Utility and Broadband Interests Continue Lobbying Over Pole Attachments
A 60-day FCC advanced notice requirement for attached midsize orders could slow, rather than speed up, broadband deployments, according to Altice USA. Cable company representatives told the agency that while requiring advanced notice makes sense for larger orders, attachers generally have little advanced notice themselves about midsize orders. Requiring them to provide advanced notice to utilities will delay deployment, Altice told FCC commissioners' offices, said a docket 17-84 filing posted Thursday. The requirement is part of the pole attachment item on the agenda for the commissioners' July 24 open meeting. Altice called the proposed consequences for attachers not providing the 60-day advanced notice for large orders "overly severe." The cable ISP said utilities missing survey and make-ready timelines should be required to refund attachers any prepaid, uncompleted survey or make-ready work.
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The pole attachment proceeding has seen considerable lobbying by utility and attacher interests seeking changes (see 2507160024). Utilities, meeting with Commissioner Olivia Trusty, advocated adopting a timeline for approval of third-party contractors that would apply only to requests for the addition of contractors to perform self-help surveys, estimates and make-ready work in the communications space on the pole. The utilities interests -- Utilities Technology Council, Xcel Energy and Dominion Energy -- questioned the proposed requirement that utilities notify a new attacher within 15 days after completion of the survey if they cannot meet the make-ready timelines. The UTC-led group urged that the 15-day notice requirement apply after payment of the estimate is received by the utility, rather than after completion of the survey.
Utilities AEP, Southern Company, Duke Energy, Entergy, Oncor Electric and Ameren met with Commissioner Anna Gomez's office to discuss concerns about the proposed 30-day contractor approval process also applying to electrical contractors. The utilities group also criticized the FCC's proposed denial of an Edison Electric Institute petition on the commission's grandfathered pole ruling. The utilities said the grandfathered pole ruling would mean slower and fewer make-ready pole change-outs.