Broadband Breakfast on February 11, 2026 - Pole Attachments and Rights-of-Way
How can policymakers expedite pole attachments for BEAD deployments while addressing utility concerns about costs, safety, and liability?
Pole attachments and right-of-way access remain among the most contentious bottlenecks in America's fiber deployment push, with attachment fees, make-ready delays, and municipal permitting processes adding months—sometimes years—to broadband buildout timelines. As states accelerate BEAD program implementation, disputes between competitive carriers and incumbent utilities over pole access rates and “one touch make ready” policies have intensified. Local governments are grappling with public safety and revenue generation against closing the connectivity gap, and utilities argue that attachment rates must reflect the true costs of infrastructure maintenance and liability.
Panelists
- Panelists have been invited.
- Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Breakfast Media LLC CEO Drew Clark has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing tool to collect and verify broadband data left unpublished by the Federal Communications Commission. As CEO and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media community advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative.
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Member discussion