Fiber optic installation in Gilbert damages another home

GILBERT, Ariz. — As cities and towns across the state continue construction to bring fiber optic internet to homes, more residents in the East Valley are saying the higher speed network is not worth the headache it’s caused them.

Tamara Heideman is one of them.

“Your home is your safe place, your refuge. It’s where your kids come and you come after a long day of working, of being out in the world to have peace, and it wasn’t peaceful,” Heideman said.

Heideman is a single mom of three and works countless hours to support her family. She was at work on Aug. 21 last year when she started getting calls from her daughter who was home sick.

“She smelled a foul smell, and she said, ‘Mom, something’s happening in grandma’s room. I went in there and it’s covered in water,'” Heideman recalled.

She rushed home to find the downstairs bedroom, bathrooms and pantry were flooded. Her sewer line had been destroyed.

“That bathtub? I still have memories of chocolate brown water all the way to the top,” Heideman said. “It was all covered with sewer chocolate water.”

Heideman called a plumber who then discovered the truth about what happened when an excavation company working in the neighborhood saw his truck, followed him, and told him they were at fault.

“We were in this house a few days ago and we probably broke it,” Heideman described.

The excavation company was subcontracting for Tilson, the company that is installing a fiber optic network in Gilbert neighborhoods. It’s so AT&T’s company Gigapower can offer higher speed internet. 

It’s a project Heideman did not ask for but was green-lit by the Town of Gilbert.

A Gilbert spokesperson said that, based on the lease agreement with Gigapower, the town is making around $90,000 per year, but records show the town could make more than $7.9 million throughout the 20-year deal.

“It disrupted our lives tremendously,” Heideman said.

Heideman and her family left town while a disaster company worked to clean up the mess and stop the leak. Her home was torn apart in the process.

“This happened in August when it was super hot, and I had two areas of my house covered in plastics and with zippers. Because there was two-by-fours, it was completely exposed. So the temperature in my house was like 100 degrees in some areas,” Heideman said.

Then, she faced an uphill battle with the excavation company’s insurance provider.

“You’re being treated like it’s my fault,” Heideman said.

As Heideman worked to navigate the insurance claim, it happened again.

In late October, another Gilbert home was flooded with sewage water after a sewer line was struck by crews working on the fiber installation project.

“It’s going to be tens of thousands of dollars that that we end up losing unless somebody reimburses us because our homeowners insurance is only paying part,” said Nicole Flood.

Just last month, the fixed line at Nicole Flood and Jeremy Flessner’s home broke again.

“That sort of perfect storm of using the toilet and the shower backed up everything again into the house,” Flessner said. “The good news is we weren’t renovated yet so it wasn’t as bad, but still pretty bad to have sewage on your ground again.”

Flood expressed frustration with the lack of accountability and support from the companies involved and the Town of Gilbert.

“Gilbert’s making money hand over fist on this whole thing and yet homeowners don’t have the right of way to their own property, their own sewage lines,” Flood said. “All of this has been a huge inconvenience and nightmare.”

From damaged driveways to a sideswiped car, residents have shared nightmare after nightmare with 12News, all stemming from the fiber optic construction.

RELATED: ‘I was covered head to toe’: Gilbert family says fiber optic project left their home flooded with sewage

In December, residents’ concerns were brought to Gilbert Town Councilmember Yung Koprowski, who agreed to speak with 12News about the project.

“We deeply empathize with [residents], but ultimately the responsibility is with the fiber contractor and their contractor, but we do try to mediate whenever possible,” Koprowski said.

Heideman said she has not heard from the town.

“They are our elected officials. I’m your resident. I’m your Gilbert resident from 2011. Where are you? Where were you when this happened? You cannot not care. You have been elected to care,” Heideman expressed.

Heideman settled with insurance in November and is now trying to find the time to put her home back together.

“We come home every day at the end of the day to our destroyed home hoping that maybe tomorrow will be the day that we get drywall,” Heideman said. “I have a daughter that’s turning 18 in April and she’s like, ‘Am I going to be able to have a birthday party and invite my friends?'”

As Heideman seeks accountability from AT&T/Gigapower, Tilson and the Town of Gilbert, she said AT&T sales representatives have showed up at her front door twice to sell her on their new fiber internet. To her, it showed that the project has continued while her family’s lives have been put on hold.

“There’s just been so many of us, so many of us, that have been affected by this,” Heideman said.

The Town of Gilbert declined to make a representative available for an on-camera interview to discuss Heideman’s case but provided 12News with the following statement:

“Gigapower’s fiber installation project in Gilbert, with Tilson as its contractor, is an independent project led by a state-licensed utility company that aims to deliver fiber broadband service options to residents in Gilbert.

Upon becoming aware of resident concerns regarding the quality of restoration work in Public Utility Easements (PUE) and damages to private property, the Town immediately contacted Gigapower and Tilson and asked them to follow up with residents to resolve this civil matter.

In August 2024, Tilson and the homeowner on [Heideman’s street] resolved a concern without the Town’s involvement.

The Town’s role in this project involves reviewing the permits submitted by Gigapower and Tilson for work within the Right of Way (ROW) and Public Utility Easement (PUE) in Gilbert. The Town ensures that the proposed construction complies with its standards before granting approval. Once construction begins, the sites are inspected to verify adherence to the approved plans and ensure compliance with safety standards.

The 2% share in the Telecommunications License Agreement applies only to interstate revenue from dark fiber, which is not part of the Gigapower project in Gilbert. Therefore, Gilbert is not receiving revenue sharing from Gigapower or Tilson.

Gilbert is dedicated to consistently processing permit applications according to Town standards. We acknowledge the high volume of work in the Rights of Way and appreciate residents’ patience as Gilbert continues to grow.”

A Tilson spokesperson told 12News they were not aware of what happened to Heideman’s home until they received our email, however, Heideman said she spoke to a Tilson employee shortly after her sewer line broke. Recently, she received a note on her door including Tilson’s contact information.

Tilson’s Director of Government and Community Affairs issued the following written statement:

“Tilson only works with licensed and bonded subcontractors, and we address any construction issues that arise as soon as we are informed of them.

We work hard to maintain an open line of communication with residents throughout the construction process to make sure residents can reach out directly if something happens so we can address it. We hang door hangers, post lawn signs, and maintain a dedicated phone number and website page for resident concerns.

In this specific case, the remediation of the interior of the home was managed between the subcontractor and the homeowner’s insurance company in August. We were only made aware of ongoing restoration concerns yesterday and sent a team out this morning to assess the situation and identify any remaining issues for which Tilson may be responsible, so we can assist as needed.”

12News also reached out to Gigapower for comment regarding what happened to Heideman’s home. The company issued a statement:

“Gigapower is very proud to be bringing high-speed fiber broadband to Gilbert. We value the relationship we have with its community and their homeowners. On those infrequent occasions when there are build impacts, we believe the key to resolution is good communication and we encourage homeowners to reach out immediately to Tilson or Gigapower. Our standard remediation process addresses any external damage immediately with the goal of restoring the property to its original or better condition. While impacts inside the home are handled through the homeowner’s and our contractors’ insurance, we want to know if resolution efforts have stalled so we can help correct those issues as quickly as possible. 

Again, we encourage homeowners experiencing any issues during our construction to stay in close communication with Tilson and Gigapower. Any questions or concerns about construction in the area should be directed to [email protected], Tilson (800-910-9471), or Gigapower ([email protected]).”

If you have experienced a problem as a result of this project, here are the people you should contact right away:

Tilson: [email protected], 800-910-9471

Town of Gilbert: [email protected], 480-220-1566, or via Gilbert 311 | Gilbert, Arizona (gilbertaz.gov)

Gigapower: [email protected]

Gilbert also has a dedicated web page with information about the project. You can find that here.