Getting rid of NTL cable

Caracalla

Just thought that people here might be interested in my recent experience with NTL.

The cable running along the front of my house has been annoying me for a long time, but I had never tried to get rid of it because I understood that NTL had probably established some legal wayleave right to keep it there. What concerns me is as much the principle of having control over my property as the appearance of my home.

Recently, NTL started work on upgrading our area to digital, and when I came home one evening I saw new cables stretched across the front of my house. They were more intrusive than the old ones - light gray rather than black, maybe a bit thicker, and with the gaps between neighbouring houses bridged by a support wire as well as the cable itself. From looking at other houses where installation was more complete, it looked like the fitting from which the feed into the house would come was also going to be bigger and more obtrusive. Putting all this in place had involved hammering a bunch more nails into the pointing between the bricks, as well as some drilling into the brickwork itself.

I was annoyed that they had done this without my permission, and I reckoned that whatever about the right to keep the old cable in place, they should have no right to run a more intrusive cable across, or to damage the pointing and brickwork. I guess that I also had a feeling that this might be a one-off, never repeated opportunity to get NTL off my property. I did a few Internet searches, and a lot of the information I found was on this forum, which is why I am posting here now.

I got hold of a supervisor, and told him that I wanted the new cabling taken down, and the damage repaired. He attempted to persuade me to let them keep it in place. but said that NTL had no right to keep it there if I objected, and that they would take it away if I was determined to get rid of it.

And that's how it has worked out. There were a couple more attempts to persuade me to allow them to keep the new cable, but I stuck to my guns, and it's gone now. They say that they will switch off and remove the original cable when the new cables in the neighbourhood are switched on. I'll switch to satellite.

Interestingly, there was no threat that neighbours might lose service. The NTL people brought up the cost to NTL of routing the cable out via the street, which I reckoned was more their problem than mine. They also brought up the difficulty of getting reconnected at a later date, which concerned me very little, given the decent satellite options available, the increasing range of broadband services available and the likely arrival of digital terrestrial television within a few years.

Solair

I do think they should check with you first. But an upgraded cable network in your area does give you a huge amount of advantages in terms of access to broadband and alternative telephone service.

They really should invest in some cables that match in better with brickwork, or at the very least, offer to paint them. It's not that big of a deal to have dealt with.

In some areas, they could also investigate the possibility of routing cables along lanes / behind homes. I don't see why they always need to go along the fronts.

However, I don't agree with this thing of one neighbour preventing the rollout of services in an entire street. There should be a work-around.
It seems in your case they've simply found an alternative route. However, it's going to be an issue should you, or subsequent residents in your home, want cable in the future.

mike65

There is a nother thread somewhere on this forum (I think) about NTL and private property I can't remember if the issue was resolved to the householders satisfaction.

Mike.

bibibobo

Hi, i justed posted a message on another forum about this very same problem i am having and what my rights are etc. i woudl appreciate comments.

"Hi

I recently purchased a secondhand home where the main TV provider in the area is NTL. Now I don't have or ever want NTL installed in this house for various reasons (v.poor customer service; they refused to disconnect my elderly mothers account for months etc etc). Now I just received a letter in the door saying that they are upgrading the cable in our estate to enable broadband etc. The cables seem to string from house to house underneath the gutters/ fascia soffits. On my house I cannot see a cable and think it may have been shoved under the newish plastic fascia soffits out of sight. Given my gripes with NTL am I within my rights to (a) refuse them access to my property and (b) refuse them to string an upgraded cable across my gutters. I cannot see anything in my deeds stating otherwise. Also, if a cable is currently present then i want it removed otherwise i will snip it myself. From their letter it seems they will go ahead without asking individual permission. Has anybody experience of this?"

PauloMN

Just think about your neighbours before you go snipping cables. Lots of people now rely on that cable for work, phone etc. in addition to the TV.

bk

bibibobo wrote:

Hi, i justed posted a message on another forum about this very same problem i am having and what my rights are etc. i woudl appreciate comments.

"Hi

I recently purchased a secondhand home where the main TV provider in the area is NTL. Now I don't have or ever want NTL installed in this house for various reasons (v.poor customer service; they refused to disconnect my elderly mothers account for months etc etc). Now I just received a letter in the door saying that they are upgrading the cable in our estate to enable broadband etc. The cables seem to string from house to house underneath the gutters/ fascia soffits. On my house I cannot see a cable and think it may have been shoved under the newish plastic fascia soffits out of sight. Given my gripes with NTL am I within my rights to (a) refuse them access to my property and (b) refuse them to string an upgraded cable across my gutters. I cannot see anything in my deeds stating otherwise. Also, if a cable is currently present then i want it removed otherwise i will snip it myself. From their letter it seems they will go ahead without asking individual permission. Has anybody experience of this?"

I would immediately send them a registered letter telling them that you strictly forbid them from accessing your property and tampering with your property.

For even better effect, get your solicitor to send the letter.

bibibobo

bk wrote:

I would immediately send them a registered letter telling them that you strictly forbid them from accessing your property and tampering with your property.

For even better effect, get your solicitor to send the letter.

yes, but this will cost me.

Rosser

It's amazing that many people who object to having a small cabel run accross their house have no problem sticking a dish on their roof....:rolleyes:

paulm17781

bibibobo wrote:

yes, but this will cost me.

Yes, but if you cut the cable without doing this, you are liable.

Solair

I don't like eircom and there's an eircom cable crossing my property overhead. Doesn't mean I'm going to get up with a sheers to it though.

It's also not unusual in town centres / city centres and terrace houses that ESB, eircom and the cable company may cross the front of houses/shops. It's just a simple, practical way of getting services across without a nest of wires coming off poles or having to demolish the pavement.

Think of your neighbours and be a bit reasonable when you're dealing with them. You may well have had problems with NTL, UPC aren't the same company.

Many of your neighbours may have had problem free service for decades, so don't just go spoiling everyone else's viewing because you had a run in with NTL a few yrs ago.

If you don't want new cable installed across your house, tell them, but don't go annoying your neighbours over a tiny bit of pre-existing coax.

I have sky, and there are 4! coax cables clipped along my soffit / facia boards now to supply sky+ boxes etc

Please think of your neighbours before you go venting your anger on UPCs cable infrastructure with a cable clippers!

The tax man

Solair wrote:

In some areas, they could also investigate the possibility of routing cables along lanes / behind homes. I don't see why they always need to go along the fronts.

Good idea to keep cables out of sight but a pain in the arse when it comes to their upkeep. Access issues are a nightmare and the amount of people hooking up illegally when the taps are to the rear of houses was a joke. Any spots I know off hand that are still cabled to the rear can have ongoing problems. People that may have left NTL and hooked up illegally won't let anyone into the rear of their property or even answer their door.


@bibibobo That letter you got should have a contact name or number of some sort on it. If so contact them and tell them you don't want anything going across your house. If they know you ain't going to change your mind things can be re planned before the system is drawn up. The sooner you and NTL know this the better for all concerned,you don't have anyone going near you and the planners can take into account that your house is to be bypassed.
If you can't see the old cables it's because the cable was there before the fascias were put up. Seeing that the area is to be upgraded NTL will be removing all old cables from houses when the new system is switched on.
You'll be looking at a couple of months before they're cut down. Surely it's reasonable to leave the old stuff in place for the neighbours sake for that time period. But contact NTL asap to tell them you don't want any new cables on your property.

Solair

I'd say illegal hook ups will be taken care of eventually by a full conversion to digital. Already in Cork (as has been the situation for years) set top boxes have been required. I can't imagine they'll keep many channels on analogue for much longer. i.e. it'll more than likely have channels they don't care if you steal e.g. RTE1,2,TV3,TGV + perhaps Channel 6 and City Channel + heavy doses of "To get UPC digital call."

If they're doing multiroom digital fairly cheaply and a PVR, it's not exactly going to be that damaging to their uptake.

UPC are going to make their money on digital services i.e. TV, Phone and Internet. Basic (and I mean very basic) analogue cable's just a 'handy extra'.

watty

They can fit A bunch of broadband users or 4 to 6 TV channels in space of analogue channels, so they will want a minimum of Analogue.