Have you received an easement packet? If so, please review it now! If you approve - please sign it, and return it to Mid-States after you make a copy for your records. If you have questions - please contact Mid-States immediately for answers so you can return your packet to them as soon as possible. The field agent is listed on your cover letter, or if necessary, contact Supervisor Tony Owens at towens@mscon.com. If you wish to involve an attorney - please share it with them now, at your own expense, to review so you can return your packet to Mid-States as soon as possible. IMPORTANT: Once Brightspeed receives the easements, they will need to update their databases before you can place your order - so delays on easements will lead to delays in getting to order the service.

OK, this one is complicated. Many of you live on private roads. Many private roads bisect multiple properties. In order to lay fiber to these homes and businesses, Brightspeed will need to have an easement from each property owner whose property the private road bisects. Told you it was complicated. KEY POINTS Brightspeed is responsible for securing easements from property owners in which private roads bisect. Brightspeed has engaged Mid-State Consultants to assist in securing easements from property owners along private roads. Mid-State has already started this process and will begin mailing packages to property owners. The goal is to have this completed ASAP so that engineering can be finalized before the mainline fiber construction begins. Mid-State will work with each property owner to determine if a new easement is needed. It is possible existing easements may be in place and usable, but every situation is unique. Mid-State is reviewing all of the property deeds and will be sending easement packages to those individuals identified on the tax bills. Boulder Junction has many trusts and some LLCs with executors and managers who are listed for legal requirements and getting those easements approved and signed could take some time, especially with a trust having multiple signatories. This is a complex area, but Mid-State has it covered. Mid-State will only send easement packages to the property owners whose land bisects the private road where Brightspeed needs to bury fiber to connect other properties. If you are the last property on the private road, you likely will NOT receive an easement package as Brightspeed does not need to cross your property (you will grant Brightspeed permission to place the fiber drop on your property when you subscribe to the fiber service). Private Road Easement Process Developed by Brightspeed... STEP 1 Mid-State Consultants will coordinate the securing of private road easements. They have your property address and have begun conducting due diligence to determine if there is an existing easement that might be used. Existing easements, and cases where the private road is only on the property owner's land, may not be an issue or require a new easement. However, Brightspeed will still need to verify this with you as the property owner. If it is determined a new easement is not needed, your property will come off of the easement list. STEP 2 Mid-State will send the easement package via USPS mail to the person and address listed on the tax bill maintained by Vilas County. The easement package will present you with an easement pre-populated with the legal property description and location of the proposed fiber optic cable build already completed in the easement document. (The easement will be based upon the template we already shared with you, but now customized and complete for your unique property). STEP 3 Review the easement package. If you have no changes after your review of the easement provided by Mid-State, you can sign it and return it to Mid-State; you will not need to do anything else. If you have questions or want to discuss the easement, contact the Mid-State field agent identified in the cover letter. The field agent will work with you to address your questions and make any modifications that are needed. If you choose to have an attorney review the easement and negotiate language with Brightspeed, that will be your option and you must absorb those legal costs. STEP 4 Signed easements will be provided to Brightspeed’s Real Estate group which will file them with Vilas County, so you will not need to worry about filing it yourself or paying the filing fee. FINAL STEP Once all easements have been received and processed for your private road, Brightspeed will complete engineering, notify construction that mainline fiber can be installed and update the Brightspeed customer database. All easements along a private road must be completed so a that your home or business can receive your high speed broadband service. If you have questions, please contact the field agent listed on the cover letter, or if necessary, Supervisor Tony Owens at towens@mscon.com. Wisconsin DNR Easements Some private roads will require easements from the Wisconsin DNR. Mid-State is responsible for sending the easements to Wisconsin DNR for their approval. The DNR usually takes six months to approve and sign easements so they will take some time. BOTTOM LINE... If you have received the easement package, agree with it, and are not intending to have an attorney review it, please turn it around ASAP!

OPTICAL NETWORK TERMINALS (ONT) An ONT is an electronic device Brightspeed will place in your home/business that converts the light of the fiber to data so you can get high-speed broadband. Brightspeed is currently installing one of two modem/router combinations. As Brightspeed evaluates its new business and stakeholder needs it may be changing and improving the electronics installed in stakeholder homes and businesses. We will keep you updated.

At some point someone will need to be at your home or business to allow for the electronics to be installed and then to activate your service. In addition, before the fiber optic cable drop is installed to your home or business non-utility (gas, power, telephone) items buried in the path of the fiber optical cable will need to be marked by you or someone familiar with their location.

Brightspeed construction crews will be repairing lawns from trenching damage after they complete the fiber installation in an area. We ask for your patience as the crews need to get all the fiber installed before they can do the repair work. But, if two months have passed since fiber was installed and your lawn has not been restored by Brightspeed’s construction team, please complete this form. Click here for the form.

Please see the Brightspeed Address List on the home page for a list of addresses that are included in Phase 1.

Brightspeed has a vacation program, but restrictions apply.

Yes. Installation may still be "Free" for late signups. Brightspeed will determine what the installation charge, if any, will be assessed to anyone who signs up after the October 31, 2020 Deadline. Go to Sign Up Page

Installation of High Speed Broadband Fiber Optic cable to my home or business. The sign up information will be sent to CenturyLink in early November. It will tell CenturyLink you are a Boulder Junction property owner/tenant who wants High Speed Fiber Optic Broadband installed to your home or business. It is critical you complete ALL information on the Sign-Up form. After CenturyLink loads the sign up information into its system you will be contacted to place a service order on their online portal shortly before High Speed Broadband service is available. Timing is dependent upon each Phase 1 project location, but is expected to be June through December 2021. Details.

Boulder Junction’s sign-up campaign is no risk to you. You will not commit to a CenturyLink subscription until you place an order with CenturyLink for fiber to be installed to your home or business and to get High Speed Broadband service (estimated to be in March to July 2021). Signing up now helps CenturyLink understand how successful this project can be for them as well as helping Boulder Junction’s chances of getting another Wisconsin Public Service Grant in 2021 for Phase 2 to get High Speed Broadband to the rest of the Town.

Yes. You will want to mark all private underground items (water lines, electric, cable, gas lines, etc.) when you order Fiber Optic Broadband Service from Brightspeed. After you place the order with Brightspeed, they will request a One-Call Locate to mark the underground utilities that were installed by a utility company. The locate service does not know about, and therefore cannot mark, any private underground items you had installed (directly or through a contractor). The list of items includes anything buried that Brightspeed needs to know about to run the fiber from the road to your house/business buildings. Some common items include: an underground sprinkler system; LP gas lines, well water line, septic systems including the holding tank, drain field, and laterals; cable to a satellite dish or TV antenna; underground fence wires; service to outbuildings that have underground items running from house/business such as electric service, telephone service, cable, water lines, or septic lines. You should determine the type of visible marking of these underground items that works best for you and your property. Some ideas include using flagging tape on a wooden stake, spray painting the ground, using marking flags (metal sticks with a flag). You will only need to mark the underground items that are in the path between the road and your house/business where the fiber optic cable will be buried. In addition to marking anything buried underground, you should also prepare a site plan showing where these items are and share the site plan with Brightspeed before they trench the fiber cable on your property. The site plan should show the location of the underground items and their relationship to the road and house/business building to receive the fiber drop. You can also mark your proposed drop placement along with the location for fiber to enter the building. If you mark a proposed drop placement path, please do not use anything that has caution or label the path as a utility type such as electric, gas or communication as this would be construed as that utility is in place and should be avoided. Once you complete your site map that marks private underground utilities (water lines, electric, cable, gas lines, etc.) you should send the site map to Brightspeed's Drop Coordinator, Deb Johnson, using her email at: debra.johnson@brightspeed.com

While Brightspeed will do their best to avoid underground items, it is possible the trenching machine damages something that was unknown, or the location was not precise. If this happens and you feel your safety is at risk call 911 immediately and when it is safe to do so turn off the connection to underground item that was damaged (power, water, gas, etc.). Work with the Brightspeed crew to document the damages by taking pictures and writing a description of the damage. Brightspeed, as part of the Broadband project, will repair/restore the damage so you can use the underground utility item again. Once Brightspeed has completed the repair/restore, you should immediately turn the underground service back on to ensure it works while the Brightspeed crew is onsite. If you are unsuccessful in working with Brightspeed to resolve the repair/restore, please use the “Contact Us” at boulderbroadband.com to send an email to the Broadband Committee so the matter can be escalated to Brightspeed. *Please note that the Town of Boulder Junction is not involved in the repair/restore of personal property.

Yes. Brightspeed will welcome your suggestion on the drop placement along with the location where you want the fiber to enter your house/business and will collaborate with you to determine the optimal path for the Fiber Optic Drop. When you order Fiber Optic Service, be sure to notify Brightspeed you want to provide input on the drop placement and have a site plan prepared. You should add your proposed fiber path to your site plan showing all underground items. Share the completed site plan with Brightspeed during the technician’s visit to mark the location of the drop. If you cannot be at your house/business when Brightspeed marks the drop, provide the site plan by placing in a sealed bag and attaching it to your fire address number or something that would be visible to Brightspeed personnel. Additionally, you may want to mark the location for the Fiber Optic trench using stakes, paint, or marking flags. If you mark a proposed drop placement path, please do not use anything that has caution or label the path as a utility type such as electric, gas or communication as this would be construed as that utility is in place and should be avoided. Once you complete your site map that marks private underground utilities (water lines, electric, cable, gas lines, etc.) you should send the site map to Brightspeed's Drop Coordinator, Deb Johnson, using her email at: debra.johnson@brightspeed.com