When did it become the norm to bury power/telecommunication lines in the United States? If it was an official change in policy (like the standard for highways due to President Eisenhower) who or what organization is responsible for its implementation?

by scooter_reddit

I know that most countries still use overhead lines, and it is clearly an aesthetic nightmare as well as a potential risk in comparison to burying them. It seems as if there was a time in US history in which there were many overhead lines (like is seen elsewhere in the world) and suddenly they disappeared except for very urban or crowded areas that aren't worth/capable of being buried. It reminds me of how America clearly jumped from "rural state-built roads everywhere" to "interstate highway transportation" over the span of a couple of decades.

Did America collectively decide that overhead lines weren't worth looking at or having, so everyone just stopped placing them wherever it was possible? Or was there some authority (whether a president or an organization) that created a new standard that states had to stick to?

QuickSpore

I'd actually question your basic premise. According to this Washington Post article 82% of local lines are overhead as are 99.5% of distance transmission.

There really hasn't been a movement to remove overhead lines, and most places in the US still have them.