
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Eight months ago, Donald Bishop began his search to find the rightful owner of a wire sitting on his property. "No one wants to take charge and say I own it," says Bishop.
The building is a rental property, and Bishop says he was told the wire would only be there for a short time.
"The wire was supposed to be temporarily over my building because the FCC says you can't run it over private property." he said.
Well as On Your Side's Ken Amaro found out, it is not entirely private property. City officials say the wire is a public easement, the building is also in the same public easement.
Decades ago, construction was done on the property line, and the wire was put in. To make it easier on the homeowner at that time, the wire was granfathered in, and it met the city's zoning code.
"I want it removed so I can put security lights on the building. I don't want the lights to melt the wire," says Bishop.
Bishop called the city and was told it is not the city's wire, and they advised him to call AT&T.
So Bishop called AT&T, and they told him the wire was not put there by them, and advised him to call the city. That's when Bishop said he called On Your Side.
The wire belongs to Verizon (formerly Alltell), and Windstream has been contacted to maintain it.
A Windstream engineer has been in contact with Bishop, and he is now satisfied with the outcome. Bishop says the engineer will move the pole so the wire will be away from the building.
It ends the debate over who owns the fiber optic cable over his building.
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Created: 8/10/2009 7:02:08 PM 



