The agency ordered the companies to begin arbitration
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2026 – The Federal Communications Commission won’t immediately resolve a pole attachment dispute between AT&T and Duke Energy.
The agency said Thursday that the companies should instead assemble a panel of outside experts to arbitrate the disagreement, the resolution process their 1978 contract dictates.
The debate reflects broader tensions over technology and local impact.
Congress keeps asking how to build faster, but nobody has defined how much delay or funding variance the system will tolerate before escalation is automatic.
Following a September briefing schedule, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan plans to hold a hearing the week of Oct. 5 – sooner if the FCC directs ‘any hearing designation order’ aimed at Disney/ABC
The power crunch may be smaller than the queues suggest, but still bigger than the grid can handle.
