July 23, 2021
Effective immediately, the City of Lawrence is lifting the Cease and Desist Order that was issued to AT&T on July 15, 2021. The Cease and Desist Order had stopped AT&T and its subcontractors from work on all active projects in the City of Lawrence.
The City met with AT&T representatives and other local utility providers on Monday, July 19, to discuss the safety concerns that precipitated the Cease and Desist Order. Following that conversation, AT&T committed to the following measures in moving forward with their work in Lawrence:
- Participating in regularly scheduled utilities meetings on this project
- Meeting with contractors to re-emphasize the importance of 811 locate procedures and City excavation requirements
- Continuing to comply with all federal, state and local laws, and continuing to require the same from their contracts
- Promptly addressing concerns brought to AT&T regarding contractor work on the project
- Working closely with other utilities to improve communication channels and address issues quickly
- Performing a field inspection of the existing fiber projects and correcting any outstanding safety concerns/property owner issues
A copy of AT&T’s response letter is available here (PDF).
The City thanks AT&T for its responsiveness to the concerns of Lawrence residents and other utility services, and for working quickly with the City to resolve the issues. Telecommunications services are important to the Lawrence community, and the City looks forward to continuing work with AT&T on the fiber build project. AT&T Kansas Fiber Build FAQs
For questions on AT&T construction, please call their hotline: (785) 354-9522
Contact: Porter Arneill, Director of Communications & Creative Resources, (785) 832-3402 | parneill@lawrenceks.org