After HyperFiber began installing underground fiber-optic cable to provide Punta Gorda customers with high-speed internet service last fall, problems ensued. The Arkansas-based company has formed a team to make repairs and provide customer service.

At an Oct. 18 Punta Gorda City Council meeting, Mayor Lynne Matthews asked the company for better accountability after receiving numerous complaints from residents with properties that were damaged by the installation of underground cables. Problems included lawn sod being torn up, sprinkler system lines being severed and damage to city-constructed swales in front of residences.

The city has been upgrading its swales along property lines for more than seven years. In some cases, swale work has been destroyed, council members said at an earlier meeting.

Matthews said having HyperFiber cables installed was not a city decision. She said Florida Public Services Commission ordered the work, as it has that authority.

HyperFiber initially paid the city $50,000 to cover the cost for repairs and will continue to pay for subsequent costs if damages occur in the future, said Scott Jackson, director of direct sales and field operations at HyperFiber.

Matthews spoke of more problems at a Feb. 7 meeting, including water main breaks due to the company’s installation work. In one case, a resident’s internet service was down for a week after a CenturyLink line was severed.

HyperFiber approached the city in May 2023 with a plan to make a private investment of $12.6 million to install fiber broadband services, offering a majority of single-family residences in the city gigabit service and a choice in their internet provider, Jackson said.

He said the cost was borne by HyperFiber, and the city did not have to pay toward the installation work.

Jackson vowed that the company will pay for any damage installation may cause moving forward.

In addition, Jackson said HyperFiber’s Green Team was formed to help Punta Gorda residents with a variety of services, including customer service response, preconstruction education and communication, tracking the installation process, yard flags to identify utilities, service trucks carrying three types of local grass seeds to address lawn regrowth and partnering with local landscape companies for yard restoration.

He said, in some cases, underground utility locators were inaccurate, which led to damages when HyperFiber crews began to dig and severed utility and other lines that were not clearly marked.

“We’re part of the community in Punta Gorda, and our goal is to improve the experience people have with the internet. Installing fast internet includes literally breaking ground in neighborhood yards, and we want to make that process as stress-free as possible,” he said.

“With our new Green Team, we are available to answer questions and concerns of our residents, as well as manage any yard work that is needed once fiber is installed.”

Illinois-based Perley Cable Construction Inc. began installing HyperFiber cable lines throughout the city in the fall.

Punta Gorda is one of the first cities in Florida to be serviced by PCCI. The company has done work in Collier County and currently is installing HyperFiber cable lines in five cities in Arkansas.

Jackson emphasized that he lives locally in Fort Myers, as does his construction and team members who reside in Southwest Florida.

To date, 300 residences have HyperFiber internet service, he said.

“HyperFiber is an independent internet service provider, meaning it is not related to or limited by existing cable providers,” Jackson explained. “Unlike Comcast, we are internet only. Our goal is to offer high-speed gigabit service to single-family residences in Punta Gorda.”

As of mid-February, 58% of the installation work has been completed, and between 80% to 85% of the cables have been laid underground.

Properties next in line to for cable work are first marked with neon-colored flags that run along the edge of the property line near the street.

When work is completed more than 10,000 homes will have access to HyperFiber’s internet service.