Officials from AT&T Broadband went before the Orland Park Village Board this week to apologize for recent disruptions in service and to promise improvements.
Two weeks ago, the village told the cable company to stop rebuilding its underground wiring system after the village received 30 to 35 complaint calls in two days. Mayor Dan McLaughlin had Village Manager Rick Boehm tell the company to stop the work until it came up with a plan to shorten the service’s down time, which extended into the evening, and to notify residents of work in their neighborhoods.
Work resumed last week in an area bounded by 159th Street on the south, Harlem Avenue on the east and 128th Street on the north.
AT&T government affairs representative Brian Gregory told trustees this week that problems were related to contractors who “literally bit off more than they could chew,” Gregory said.
More Top Picks Reviews
“The contractors were not adhering to a policy we want and certainly not the way the village wanted,” Gregory said.
He said contractors would stop around 5 p.m., but reconnecting the system took longer than expected. He promised that work would stop around 3 p.m., giving the company two hours to get service back to residents. Disruptions would occur only between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Gregory said.
Residents affected by the work are to be notified 48 hours in advance. The company said it will put a full-time customer service person on call, answering both village officials’ and residents’ concerns, Gregory said. The phone number will be on door tags to be placed on homes.
The project is expected to be completed by summer. The work will add TV channels and provide digital Internet service, Gregory said.