Just to add, a lot of the midwestern USA is very swampy.

Makes them a lot easier to get to. Buried infrastructure is fantastic until it breaks. Then it really sucks ass.

A lineman can fix anything on a pole within a few hours. Probably before lunch if they start first thing in the AM. Fixing a buried line can take days or worse depending on what's above it.

cost, it’s way more expensive to dig. more red tape.