In the 1986 case Federal Communications Commission et al. v. Florida Power Corp. et al., the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and against Florida Power Corporation, which had challenged FCC's authority to regulate pole attachments by cable television systems under The Pole Attachments Act of 1978. This act gave FCC power to ensure that rates charged by utilities for pole attachments were just and reasonable, but it did not specify whether this included regulating charges for non-cable services such as data transmission or telephone service provided over cable facilities attached to utility poles. The court held that Congress intended a broad interpretation of "pole attachment" when it enacted the law, thus giving FCC jurisdiction over all types of attachments including those used for telecommunications services.

In the dissenting opinion for FCC v. Florida Power Corp., it was argued that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should not have jurisdiction over cable television pole attachment rates, as this falls outside of their statutory authority. The dissenters believed that Congress did not intend to give the FCC such broad powers when they enacted the Pole Attachments Act and that this interpretation is a significant expansion of federal power into an area traditionally regulated by states. They also disagreed with how majority interpreted "just and reasonable" rates in setting maximum allowable rates for pole attachments, arguing it unfairly favors cable operators at expense of utility companies who own these poles. Furthermore, they expressed concern about potential negative impacts on consumers due to increased costs being passed down from utilities to them.