MERIDIAN, Idaho — A Meridian neighborhood off Pine Avenue near Fuller Park has been dealing with large, unfenced access holes left behind after a fiber internet installation — and residents say months of calls to the company went unanswered.
Homeowners say FatBeam Fiber crews arrived in January to install new internet lines, but many residents had little to no warning before construction began.
"We started getting some angry homeowners reaching out like why is somebody in my front yard just digging up the grass," Julia Putnam, the HOA president, said.
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Residents say crews moved quickly through the neighborhood installing the lines. But nine months after the project wrapped up, some of the large access holes were still left behind — one in a neighbor's front yard, and another right next to a sidewalk and school bus stop used by families every day.
"I mean, we have kids that and community members that walk up and down the sidewalk… It's literally just a hole waiting for somebody to step in and get hurt," Putnam said.
Neighbors say they spent months calling, texting, and leaving voicemails asking for the holes to be filled.
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"It worries me about kids or animals falling into that hole... I think it's a matter of time, especially once it starts snowing," neighbor Cathy Erickson said.
For some families, the worry hits even closer to home.
"Just because I'm a grandma, I worry about her safety all the time," Sharon Price, a grandmother in the neighborhood, said.
I reached out to FatBeam Fiber about the neighbors' concerns. The company says it typically notifies neighborhoods weeks before a project begins — but could not confirm whether that happened here.
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The day after I contacted FatBeam, crews were back in the neighborhood. FatBeam tells Idaho News 6 that our questions brought these specific holes to the company's attention, and it is now working to have them filled in the next few days.
FatBeam Fiber asks that if you also have holes like this left behind in your neighborhood, you reach out to the company so crews can come out and fill them.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
