No. Internet providers (like AT&T, C Spire, or Xfinity) are private companies. They decide where and when to expand their fiber networks based on their own business budgets and technical plans.

The City does not choose target neighborhoods, pay for private expansion, set work schedules or give preference to one company over another.

No. Under state and federal law (including state telecommunications franchising statutes and the Federal Communications Act), cities cannot block licensed telecommunication providers from accessing public rights-of-way or grant exclusive monopolies to a single company.

As long as a fiber company follows standard engineering safety rules and obtains the required city permit, the City is legally required to grant them access.

Permitting and Worksite Safety Only. All fiber permits and right-of-way work are managed through the City of Germantown Engineering Department.

City inspectors make sure construction follows civil engineering safety standards, protects city water and drainage pipes and maintains safe traffic flow on public streets.

Public Right-of-Way (ROW): All public streets, sidewalks, and the strip of land extending several feet past the curb into the front edge of a lawn are dedicated public ROW areas.

Utility Easement: These are designated strips of property (along front, side, or rear yard lines) where utility companies have legal permission to place underground power, water, gas and fiber lines.

Even though homeowners maintain the grass on top, certified utility companies have the legal right to work within these designated ROW areas and easements.

Direct Mail Notices: Fiber companies and their main contractors send advance letters or postcards directly to your mailbox before digging begins.

Keep these mailers! They include estimated start dates, a description of the work, and the phone number for the contractor’s claims department.

Use the City Interactive Permit Map: Type your address into the online Permit Map. Click on the permit zone over your street to instantly view the contractor's name, approved work dates and claim contacts.

Search your address on the City’s online Permit Map to look up the contractor’s direct phone number and file a claim. If you need help finding the permit, contact the Germantown Engineering Department at (901) 757-7250.

Permits issued by City Engineering limit construction to standard daytime hours: Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. No work is allowed on Sundays or official City holidays without special approval from the City.

Horizontal Directional Boring is underground drilling that pushes plastic pipes beneath the surface without digging up your whole yard. This protects driveways, sidewalks and tree roots.

Micro-Trenching: In some street areas, crews cut thin 1-to-2-inch slots along the edge of asphalt to place fiber cables quickly before sealing the road back up.

Please leave the flags in place! State law requires crews to call 811 before digging so utility companies can mark underground electric, gas, water and telephone lines with spray paint and flags.

These markings prevent dangerous line breaks. Flags must stay in place until all digging on the street is finished.

811 utility callers DO NOT mark private homeowner lines. 811 only marks main public power, gas and city water lines located in the utility easement.

What you should do: Mark your private sprinkler heads, dog fence wires or landscape lights with your own small flags or paint before crews arrive and talk to the work foreman on your street. If private items are damaged, contact the contractor's claims phone number listed on your mailer or the permit map.

These are underground service boxes (called pedestals or flush handholes). They hold fiber connections that link surrounding homes to the network. Placed inside public utility easements, they allow technicians to connect or repair service in the future without digging up the lawn again.

Restoration happens in two phases. Crews first fill holes with dirt or gravel and let the ground settle naturally so sinkholes don't form later.

Final repairs—like laying new sod, fixing concrete or leveling dirt—typically occur 14 to 30 days after initial drilling, depending on weather conditions.

Visit the official FCC Broadband Map at broadbandmap.fcc.gov and type in your address to see every registered provider at your location.

Not in public rights-of-way or utility easements. HOAs cannot legally block utility providers from accessing public streets or designated utility easements. HOAs only control private roads and common HOA buildings.

No. Federal law prohibits local city governments from setting internet prices, mandating discount plans or requiring private companies to build network connections to every single address.