I too got an random bill of $227 from CMR for damaged drop wire . I think all the previous posts about the same topic covers it pretty well:
1) Line was buried too shallow, less than 3" below ground. In my case, literally right below our garden area. If Verizon decides to reduce up-front labor costs by not burying the wire 6" or more below ground, then they took a risk that a percentage of these wires would be broken accidentally and the cost to repair is less than initial savings. [Note: The replacement wire is of higher quality than the one that broke as well]
2) I specifically asked if there will be any charges and the Verizon tech support said no and we will be told if there are any. The technician did not mention any bill before he left. If there is a bill, the consumer should be made aware of the charges and and based on the forum posts, the charges seem to be random. The customer should have agreed to the estimated charges / billing rates before the service is performed.
3) Verizon main 800 billing support assistors are not even aware of this type of charges and cannot see it in their system making it difficult to resolve. I didn't realize that CMR is a third-party vendor until I read the last post.
4) I did not see anywhere in the Customer Agreement about the drop wire and responsibilities / damage resolution. If the responsibility is the customers, we should have the option of finding a third-party contractor to fix the wire.
I think Verizon should re-consider the way they are handling damaged drop wires.
Other forum posts: