Fiber optic lines to be installed in Punta Gorda to speed connectivity

Millions of miles of underground lines will allow millions to communicate quickly and clearly.

Fiber optic lines are being installed in Punta Gorda to speed up connectivity.

“It’s basically just a race to get fiber in the ground for the entire country right now,” said David Chase, Chief Operations Officer for PCCI Group. “Last I saw for what they were planning to send to us was 9 million feet for both aerial and underground. It’s a combination.”

Chase is the chief operations officer for PCCI Group Construction, which is overseeing the construction of the company Hyperfiber Cable Lines.

Last Wednesday, during a city council meeting, Punta Gorda mayor Lynne Matthews spoke out about getting more than 50 complaints about water or cable lines being cut from mishaps during fiber optic installation.

“Well, it started out kind of rough,” said John McFarland, a Punta Gorda resident. “We lost service for a few days, and then we left town, so we’re not sure when it came back on.”

McFarland was not one of those 50 complaints, but he was impacted by fiber optic installation in his neighborhood.

If there is work being done in your neighborhood, you might see orange conduit sticking out of the ground, but Chase said, they will get those covered up once everything is in place.

Chase also said this would benefit the community in the long run.

After a hurricane, fiber optic lines can help residents stay connected because the cable is buried underground.

“We want to work with the city. We want to work with all the residents there to make sure that we address any issues and make sure, at the end of the day, everybody’s happy, and everything’s the way that we left it,” Chase said.

If you are affected by a water or cable outage, the company to contact is Hyperfiber.

The work in Punta Gorda is expected to be finished by February.