Net Neutrality Levels Pole Attachment Playing Field: INCOMPAS, CPUC

Broadband providers want to avoid net neutrality because it comes with more expansive federal oversight. But one trade group for Internet Service Providers and state officials told judges that it comes with at least one big benefit: backup from the government in negotiations with utility pole owners. The Federal Communications Commission is currently trying to keep alive its net neutrality rules, which would reclassify broadband as a telecom service subject to common carrier regulations. Broadband trade associations challenging the move in court convinced a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to put the rules on ice last month while the case played out. In the 26 states without their own laws on the issue, the FCC oversees terms of pole attachment deals between telecom providers and utility companies. The agency can mandate reasonable access conditions and set ground rules around the hot-button issue of which party pays for replacement poles. Commissioners even set up a dedicated team this summer to resolve pole-related disputes and keep projects moving.