Frontier Communications has filed a lawsuit to prevent a section of a bill that the company claims conflicts with federal law and increases the chances of outages for customers.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the company filed a lawsuit against Article 4 of House Bill 3093, known as the broadband bill, in U.S. District Court.
The lawsuit says Article 4 allows a third party to alter a telecommunication pole with the owner’s approval, but doesn’t require notice or permission from other pole users. Frontier says a “significant portion” of its network consists of pole attachments and argues the article is a theft of Frontier’s property.
The lawsuit names several defendants that include Gov. Jim Justice and three commissioners with the West Virginia Public Service Commission. Justice spokesman Grant Herring didn’t respond to a request for comment.