Utilities Technology Council Cautions FCC Against Timelines for Large Pole Orders

The Utilities Technology Council asked the FCC not to adopt timelines for larger pole orders in its pending proceeding on pole replacement and attachment applications. Doing so "will not promote broadband deployment as a practical matter and will likely delay deployment," UTC said in an ex parte filing Monday in docket 17-84. It recommended to Wireline Bureau staff (see 2408120038) that the FCC give utilities the "flexibility" to process larger orders "in a manner that makes efficient use of the limited resources that are available." Utilities can't "solve the shortage of qualified workers alone," the group said, and "different utilities may require different contractor qualifications." The group backed requiring attachers to give pole owners at least 60 days advance notice of any major deployments to ensure "more efficient processing of larger orders."