Lack of Streamlined Utility Pole Access a Concern for Broadband Initiatives in New York

July 19, 2022 – Utility pole attachments are a major concern for policy makers of New York’s $1 billion broadband initiative, ConnectALL, said representatives from New York Power Authority at an industry summit late last month.

“We definitely saw [pole attachments] as one of the major risks for ConnectALL as we had to meet the stringent deadline,” said Ali Mohammed, senior director of digital innovation and transformation at the New York Power Authority, indicating that attachment applications are often lengthy.

Internet service providers will often choose to attach broadband infrastructure to existing utility poles over ground, which is often more economically feasible than putting cables underground. But across the country, lengthy permitting processes and lack of streamlined access to those poles by broadband providers have delayed expansion of services.

Mohammed said it is possible to streamline the application and building process by prioritizing the regions that the provider wants to cover. Many of the regions covered by the ConnectALL initiative are completely underserved, which means that there are few incumbents on the poles, allowing for a faster building process, he said.

The NYPA, which owns nearly 7,000 wood utility poles, is working with New York State Electric and Gas Corporation to identify the regions in New York that have little to no infrastructure on utility poles that would facilitate faster partnerships, said Mohammed.

The ConnectALL initiative, launched in May, marks the largest investment in New York’s digital infrastructure to date and aims to expand broadband access, affordability, and equity statewide. It is headed by NYPA, the largest state public power organization in the nation.

There is considerable debate regarding the responsibility of pole attachers to pay for replacing poles. In June, the Federal Communications Commission issued a proposed rulemaking on removing barriers to infrastructure investment, including addressing the tension between pole owners and attachers regarding replacement and repair costs of poles.

The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition submitted a comment to the FCC in June commending the commission’s efforts to address these issues. “Leveraging existing infrastructure such as utility poles can reduce the costs of deployment and help to solve this digital disparity,” read the comment.