A method and/or device that may be used in locations where equipotential bonding is not practiced can be installed on a customer premises equipment device basis that provides over-voltage protection between the AC main and HFC ground planes. According to one aspect of the present invention, a bonding link is established between the AC main and the HFC coaxial braid that allows energy surges to bypass the CPE equipment and to be passed on to the AC mains, which are traditionally more equipped to deal with these large energy surges. According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is disclosed that may be incorporated into any premises powered HFC CPE device for protection. The apparatus provides a surge energy bypass path around the CPE device being protected and allow voltage differentials to be normalized between systems.