Sections 1.1411, 1.1412, 1.1415 and 1.1416 and Pole Attachment Access Requirements and Dispute Resolution Requirements

The Commission adopted a comprehensive regulatory scheme to ensure just and reasonable rates, terms, and conditions of access to utility infrastructure (usually called “poles or “pole attachments”), with a robust dispute resolution process when the parties are not able to agree on terms. The new Order revised 47 CFR § 1.1411 to (1) require communications attachers to provide advance written notice to utilities of larger pole attachment orders that are likely associated with new broadband deployment projects and impose a meet-and-confer requirement following the notice for a subset of those orders; (2) establish a new timeline for processing large pole attachment requests; and (3) improve the pole attachment timelines by requiring utilities and existing attachers to promptly notify new attachers if they cannot meet survey and make-ready deadlines, allowing new attachers to use self-help for estimates, and prohibiting utility-imposed limits on application size and frequency that have the effect of restricting the number of pole attachments that attachers may seek in a given timeframe. The Order also revised 47 CFR § 1.1412 to expedite the contractor approval process by requiring utilities to respond to a request to add contractors to a utility-approved list within 30 days of receiving the request

The latest form for Sections 1.1411, 1.1412, 1.1415 and 1.1416 and Pole Attachment Access Requirements and Dispute Resolution Requirements expires 2029-04-30 and can be found here.