Conn. Commissioners to Consider Conduit Procedures Feb. 8

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) plans to vote Feb. 8 on a draft decision about broadband conduit excavation procedures, PURA said Tuesday. The agency seeks written exceptions by Jan. 24, it said. The proposal in docket 21-12-21 would establish an application and approval process for conduit excavations in highways, streets or other public rights of way by telecom and broadband providers. That would include “establishing a notification process to minimize excavation at the same location in the future,” which will help providers “identify potential demand and conduct excavation and install conduit to minimize future disruptions and encourage the deployment of broadband throughout the state,” said the draft. Proposed application requirements would set up a competitively neutral and nondiscriminatory process, it said. PURA would set a five-year moratorium on underground excavations on certain Connecticut Department of Transportation construction and maintenance projects “to ensure the viability of new construction.”