West Virginia Orders Utilities to Pay for Pole Replacements

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2025 – West Virginia regulators ordered regulated utilities to pay to replace deteriorated poles, and said slow utility action was stalling broadband projects.

The state’s Public Service Commission on Thursday ordered that regulated pole owners, not broadband providers, must pay to replace “red tagged” poles that are too old, unsafe, or damaged for new attachments. The decision followed growing frustration over slow utility coordination that officials said was holding back broadband construction statewide.

“We are concerned that continuing delays are jeopardizing the availability of federal funding for broadband expansion,” the state Commission said. “This is unacceptable. We expect attachment requests to proceed without delay.”