PEARLAND, Texas – Nuisance neighbors can really make enjoying your own property difficult. From yappy dogs to loud music, confronting neighbors and addressing the issues can be tricky. But one Pearland homeowner asked our KPRC 2 Investigates team for help when his calls went unanswered for weeks.
Loud generator placed close to homes
Rick Jaramillo’s sprawling backyard in Shadow Creek Ranch is his family’s oasis, an escape from the daily hustle and grind. But seven weeks ago, he noticed something new here.
“It’s the equivalent at nighttime of having a helicopter landing in your backyard all night long. It never stops it never rests,” said Jaramillo.
It is an industrial-sized generator humming and buzzing just a few feet from his backyard. It’s attached to this T-Mobile cell tower in the easement behind his home. The tower has been here for about 13 years. The generator is new, but Jaramillo says it has already outworn its welcome.
“Running an industrial sized generator in the middle of a neighborhood it’s just not very neighborly,” he said.
And what’s worse, no one in Shadow Creek Ranch could get T-Mobile to answer their questions about the noisy generator.
“We don’t know if this is permanent, or is this going to be turned off at some point in time?” said Jaramillo. “T-Mobile would do us a great service if they would give some indication of what is happening with this industrial sized generator.”
Jaramillo’s issue is a common one: trying to speak with someone at a large utility when you are not a customer. All communication systems are set up for clients who need customer service.
When we reached out to T-Mobile the generator was turned off the same day.
T-Mobile sent us this statement:
“We apologize for the inconvenience to the neighbors. The power connection was interrupted to this tower, and the generator ensured that critical wireless connectivity was not disrupted. Power has been restored to this site.”
Getting help with a utility company issue
When you have an issue with a utility company that is using the public utility easement near you, if you can’t get through to the company you should reach out to the city or county government where you live. Many have a utility regulations office that will have the appropriate contacts for those companies. If you don’t know the name of the office in your area start with your city council person or county commissioner and ask them to help put you in touch.
