Verizon may be making progress with its West Coast Fiber to the Premise FiOS rollouts, but the fiber distribution boxes that are mounted on telephone poles to carry its data and TV services have come at a cost of endangering Los Angeles-based pedestrians. In response to a local news story that reported how the 300 metal boxes pose a danger to local residents and blind pedestrians walking on public sidewalks, Verizon said during a meeting with Los Angeles Public Works officials and residents that it would move the pole-mounted boxes to a height of 8 feet or higher by December 2010.
To date, Verizon has installed about 300 of these distribution boxes, which can protrude 2 feet over a sidewalk, and plans to install 500 more in the next year as it expands its FTTP footprint in Los Angeles. During the process Los Angeles public works officials will track Verizon's progress through ongoing meetings with area residents. "We take safety very seriously and being a good neighbor is important to Verizon," said company spokesman Jon Davies in a statement.
For more:
- Contra Costa Times has this article