Time Warner Cable: We have a problem
Updating a post made last week based on information left in a comment.
I’m not sure how it being next to a church makes it more or less deplorable than if it were next to a home or business, but, in any event, your beef appears as if should be with Time Warner/Adelphia. The only thing attached to that old partial pole is the cable televison equipment. It appears as if National Grid/NiMo installed a new utility pole (Verizon and Time Warner “rent” space on National Grid’s poles.) All electric service and telephone service appears to have been transferred to the new pole. Cable service has not been. I suspect National Grid notified Time Warner (or Adelphia) and has been waiting for them to come out and attach to the new pole. When that is done, the old pole segment can be removed.
Returning to the pole today, I took a better picture from a different angle.
CK
johnk,
I didn’t think my comment about the utility pole would lead to a new post. Though it might be too late to point this out, I may have been a little hasty. As I said in my earlier comment, the electric utility owns the poles. In many cases, the electric utility does not allow the other entities who are attached to the pole do their own maintenance on equipment directly mounted on the poles (for safety reasons). In such cases, the electric company, in this case National Grid, would coordinate with cable company (or the telephone company) but directly perform the work itself and then bill the other utility for the work performed. I don’t live in New York state so I’m not sure how it works in Buffalo. So this may be National Grid’s responsibility after all, at least in part. It’s total speculation on my part, but it’s possible that Adelphia’s bankruptcy may somehow tie into this situation, i.e., it’s possible that Adelphia was in arrears for previous work performed by National Grid. A call to either of them would answer the question, if, and it’s a big if, you could get to the correct person. The NYS Public Service Commission would regulate any safety issues with respect to the poles, but the Federal Communications Commission regulates the pole attachment fees charged to other utilities. I’m not sure anybody has any regulatory authority over the appearance.
In any event, the pole’s appearance is considerably more of a mess from the sidewalk perspective than it is from the street perspective.
Comment by res — June 29, 2007 @ 11:04 am
Res, it was/is your vast knowledge of utility poles which led to a new post.
When I took the pictures last week, it was because of the way the pole looked. Yes, it’s next to a church but on a residential side street as well. From the picture taken today, if it’s all TW equipment on the old pole (my personal opinion, not that of Southbuffaloblogger) then TW should get the brunt of the problem because they were more than likely told at some point about the new pole being installed. Mind you, this pole has been like this for quite some time now. At the end of it all though, we would just like to see it fixed no matter who neglected it.
Comment by Cindy K — June 29, 2007 @ 11:49 am
Cindy K
Actually, since I posted the last message, a client of mine who happens to work in the cable industry called me on another issue. I asked him what the usual arrangement was between the electric utility and the cable operator with regard to maintenance of cable equipment on utility poles. He told me that the cable company is usually the one to do the work, so that would put the onus on TW.
BTW, when looking at a pole, the cable television system is almost always on the bottom, followed as you go up by telephone, with the electric system at the top. If their are multiple voltage electric lines running on the same pole, the higher voltages will be on top.
Oh, I could go on boring you all day with this stuff, but I promise, I will not. I hope you get the pole fixed — it is one mess to look at.
Comment by res — June 29, 2007 @ 1:18 pm
Res, I actually find it interesting. I always looked at it as utility pole. Many people would have thought the same thing. I never would have thought TW would be involved. So thanks for taking the time to comment
One thing I have found is that by having a blog (or participating on one) results, especially those with pictures, tend to speed up the “fix it” problem. I have taken so many pictures of our (local) infrastructure lately, my husband asked if I was running for Streets Commissioner… I laughed because if it was “work” I’d hate it. 
Comment by Cindy K — June 29, 2007 @ 7:23 pm