GoNetspeed Tells Us How Pole Attachment Changes Could Streamline $250M Fiber Investment

GoNetspeed hopes that a change in Massachusetts pole attachment rules will enable the company to complete its planned $250 million fiber build in the state more quickly. As Jamie Hoare, GoNetspeed's Chief Legal Counsel, explained, Massachusetts is one of multiple states where communications network operators are not bound by Federal Communications Commission One-Touch-Make-Ready rules. Instead, the state sets its own pole attachment rules. The FCC rules, adopted in 2018, streamline the process for network operators to connect to other companies’ utility poles. Some other New England states are also responsible for their pole attachment processes and certification, but Massachusetts is unique among them in that it hasn’t adopted a One-Touch-Make-Ready approach. The proposed One-Touch-Make-Ready rules are specified in bills H.3546 and S.2285, which were recently introduced in the Massachusetts legislature. The rules would enable communications network operators to use contractors approved by utility pole owners, provided that the changes involve only the “communications space” on the pole. GoNetspeed has been advocating for the adoption of the legislation for some time, and Hoare is encouraged by the support that the bills have received from Governor Maura Healey’s administration.