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[–] MoonMansWay 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

You raise some valid points. Its a shit situation because At&T owns the poles, but Im curious if AT&T owns the land under them. It would give that local government the right to compensate AT&T for the poles while opening them up to all companies. Its still shitty since this company put their money and time into building this infrastructure and will be forced to hand over to competitors.

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[–] Riflsauce 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

Chances are any investment they have into the poles was taxpayer funded.

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[–] twentyfive 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

I have high voltage lines on my property. I pay the taxes, not allowed any permanent structures within so feet

They are allowed to make repairs whenever. Basically free land

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[–] Opieswife 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

I'm not sure about the land. I think the utility companies just have an easement essentially a right to use it but not actual ownership of the property. So if a pole is in my yard it is still on my property but I can't stop the utility company from coming on my property and servicing the lines.

Generally speaking of I were a business owner I would have a problem with the government telling me to let my competitor come into the office and let them use a cubicle, computer, printer or what have you, however not every situation is so simple or black and white. Finding the right balance of rights between private citizens companies and municipalities in order to effectively and appropriately serve the community is a challenge. There are many ways to balance these needs, I don't pretend to know which is best for every situation but I do suspect it isn't a one size fits all type of thing.