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Court approves Charter fiber permits while staff vows enforcement against unpermitted installs
Summary
Kaufman County commissioners approved Charter Communications’ requests to install fiber on several county roads after staff said installations will be bored at roughly 5‑foot depth and coordinated with utilities. Commissioners also directed follow‑up after crews found unpermitted conduit in roadside ditches.
Kaufman County commissioners on April 21 approved permits allowing Charter Communications to install fiber‑optic cable along multiple county roads, with staff saying the company provided a traffic control plan and intends to bore lines at roughly 5 feet to avoid damaging county infrastructure. "There are methods of boring, which means there will be, I believe, it's a 5 foot depth," Jeremy, a county staff member presenting the item, told the court.
Commissioners raised ongoing concerns about other contractors who have placed conduit without permits, sometimes on weekends. "They put somebody out there on County Road 129 about 2 or 3 days ago ... they put in that line right down the middle of the ditch," a commissioner said, describing recent field problems. County staff committed to coordinating with utility companies and to follow up to identify and stop unpermitted installations; the court approved the permits by voice vote.
The approvals covered routes listed for Precinct 3 and a separate request covering Abner Road and County Road 129 in Precinct 1. Staff emphasized coordination with utility owners to avoid water‑line disruptions and said legal and permitting follow‑up remains ongoing. The court’s action authorizes the county to accept the submitted traffic control and installation plans but also instructed staff to pursue enforcement where work was done without authorization.
