Utility Companies and Pole Attachers Debate Responsibility for Pole Replacement Costs

The controversy is about the rates that internet companies seeking to put fiber on utility poles need to pay.

Utility Companies and Pole Attachers Debate Responsibility for Pole Replacement Costs
Graphic courtesy of Buravleva_Stock / Adobe Stock

Over the course of 2022, the heat has risen in the debate surrounding pole replacement costs. The issue is all the more salient with the need to attach new fiber installations as part of the large amount of federal funding for broadband.

The specific controversy centers around the rates that broadband companies seeking to put fiber on utility poles need to pay the owners of the poles, often utilities. Internet companies claim that utility companies place an undue financial burden on attachers.

The 12 Days of Broadband 2022 (click to open)

For the 27 states that have no law governing pole attachments, the Federal Communications Commission is responsible for policing the controversy. The other 23 states and the District of Columbia have undertaken the “reverse preemption” process, certifying to the FCC that they regulate pole attachments and are therefore exempt from FCC rules on the process. In June, Florida became the 24th jurisdiction to certify.

Popular Tags