks 15 feet of clearance and that ownership and technical constraints complicate enforcement. "We have utility accommodation policy that says everything needs to be 15 feet," Barr said, adding that telecom companies often attach to electric-company poles rather than owning the poles themselves and that grade variations, multiple telecom installers and limited right-of-way width limit straightforward fixes. Barr said moving an entire pole line could be very expensive — he cited an example figure of as much as $300,000 per mile — and that burying fiber creates its own costs and space constraints.
Barr and the commissioners said that for newly proposed installations the county can try to work with the company and the landowner to identify targeted locations for burial or higher attachment, but acknowledged that many lines already installed present a more difficult problem. One commissioner suggested a process for farmers to appeal or request site-specific adjustments rather than adopting a countywide retrofit requirement.
No formal action was taken; commissioners directed staff to explore possible case-by-case approaches for new installations and to work with the farmer where feasible.
