ABOVE: Tilton’s Mayor Billy Wear (far left) during State Rep Brandun Schweizer’s (far right) appearance at a Mon April 13th meeting at Tilton Village Hall concerning damages being caused by subcontractors looking to place new broadband cables underground.
Just two days after a Monday, April 13th meeting at Tilton Village Hall about subcontractors damaging water, sewer, power, and gas lines; Tiilton’s Mayor Billy Wear had finally had enough. In the late morning hours on Wednesday, April 15th at King and Keegan Streets, a subcontractor digging for Comcast struck an Ameren two-inch natural gas line. Mayor Wear mentioned that two powerlines on Palomino Drive were hit as well.
Mayor Wear has told CIMG that when he arrived on the scene of the gas line accident, he discovered that the workers had not immediately called the fire department after it happened, and were also not guiding cars away from where the line had been struck. In his streets clothes, Wear walked up to the workers, identified himself as Mayor of Tilton, and said their working permits for digging within the village were immediately cancelled.
Wear says this applies to a group of five subcontractors that were all digging for Comcast; and if any further damages happen from subcontractors “digging for Metro-Conxxus that are still out there,” their permits will be gone as well.
A.J. Wright, Roads Commissioner for Danville Township (which is in Tilton), had told CIMG during the Monday meeting that from now on “the company at the top” in any broadband expansion digging project will need to sign an agreement with the township.
Now, Mayor Wear has taken that a step further; telling CIMG that he will be contacting representatives from all area utilities who already have or could soon suffer damages in one of these accidents; and arrange for a meeting they can all attend. Once it is arranged, the main companies and subcontractors will all be told when and where to attend the meeting (perhaps at Village of Tilton or Danville Township locations).
“One contractor,” Wear told CIMG, “heard me say meeting and said, ‘how about this Friday?’ That’s when I looked at him and said, ‘you misunderstood me. WE ARE arranging the meeting. Once we have done that, you will be contacted and asked to attend. Until then, your permits are pulled.”
ORIGINAL STORY https://vermilioncountyfirst.com/2026/04/13/federal-broadband-program-causing-major-township-and-municipal-problems/
