Problem solved: Cape Coral homeowner gets answer on dangling telecom line after 18 months

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — After nearly a year and a half of waiting and hours spent on hold with multiple companies, a Cape Coral homeowner finally has an answer about a low-hanging line drooping into his yard. The update came after WINK News started asking questions.

Rich G. says the telecommunications line has hung loosely above his fence since Hurricane Helene, swaying in the wind and dangling just inches above the top of the fence in his backyard.

“It looks like a child ran the wire, telecommunication wire,” Rich said, “You see it swaying? You should have seen it during the hurricanes."

The drooping line hung inches above his fence, feet from his boat, creating concerns about possible damage or someone getting hurt.

“Damage to the boat, damage to the gentleman who takes care of the lawn next door,” Rich said. “There’s a responsibility for the utility companies.”

But finding the company responsible proved difficult.

Rich said he spent months trying to reach companies that operate overhead lines in the area. Each time, he said, he ran into the same problem — long wait times and no clear answers.

“It would be nice if someone answered the phone,” he said.

WINK News also began calling the companies.

LCEC confirmed the line was not part of its electric system, telling WINK News it appeared to be a telecommunications cable. Comcast also said the line was not theirs.

Even though the cable did not belong to them, Comcast sent a crew out the same day WINK called and tightened the drooping line, pulling it back up where it should be.

The remaining question was which company actually owned it.

On Wednesday, a representative from Lumen Technologies, the parent company of Quantum Fiber and CenturyLink, stopped by the home and told the homeowner the line belongs to Lumen, finally solving the mystery.

For Rich, the confirmation brings relief after more than a year of uncertainty.

What started as a loose cable hanging over his yard turned into months of phone calls, finger-pointing, and frustration, until he finally got an answer.