3 Messages
When AT&T no longer provides POTS, Plan Old Telephone Service, traditional landline, they will no longer be a utility company.
Power, Water and Gas will be the only utility companies who have right-a-ways. AT&T will not have a right-a-way underground or overhead without getting written permission from the landowner. AT&T will be no different from any other cell phone, internet, or cable company. I know this to be a fact because when Spectrum put their cable line on the telephone poles on our property, I called the power company to complain and they told me they only give them permission to use their power poles but Spectrum would have to get permission form the landowner. Spectrum had already put their cable overhead before I knew it, so after two weeks of calling them and complaining, they came out and removed the cable from overhead and buried it since I gave them permission to bury it.
After AT&T cuts landline users off, they will have a lot of angry customers, who are landowners, me for one. Don't you think that should be interesting?
OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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24.4K Messages
14 days ago
What a Utility company can and can not do is subject, quite often, to local and state regulations. If the "utility" maintains the infrastructure for a public service, like phone or internet, then easement rules apply. Just because AT&T, and other companies stop offering landline services (POTS), that will probably not affect easement rules if they offer an alternative and local/state regulations allow it.
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JefferMC
ACE - Expert
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35.5K Messages
14 days ago
Even without POTS, providers of Internet service (and gas, and water, and...) can still use easements and public right-of-ways. The privilege is not exclusive to providers of POTS.
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spoom2
Expert
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19.5K Messages
14 days ago
Might want to give us a link to where you're getting your information. A cable company has as much right to utility easements as all other utilities. They had to get permission from the landowners for what? If they were granted joint use on the poles by whoever own the poles you can't tell them they can't. You made them bury it? My guess is it was done to appease you, not because they had to. Sounds to me like someone was trying to get an upset customer off their back.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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32.3K Messages
14 days ago
Whatever a cable company (Spectrum) did to appease you does not mean you 'know for a fact" what AT&T will or will not be allowed to do, that is just your assumption. POTS going away does not remove AT&T from being a utility. They will still have a digital version of a landline service among everything else they offer.
As for how the end of POTS will actually affect everything, that is yet to be seen. It is becoming a heavy discussion. Only time will tell what the actual facts will be.
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