Canton Fights AT&T’s Plan to Shift Utility Relocation Costs to Taxpayers

Canton: The city is pushing back against AT&T’s proposal that could make taxpayers foot the bill for moving utility lines.

Recently, the Canton City Council backed a challenge from the Ohio Municipal League against AT&T’s tariff application. This application, filed with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, suggests that cities might have to cover the costs of relocating AT&T’s facilities in public areas.

Right now, Ohio law says that utility companies like AT&T should pay for moving their lines if it’s for government projects. But a ruling from the Ohio Supreme Court allows these companies to pass those costs onto cities if it’s in their approved tariff.

The Ohio Municipal League is leading the charge to fight this change for all Ohio cities. AT&T’s spokesperson, Phil Hayes, mentioned that the filing is meant to address requests for relocating and burying their facilities, mainly for beautification.

He added that this proposal is based on a long-standing practice, saying AT&T has had similar provisions since the early ’90s.

Canton’s council moved quickly to file their opposition, worried that if they didn’t act by January 17, AT&T’s proposal would automatically go through the next day.

While the financial impact on Canton is still unclear, officials are concerned that taxpayers, even those who don’t use AT&T, might end up paying for these relocations.

Canton’s legislation doesn’t authorize any spending yet; it just positions the city to join the challenge. If it comes to needing financial support, that would have to be voted on later.

Other cities in Ohio, like Cleveland and Xenia, are also considering similar actions to support this challenge against AT&T’s proposal.