Every company owning or operating a CATV plant in this state is hereby declared to be a communications carrier and, as such, subject to the jurisdiction of and to reasonable rules and regulations as the division may prescribe with reference to the erection and maintenance of distribution facilities and equipment in, under, above, along, across, and upon public highways, bridges, and public places in order to safeguard the safety of the customers and of the public and to preserve the environment and scenic assets of the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-19-2