From the ritzy areas of Lafayette to the poorest areas of Lafayette, if you condition yourself to look for them, you'll see hundreds of phone company electrical boxes that are in substandard condition. How on Earth could these boxes carry a phone signal at all? And if they are abandoned, why have they become eyesores of electrical litter scattered throughout our communities?

Phone lines that are not run in the air on poles end up underground. For every block or so, the phone company will install junction boxes like the ones seen here.

These boxes are usually green, square (but can be round) and most are about 3 feet high but can be as short as 2 feet in some cases.

These junction boxes allow the phone companies to connect the phone(s) in nearby homes and businesses to wires that carry the phone signal to a "landline" phone. You'll see them along roads and highways and every three to four houses within neighborhoods.

In Lafayette alone, hundreds of these boxes are in deplorable condition. Either no longer used or barely doing the job. In some areas of the city, 2 out of 10 looks like lonely roadside electrical litter.

Phone Company Junction Box Kaliste Saloom Rd. at Martial St.

Phone Company Junction Box Louisiana Ave. at E Simcoe St.

Phone Company Junction Box Moss St. at Matthieu St.

Phone Company Junction Box Ridge Rd. at Rue du Belier

Why are phone companies not held accountable for the condition and overall "look" of their equipment that is scattered throughout Lafayette and every other community in the Acadiana area?

Here are the Customer Service numbers for the Top 3 landline phone companies in Lafayette:

Cox: (800) 234-3993

Suddenlink: (877) 794-2724

AT&T: (800) 288-2020