Why do you pay for the telephone pole to hookup to electric?

WHO pays for the installation of power and telephone lines to a property that is in a rural area (far from existing utility services) has long been an area of disputes and complaints.

Most utility companies in the USA are regulated and the amounts they charge and the items they can charge for are listed in contracts called TARIFFS. It is the fine print in the tariffs that regulates when and how much they can charge for certain services.

Tariffs may differ between residential and commercial accounts. In some instances the utility comapny will bring service a fixed distance from their existing facilities and the customer has to pay for the rest.

In some areas the customer has to pay for the whole thing.