> I wonder who owns the pole. Most utility poles are owned by the incumbent utility, not by the government.
Who owns the utility?
In Canada, for example, it's common for the utility companies responsible for electricity transmission and/or distribution to be owned by provincial or municipal governments.
Aren't there some pretty significant electric utilities in the US that are municipally or state owned? The ones that come to my mind are in LA, Seattle, and Nebraska, if I'm not mistaken.
At least in Canada, even when a "private" company is involved, there can be significant government ownership. Hydro One in Ontario is publicly-traded, yet the Ontario Government holds nearly a majority of the shares, for example.
That's right--in the U.S., some utilities are "investor-owned." Others are cooperatives (owned by customers) and still others are owned by various local governments.
I propose that even if the government (indirectly) owns the utility pole, using them for espionage by a different government agency is still an infringement of rights.
The government also owns schools, libraries, and hospitals, yet (I would hope) we don't want that to mean the police can get your school transcripts, library or medical records, or compel hospital staff to restrain you until the police arrive, without a warrant.
In sum, the government owns far too much to be allowed to use all they own for whatever purpose they please.
Who owns the utility?
In Canada, for example, it's common for the utility companies responsible for electricity transmission and/or distribution to be owned by provincial or municipal governments.