Connecticut PUC: AT&T Needs City OKs For Boxes

AT&T will have to get permission from Connecticut municipalities before installing its refrigerator-size video equipment on utility poles and other properties, according to a draft decision from the state's Department of Public Utility Control. The DPUC said it expects to issue a final decision Sept. 29. The agency reviewed the issue after the cities of Bridgeport, Danbury and Stamford filed petitions to investigate the safety and placement of AT&T's 5-foot-high video-ready access devices (VRADs). The draft decision comes after the agency already ordered AT&T to retroactively obtain consent from property owners living near its U-verse equipment in Connecticut for the hardware placements. The boxes have caught fire in some locations because of defects in their backup batteries.