National Cable & Telecommunications Assn., Inc. v. Gulf Power Co., 534 U.S. 327, 16 (2002)

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342

NATIONAL CABLE & TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSN., INC. v. GULF POWER CO.

Appendix to opinion of the Court

The FCC did not purport either to enunciate or to disclaim a specific limiting principle, presumably because, in its view, the attachments at issue here did not test the margins of the Act. The term "any attachment by a cable television system" covers at least those attachments which do in fact provide cable television service, and "any attachment by a . . . provider of telecommunications service" covers at least those which in fact provide telecommunications. Attachments of other sorts may be examined by the agency in the first instance.

The attachments at issue in this suit—ones which provide commingled cable and Internet service and ones which provide wireless telecommunications—fall within the heartland of the Act. The agency's decision, therefore, to assert jurisdiction over these attachments is reasonable and entitled to our deference. The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is reversed, and the cases are remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

It is so ordered.

Justice O'Connor took no part in the consideration or decision of these cases.

APPENDIX TO OPINION OF THE COURT

47 U. S. C. § 224. Pole attachments

(a) Definitions

As used in this section: (1) The term "utility" means any person who is a local exchange carrier or an electric, gas, water, steam, or other public utility, and who owns or controls poles, ducts, conduits, or rights-of-way used, in whole or in part, for any wire communications. Such term does not include any railroad, any person who is cooperatively organized, or any person owned by the Federal Government or any State.

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