The Town of Randall's latest notice says TDS fiber construction around Powers Lake is about to begin. Once it does, a white flag in the grass marks a spot where TDS intends to dig, and orange, red, yellow and blue flags may be planted beside it. All of them come from an independent locating contractor whose job is to find the underground utilities already on file. None of those flags shows where your invisible dog fence runs, where the irrigation line crosses the side yard, or where a private power line feeds the lights on the walk down to the water. Marking those is your job. TDS spells that out in writing, and on a lake lot those are usually the lines closest to where a crew will be working.
What the Town of Randall Has Said So Far
The Town of Randall gave notice that TDS would hold an informational meeting at Town Hall, 34530 Bassett Road, on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at 10 a.m. The stated purpose was "to provide fiber optics for the Power Lakes area." The notice, dated August 28, said town board members might attend to gather information and that the board would take no formal action. On October 9, the town's homepage posted a notice titled "Fiber-Optic Network Construction is About to Begin," with a flyer attached.
The town hasn't published a street list or route map, so the best way to check a specific property is the address lookup on TDS's status page. Randall doesn't have its own page in TDS's build directory yet. TDS does have pages for its neighbors, Wheatland and Twin Lakes. The Powers Lake work belongs to a larger push. In an October 21, 2025 announcement, TDS said its fiber network was coming to the Lake Geneva area, in Walworth County and parts of Kenosha and Waukesha counties. The communities it named included Lake Geneva, Burlington, Camp Lake, Genoa City, Pell Lake and Williams Bay, and it listed Twin Lakes among its ongoing projects.
What Each Flag Color Means
TDS publishes its color code on its construction information page. Flags, spray paint or both can show up near the road or across a front lawn:
- Red: electric
- Yellow: gas, oil or petroleum
- Orange: telecommunications
- Blue: potable water
- Green: sewer
- White: where TDS proposes to dig
- Pink: a property line or survey pin
TDS asks homeowners not to pull the flags or mow over the marked areas. Crews take the flags out themselves once construction is finished and it's safe to remove them. The list has no color for private systems an owner installed, and TDS assigns marking those to the owner.
The Lines Only the Owner Knows About
TDS's construction page says the property owner is "responsible for clearly marking any privately owned underground facilities." It names sprinkler systems, invisible fences, security systems and private power as examples. Owners should mark those with their own flags or spray paint and call the construction hotline at 1-855-259-8576.
That sentence matters more on a lake lot than on a typical suburban one. A property running from the road down to a pier can have buried wire and pipe spread across most of its length, and much of it was put in years after any utility map was drawn. Whoever installed it may be long gone. If you don't know where your own lines run, now is the time to find the paperwork or call the original installer, before a white flag goes in close by.
TDS says to expect a letter, a postcard and a door hanger before construction starts on your street. The door hanger is your reminder to put your own flags out.
How the Digging Actually Happens
TDS says it uses methods such as directional drilling to keep disruption in the road right-of-way and utility easements as low as it can. It also says some spots will still need digging and additional excavation. At those spots, contractors use a vac truck. It works as a pressure washer and a vacuum together: water loosens the soil only where the crew needs access, and the hose pulls the dirt out.
Afterward, TDS says a separate restoration crew usually comes back within a couple of weeks to fill and level the holes, spread topsoil and seed, and lay netting or straw. TDS also notes that results can vary with local conditions. On any lawn that's a reasonable caveat. Right now it has a specific meaning, because late October is when grass seed has the least time to take hold before winter.
Late October Changes What Comes Next
Everything above builds the backbone of the network. TDS describes the connection to each house, called a fiber drop, as a separate step. Its account of that step explains why the season matters. In its explainer on how TDS builds in a neighborhood, the company says crews usually cut a thin slice in the ground, tuck the cable in and close it back up. It then adds a caveat that matters for an October build:
"If the ground is frozen, we'll simply lay the cable on the ground and come back ASAP on the spring to get it safely tucked in the ground."
The same explainer says TDS sometimes runs the drop before service is live, because "we're often racing Mother Nature." In that case it buries the cable but leaves the end unconnected, so a homeowner may see a short coil of cable next to the house until the network is ready. TDS says to leave the coil alone because the line isn't live. It also says it will probably hold off on burying drops after wet weather, until the ground firms up. TDS last updated that post in December 2019, so read it as a description of the company's general process. The current construction page takes priority wherever the two differ.
For Powers Lake owners, this means a fall build might not finish until spring. A cable lying across the lawn over the winter, or a coil tucked beside the foundation, can be a normal part of the process. If you close up a lake house for the season, it's worth telling whoever checks on the property while you're away.
The Network Reaches Your Door Only If You Register
TDS's explainer says the company connects homes "once your neighborhood's threshold has been met (and construction completed)," and that "we will only connect the homes/businesses of those who have registered for service." In other words, a fiber line running along the road past your property doesn't put a line into your house. You register, the neighborhood reaches its threshold, the drop goes in, and then you're invited to book an installation. At that appointment a technician finishes any remaining outside work and sets up the modem and router, plus TV equipment for anyone who signed up for TDS TV.
On its Wheatland and Twin Lakes pages, TDS advertises symmetrical speeds up to 8 Gig. It also says it builds "in phases within your community" and that people who register before launch can lock in bonus offers. TDS hasn't posted Randall-specific tiers, pricing or a launch date. The registration form is the same one it links from those neighboring pages.
Here's what you can do this week, in order:
- Enter your address on TDS's status page to see whether it falls inside a current build area.
- Look for the TDS letter, postcard or door hanger, and keep the construction hotline number, 1-855-259-8576, somewhere handy.
- Flag your private underground lines yourself: irrigation, invisible fence, security wiring and private power. Then call the hotline.
- Leave the locator's flags in place, and don't mow over them.
- If you want service, register, since TDS connects only registered homes.
- If you're leaving for the winter, tell your caretaker that a surface cable or an unconnected coil may be part of the build.
If you're thinking about how a new connection, or a yard that won't be fully restored until spring, fits into your plans for a Powers Lake home, request a private consultation with Tricia at Tricia Forbeck. She can help you decide what to document this fall so it's ready when you need it.
