The Colonial Village I Board of Directors wishes to ...
Colonial Village I
Policy Statement Regarding Land-Line Telephone Access
(Aug. 28, 2007)
Dear Unit Owner:
The Colonial Village I Board of Directors wishes to clarify Association policy regarding repair of telephone lines within the exterior walls of the buildings. This is prompted by the fact that one CVI owner recently was unable to obtain traditional phone service through Verizon due to a broken wire in the exterior wall (ultimately, the owner arranged for cable telephony). This was an isolated incident, and we do not anticipate a rash of such difficulties. However, the Board thinks it prudent to set out a policy in case the problem recurs.
The policy is as follows:
Due to difficulties associated with the original design of the buildings, the Association will not guarantee that any individual owner will be able to access a functional copper service line for a traditional land-line connection with the local telephone company (Verizon). If a unit lacks a functional copper service line, the owner should employ other alternatives, such as cable telephone service through Comcast, a cell phone service, or the planned Verizon FIOS fiber-optic service.
Why is the Board taking this step? In short, it is impractical to repair the copper line in the walls.
Under modern practice, service lines for telephone or cable are installed through conduit to protect the lines and make it easier to repair and replace them. However, when Colonial Village was constructed in the 1930s, sheathed copper phone line was laid directly into the masonry. Inside the walls, it was simply stapled to the studs.
This wire is deteriorating, and the original mode of installation makes it very difficult to repair. In fact, the local phone company (Verizon) is very reluctant to provide such repair service (and it is not contractually required to do so).
Repair of lines serving individual units is not the responsibility of the Association. Under the bylaws, maintenance and repair of lines serving individual units are the responsibility of the unit owner. The Association will provide reasonable access to crawlspaces if an individual unit owner wishes to contract with Verizon or another contractor to attempt repair of a broken service line within the exterior walls (which are deemed to be “Common Elements” under the bylaws) Repair methods that entail damage to common elements will not be permitted, however. In particular, no new holes may be drilled in the exterior walls, nor may lines be run through windows.
Junction boxes — the points where the Verizon trunk line enters each building — are common elements and are the responsibility of the Association. However, if such boxes become defective and repair is impractical or costly, the Association will abandon the box and all lines proceeding from it.
Every unit in CVI is wired for cable, so owners may contract with Comcast Cable for telephone service. By making this hard-wired telephone option available, the Board feels that the Association has discharged any responsibility it may have for providing access to telephone service.
In addition, the Association has issued a license to Verizon to install its FIOS fiber-optic lines, which will provide dramatically faster Internet access, as well as television and telephone service.
The Board understands that the alternatives to a traditional land-line may be modestly more expensive than basic Verizon telephone service. However, the Association has no responsibility for the rates charged for any particular type of telephone service. Moreover, the phone company itself is phasing out copper line. It is impractical for the Association to maintain a commitment to an outmoded technology that the telephone company itself is phasing out.
We wish to emphasize that the Association has no intention of abandoning functioning copper telephone lines. In all probability, most units’ lines will continue functioning for years. Unit owners will only need to switch service to cable or FIOS if their copper telephone service lines fail.
The Board has consulted with the Association attorney in the course of formulating this policy. We hope that unit owners understand that the Board has done its best to balance the rights of unit owners and its responsibility to prudently manage Association finances and preserve the integrity of these historic buildings.
Sincerely,
CVI Board of Directors
[Adopted by unanimous vote (5-0), Aug. 29, 2007]
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