Verizon, AT&T say current pole attachment rules are just fine, thank you very much

Telecommunications companies have surprisingly strong opinions about pole attachments. Several groups filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission advocating for a more streamlined process related to pole attachments. But AT&T and Verizon, to the contrary, filed comments indicating they don’t want any changes. The FCC is interested in clarifying the process and costs for those seeking to attach telecommunications equipment to utility poles. It issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in March and has since been seeking stakeholder comments. Yesterday, INCOMPAS, an association that represents fiber builders, filed comments that were reflective of the views of many companies. “While it may sound like an under-the-radar issue, pole attachment policy may ultimately determine the speed, success or failure of the nation’s historic bipartisan broadband infrastructure investment,” said Chip Pickering, CEO of INCOMPAS. It said red-tape, costs and other barriers from utility pole owners “fundamentally restrict providers from reaching the most hard-to-reach, most unserved customers by frustrating an already challenging economic model in such areas.” But Verizon and AT&T have completely different opinions about the issue. Verizon’s filing yesterday said the current pole attachment rules correctly allocate costs and provide the clarity and predictability needed to reduce disputes and promote deployment.