Guilford Transportation Industries v. Public Utilities Commission

Guilford Transportation (defendant) agreed to let Central Maine Power (CMP) (plaintiff) lay "appurtenances" - defined to include pipes, poles, and wires - across its land, with fees set by a voltage-based schedule; the agreement never defined "wire." When CMP sought to install fiber-optic cable, Guilford refused, arguing "wire" meant only metal strands capable of carrying electric current, which glass fiber-optic cable could not do, while CMP pointed to a separate provision referencing communication wires. CMP took the dispute to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which granted CMP summary judgment, and Guilford appealed.