said by ssherwood:said by nitzguy:Ultimately, its up to the homeowner in question who owns the tree, if the tree is on public property, then it'd be up to the city...otherwise, here is what will happen...
In theory if the tree "snaps" these wires, bell will simply come back out and restring it. Its not negligence on their part, its negligence on whoever owns the tree's part...so I think you're trying to point the finger at bell when infact you need to point the finger at the homeowner who has decided that maintenance of his /her property isn't important....
You are right - the homeowner should be the one responsible for maintaining the tree in this case as it is in their back yard, and thus not a city tree.
Still, I would hope for a more proactive response from Bell, but I guess they have their reasons. Someone, somewhere in Bell probably calculated it costs them less to fix broken lines than trim branches before the damage occurs.
The whole conversation about if Bell has the right to do it though is separate, and in my view they absolutely do have that right if they choose to leverage it.
Clearly though Bell has decided to cede responsibility to the home owner. Sucks for the rest of us though to have to rely on the whim of whoever lives down the block from you for reliable services...
Well, that'd be convenient for the homeowner, ceede their responsibility to Bell/Cable co to take care of their property?
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