Note: Attorney General Richard Blumenthal took AT&T to court when they refused to seek franchising in the state. He's likely to ride the company hard until they replace every battery in Connecticut.

from: WFSB News 3 [1]

Exploded AT&T Batteries Raise Concerns
Company Says It's Removing Batteries From Streets

Video on source page: AT&T Removing Batteries From Streets [2]

POSTED: 6:12 pm EST January 21, 2008
HARTFORD, Conn. -- AT&T is replacing thousands of backup batteries it installed on telephone poles after some exploded and burned.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Dan Kain reported the batteries are located inside equipment the phone company has been installing on streets in cities and towns across the state in anticipation of going into the U-verse video and high-speed Internet business.

At least four lithium batteries contained in the big V-RAD boxes on utility poles have exploded, creating fires and property damage. No injuries were reported in any of the cases.

"These lithium batteries are extraordinarily dangerous because no one knows when they are going to explode," said Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. "There have been four instances in other states. We should not wait for a tragedy here, we should remove them immediately. They are unnecessary for the U-verse service because they are simply backup power."

The state Department of Public Utility Control is looking into the safety of the batteries in the V-RAD boxes and has asked AT&T to provide information, including details on the number of batteries already in Connecticut, Kain reported.

AT&T has stated that the company intends to replace the 17,000 batteries as soon as possible. Blumenthal said that's not good enough.

"AT&T may be studying or examining, but what we need is action to remove these batteries," Blumenthal said. "What we need is immediate action to remove these lithium batteries because they are potentially a disaster waiting to happen."

A statement obtained from AT&T by Eyewitness News says the company is replacing the backup batteries, which have nothing to do with their core U-verse technology. The statement says the company anticipates no interruptions in service during this process.