All telegraph poles and the wires attached thereto, not the property of the United States or the District of Columbia, upon the streets, avenues and alleys on March 3, 1905 within the fire limits of the District of Columbia, except as hereinafter provided, shall from time to time, as may be prescribed by the Mayor of said District, be taken down and removed. The work of taking down and removing said poles and wires shall be done under the direction of said Mayor, and it is hereby made the duty of said Mayor to enforce compliance with the provisions of this subchapter as expeditiously as may be consistent with the public interests; and the said Mayor is hereby empowered, from time to time, to authorize any company or corporation on March 3, 1905, or thereafter operating and maintaining a telegraph plant or system in the District of Columbia to locate and construct a system of underground conduits, subsidiaries, and manholes in or under any or all of the streets, avenues, alleys, lanes, or other public highways in said District, as may be requisite and necessary for the purpose of this subchapter and for the reception of such other conduits, cables, and wires as may be reasonably required in the future by the growth of such company or corporation or its assigns, or to adequately meet the requirements of the public for telegraph service.

From time to time, any company or corporation, or its assigns, on March 3, 1905, or thereafter maintaining and operating a telegraph plant or system in said District, shall prepare and submit to the said Mayor a plan or plans or application or applications, in writing, showing the streets, avenues, alleys, lanes, and other public highways in or under which it is proposed to construct conduits, subsidiaries, or manholes, and giving the general dimensions, length, and course thereof; and before any such conduit, subsidiary, or manhole is constructed it shall be necessary to obtain the approval and permission of said Mayor. Said Mayor is empowered to require that all proposed conduits, subsidiaries, and manholes shall be constructed in accordance with the approved plan or permit; and upon the approval by said Mayor of any such plan, or the issuing of any such permit, providing for the construction of underground conduits, subsidiaries, or manholes within the said limits described in § 34-1921.01, or in such part thereof as said Mayor shall require and direct, the construction therein provided for shall be proceeded with diligently, and upon the completion thereof, or as soon thereafter as may be without impairing the efficiency of the telegraph service in said District, the company or corporation constructing such conduits, subsidiaries, or manholes shall place its cables and wires therein and take down and remove from the streets and avenues in which such conduits are constructed all poles and the wires thereon, except such as said Mayor may, in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter, permit to remain for the purpose of distributing wires for house or other connections.

Any company or corporation now or hereafter owning and maintaining such poles and wires attached thereto on or over any street or avenue within the said limits described in § 34-1921.01, which shall willfully neglect or refuse to remove the same, as provided in § 34-1921.01, shall be liable to a penalty of not more than $25 for each and every day during which such failure to remove said poles and wires shall continue, which amount may be recovered by the District of Columbia in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Said Mayor is empowered to authorize the erection and maintenance of poles in the alleys of said District, and the stringing thereon of wires or conductors for telegraph purposes from alley poles or housetop fixtures in one square to alley poles or housetop fixtures in another square for the purpose of enabling house connections to be made, and to authorize the erection of poles and the stringing thereon of wires on and upon the streets and avenues of said District in the parts thereof in which there are no public alleys and in such places as the public interest do not require that the lines be placed underground, or in places where it shall be deemed by said Mayor impracticable to advantageously place or operate such lines underground. During the progress of the work provided for in § 34-1921.01 said Mayor is also empowered to issue temporary permits for the erection and maintenance of poles and overhead conductors in places where the lines are ultimately to be placed underground, where the work cannot be immediately done because of the greater urgency of work in other localities, or for other reasons satisfactory to said Mayor; but in issuing such temporary permits said Mayor shall bear in mind the purpose and policy of this subchapter, which is to cause to be removed from the streets and avenues within the said limits described in § 34-1921.01 all poles and wires attached thereto, except as hereinbefore provided, as expeditiously as may be without interfering with or impairing the efficiency of the telegraph service in said District and without denying to the public reasonable telegraph facilities.

Any officer of the United States government charged with the care, maintenance, and supervision of any public park or reservation may grant permission to any company or corporation maintaining and operating a telegraph plant or system in said District on March 3, 1905, or thereafter, upon application being made therefor, to construct conduits, subsidiaries, or manholes in said park or reservation, under such reasonable regulations as said officer may prescribe, unless, in the judgment of said officer, said construction will result in injury to the United States or its properties.

All subways, conduits, manholes, and overhead lines constructed or erected under the provisions of this subchapter shall be subject to such reasonable regulations as the Council of the District of Columbia may from time to time prescribe as to inspection, location, character of conduit construction, and height of poles and wires; provided, that in all conduits so constructed, such space shall be furnished to the District government and the United States as may be necessary for purposes related exclusively to the government and public safety, free of charge; provided further, that the number of ducts so reserved in any one conduit shall not be more than 2.

The said Mayor is empowered to authorize any such company or corporation owning and operating lines of street poles and wires on March 3, 1905, or thereafter and any alley poles or alley-pole line or housetop wires within the said District and outside of the limits described in § 34-1921.01 to continue to maintain the same, with such repairs and renewals as may be necessary to keep them in good order and condition of repair, and to add thereto such poles and wires as may be necessary for their telegraphic purposes.

Congress reserves the right to alter, amend, or repeal this subchapter, but nothing herein shall abridge or lessen the rights granted telegraph companies under Title 65, § 5263 and the following, United States Revised Statutes of the Code of the Laws of the United States of America.

If at any time the District of Columbia or the national government shall acquire, by purchase, condemnation proceedings, or otherwise, the property of any telegraph company in the District of Columbia, nothing shall then be paid for the rights accorded under §§ 34-1921.01 to 34-1921.07, inclusive, to build and lay such conduits.