If Cablevision officials could speak candidly, they might express some sympathy for their soon-to-be competitors--the cable industry went through the same process 20 and 30 years ago, when it first secured franchise agreements, offering towns incentives like community access channels in return for the right to pipe TV into their homes.
Inside the riser pipe is a space about half a meter in diameter, large enough to hold the spinning drill pipe and bit and to allow the return flow of drilling fluid.