Section 44: Notice of hearing on petition for location; rules and regulations
Section 44. Subject to the provisions of section forty-three, the commission, upon petition of a duly authorized official or representative of a street railway, electric railroad, gas or electric company for such location, shall give notice to all parties interested of the time and place at which the commission will give a hearing upon such petition, at least fourteen days before the hearing, by publication in one or more newspapers published in each town where the location petitioned for would lie, and if none such is published, then by publication in one or more newspapers published in each county where the location petitioned for would lie; and after hearing, if in the opinion of the commission public convenience and necessity so require, it may grant such location, or any part thereof, upon such terms, conditions and obligations, and for such compensation, as the public interest and a due regard for the rights of the commonwealth may require. Any such location shall be void unless written acceptance by a duly authorized official or representative of the company is filed with the commission within sixty days after such company receives notice of the granting of the same. No order of the department of public utilities or the department of telecommunications and cable or of the commission shall be required for, but the commission may make rules and regulations governing, the renewing, repairing or replacing of poles, wires, cables or pipes for the transmission of electricity for light, heat or power or for the distribution of gas, once erected or constructed in accordance with law, or the making of house connections or connections between duly located pipes, conduits and distributing poles.