Appeals Court Sides With Fiber Provider in Railroad Crossing Dispute

Seventh Circuit says railroads can’t charge fiber providers for access without the property rights to do so

Appeals Court Sides With Fiber Provider in Railroad Crossing Dispute
Photo of Doris Pryor, then a U.S. magistrate judge for the Southern District of Indiana, before her appointment to the Seventh Circuit, by Diego Radzinschi/ALM.

WASHINGTON, August 12, 2026 – A federal appeals court has sided with a fiber provider in a dispute over whether a railroad can control, and charge for, access beneath its tracks.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled Friday that CSX Transportation could not use its Indiana railroad easements to block Zayo Group from running fiber optic cable beneath its corridor.

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