How do you move a beetle without harming it? According to Eric Rajchel of VantagePoint, a piece of raw chicken does the trick. In the above video, Rajchel, an engineer at this well-known broadband engineering firm, describes one of the more subtle challenges he and his clients face as they deploy broadband in rural areas.

[Note, this paragraph was edited for clarity on 12/10/22] In the case of the broadband-blocking beetle, it took a VantagePoint biologist with some chicken meat to lure the colony of beetles out of the right-of-way so that the project could continue. Overall, this delayed the project by about two weeks. Having the right kind of expertise was critical to ensure the project did not face bigger challenges and delays.

Rajchel’s advice to operators is to start early with environmental clearances. It is more than a paper exercise, however, as having experts in the field is critical to mitigating unforeseen issues. Rajchel explains that VantagePoint has archeologists and biologists on staff to provide the necessary guidance to navigate federal and state rules.

[Note: Rajchel spoke at the Broadband Forum’s BASe at the Fiber Broadband Association’s Fiber Connect 2022].