There's a broken power pole across the street from us, that is just dangling from the wire. We reported it by calling the phone number on it to Pioneer, who the aluminum placard on it says the pole belongs to. Pioneer came out, left the pole dangling and removed their tags.

Pioneer said the pole no longer belongs to them, since they ran new lines a couple of years ago. They said it now belongs to Frontier, who ran new lines last year, who also claims to not own the pole.

I don't want a dangling telephone pole, hanging from a wire, across the street from my house, who should I contact to get it fixed? Can power and internet companies just actually abandon their property like this?

Keith

contact the local news

Have the local news do a story on it.

It’s pretty cold they just come out to pull their label off of the pole then leave that should make a great story.

I wish I took a picture before Pioneer pulled their ownership tags off of the pole.





Pioneer just called Diane from the follow up. They said that even though it was not their pole anymore, they would remove it. They told Diane to call them back if the person they passed it on to doesn't take it down in the next 2 weeks.

I think it was ridiculous for Pioneer to dispatch someone out just to pull their ownership markings from the pole.

Keith

They might think that you did take a pic of it so I would not admit that you did not freely let them think that. I’d guess that’s the reason for the CYA.

wrap a chain around it and pull the wire down or bust it. they will be out to fix it in a hour or two

I would say that is telephone or cable TV. The power is running up above. At one time power may have been run on that pole. Look and see what the box at the base of the pole says.

Drive by the mate to your broken pole every week Keith!

Been that way for almost a year now. Next time past I'll snap a pic.

Diane saw the guy from Pioneer in the process of taking the tags off and talked to him. I wonder if somebody screwed up by not taking the ownership and contact tags off?

It irritates me that they sent a truck with the boom on it and bucket to safely take the pole down and then just took the tags off and left it.

Keith

If communication company attached their wire or apparatus to a power companies' pole. Then the communication has to sign an agreement with power to attach. The communication usually has to pay for attaching anything to a power company.

At the time power company abandoned that pole and communication company is still attached it becomes phone companies' property. I would bet money if power company has done what is supposed to be done in that scenario, they don't have any responsibility for that pole.

I delt with those arrangement and did many contracts with the same scenario you just described.

Paperwork contracts, and documents needed to be done on both ends.

That pole is definitely a bell or Cable owned pole

Two weeks to change out that pole! I think that guy just told you that, because he’s leaving in one week!!

Yup, the pole used to be a power pole with a messenger attachment. Power company rebuilt their lines (moved higher) and cut the top of the pole off. Remaining cable looks to be tetephone. Telephone companies are getting to be a thing of the past with cell phones and wireless internet taking over.

It is telephone. Looks like it's in the middle of a span so pole may need to be replaced. Not as simple as just taking the old pole out.

I can see why the other two companies didn't want to take it out. They were electric power companies and are not obligated to provide support (pole) for other utilities. Commonly other utilities, (cable tv, phone) pay a small yearly sum to use electric power utility poles.

if it is a hazard to public safety the Sherriff or Police depending on jurisdiction

if it is not a hazard then wait for the line to snap and they should be out to fix it

maybe call the Sherriff either way , nothing like a call from the sheriff to light a fire under someone cause he can say fun things like , ok you have 24 hours to have it fixed or I will have the fire department cut all the wires holding it back at the next pole in either direction as to remove the threat to public safety. that you can't say.

it would also be sort of fun to call frontier and say

" I just want to be clear you do not own the pole or anything attached to it ?"

if they say no we do not own it , then say " ok just wanted to make sure before I get out there with my chain saw I spoke to the farmer whos ground it is on and he said sure get that abandoned property off my land so I can plant 6 more rows or corn before the ditch.

he said I could have all the copper for my trouble "

see how fast they change their minds

You called it, telephone pole. They pay the utility to rent it …..joint use pole. Power lines get refurbished and now it’s the comms company. Linemen hate it when the news say “power is out because a car hit a telephone pole”…..lol

Looks like a telephone pole to me. Just my worthless 2 cents.

looks like it was very likely a shared pole in the past , the power company put in new poles and "gave" the old ones to the phone company maybe without even telling them, or maybe they told everyone and they all left without mentioning it to the next set of turn over

Frontier is notorious for lack of maintenance and when they finally do using the cheapest sub contractor possible , had a sub contractor for frontier here a couple weeks back , he was out checking out poles that needed serious tree trimming a decade ago.
he got the police called on him a few times , he was in an unmarked truck with TX plates and had no identification either in uniform or on his truck so a guy walking around yards taking pictures on his phone upset a few people.
when Frontier bough our area the old GTE/Verizon tech told me you are the furthest from the office where we are dispatched from , Frontiers plan is milk it for as long as we can keep things working on what is here , there is no plan to run any new lines or do any maintenance , just let it die and keep collecting your bill as long as they can. no money in rural telephone that is why Verizon sold it.