Well, pole rights in San Francisco are run through AT&T and the permitting process (while it's supposed to be 30 days) can take up to 180 days to complete. The

Well, pole rights in San Francisco are run through AT&T and the permitting process (while it's supposed to be 30 days) can take up to 180 days to complete. There are still access rights required for poles because they're considered part of the secure national communications infrastructure. You'd be surprised at how expensive it can be to lay fiber if the government doesn't want you to do it. I hope that helps :). AT&T cried foul in KC because Google got a lot of government benefits including space, leasing and access easements. Frankly, they're right, but no one cares because AT&T is evil. The moral of the story? Don't be evil[0]. [0]with as much sarcasm as I can possibly convey.