July 25, 2008
Watchdog
Exposed cable wires seen as a hazard
Broken Comcast cable units near Athol Avenue in West Baltimore had exposed cables. A Comcast spokeswoman said the cables posed no immediate danger. (Sun photo by Elizabeth Malby / April 30, 2008)
THE PROBLEM Exposed Comcast cables spew out of broken metal cases meant to protect them from the elements.
THE BACKSTORY Larry E. Greene, who lives in the Irvington neighborhood of West Baltimore, reported what he feared was a dangerous problem.
Light-green metal cases housing Comcast cables have been broken for months and have wires sticking out on several streets of Frederick Heights, his townhouse community. He noticed the exposed wiring while walking up to Edmondson Avenue and when driving through the neighborhood.
The cases, or pedestals, cover the above-ground connections to below-ground utility cables, he said.
Related links
-
-
Update: CSX takes down dead tree in Rosedale
-
Watchdog archive
Watchdog is a weekly feature about problems in area neighborhoods -- potholes, broken traffic signals, incorrect signs -- that aren't being fixed in a timely manner. Click the map for other installments from this year and a map of previous problems.
• Previous Watchdog stories
• 2008 Watchdog photos
Need help?
Is there something in your neighborhood that's not getting fixed? Tell us where the problem is and how long it's been there.
E-mail: watchdog@baltsun.com
Call: 410-332-6735
Write:
Watchdog
The Baltimore Sun
501 N. Calvert St.
Baltimore 21278
Please include a daytime phone number. We can't respond to every call but will address as many submissions as we can. And we'll follow up on as many of the problems as we can.
Greene alerted Comcast to the problem early this year. "I advised the Comcast phone representative that this is clearly a safety catastrophe waiting to claim a child's life," he wrote in an e-mail last month.
According to Greene, the representative told him a technician would respond, but nothing had been done when Watchdog contacted Greene last week.
By that point, a metal case had disappeared entirely on Athol Avenue near of Davis Avenue - leaving a clump of cables on the grassy median between the sidewalk and the roadway.
During a tour of the community, wires clearly labeled with Comcast tags spilled out of one casing between 37 and 39 N. Athol Ave. Watchdog observed at least four damaged pedestals in all, including those at other locations on Cobber Lane and Dana Street.
When Watchdog contacted Comcast, a company spokeswoman said that the wires were not dangerous.
"These are considered passive taps so they pose no imminent danger," said Aimee N. Metrick, director of public relations for Comcast's eastern division.
On Thursday, she reported that technicians had responded within hours of contact by Watchdog. They installed new pedestals where needed and locked down the covers of other cases.
"Although obviously unsightly, I want to reinforce that the previously exposed cables posed no electrical-related dangers to local residents," Metrick wrote in an e-mail.
The company has field audit employees who travel the region daily in Baltimore and the surrounding counties, Delaware and Richmond, Va., to check for quality-control issues such as broken or missing pedestals, Metrick said.
A number of factors can contribute to broken pedestals, such as weather, but the most common cause is vandalism, Metrick said.
WHO CAN FIX THIS Customers can call 800-COMCAST or 410-427-9600 in the Greater Baltimore area to report an issue.
Get home delivery of The Sun and save over 50% off the newsstand price
Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun
 New arena for Baltimore?Complete coverage of 1st Mariner Arena and possible plans to build a new indoor entertainment venue in Baltimore Archived coverage: 2008 MSA results | City Hall, Dixon investigated Md. state police spying | FBI probes Sen. Currie People and places: Police Blotter Crime briefs from Baltimore City and Baltimore County |
Maryland gas watch |
 Find cheaper gasCheck prices at area gas stations by ZIP code and find the lowest rates in the region with our new interactive gas map. > Baltimore-area lowest gas prices > Historical gas price charts |
Popular stories: Maryland News
- Gunman opens fire at intersection, kills 2
- Fla. man gets 10 years for driving heroin through Md.
- Dan Rodricks: Quit thinking small, people of Baltimore
- Police investigate suspicious package near City Hall
- A step back in hopes of a leap forward
Watchdog archive
Is there something in your neighborhood that's not getting fixed? Tell us where the problem is and how long its been there.
 Area farmers' marketsAn interactive map featuring locations, times, photos and other coverage of farmers' markets across the area. |
 | |
My MarylandSubmit photos from around the state and view those from other readers Also see: Charm Cityscapes | |