According to a ruling by an adminstrative law judge, utility pole associations (privately and municipally owner) and telecom companies should be regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. The ruling concerns a dispute between Pacific Gas and Electric, which owns poles throughout northern California, and Crown Castle. PG&E offered to lease space to Crown Castle on its poles, as it’s required to do by the CPUC. Crown Castle said it would prefer to buy outright a foot’s worth of space on PG&E’s poles, so it can get about its business of building fiber networks without worrying about landlords. Crown Castle didn’t want to pay for and be responsible for the entire communications zone on PG&E poles, so Crown Castle and PH&E ended up in a stalemate. The ruling issued by ALJ Patricia Miles says that PG&E is meeting its obligations by offering to lease attachment space on poles and Crown Castle has no particular right to buy it by the foot.