Pa. PUC Chair Supports Reauthorizing One Call Law

An expected influx of broadband work is a key reason that lawmakers should reauthorize the state’s call-before-you-dig law, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chairman Stephen DeFrank said at a Pennsylvania House Consumer Protection Committee hearing streamed Tuesday. Set to expire this year, the Pennsylvania One Call law requires excavators to call 811 before digging to avoid striking underground infrastructure, including telecom lines. Passing HB-2189 would reauthorize the law until 2031, with some changes. The committee’s goal is to bring the bill “up for a vote sooner rather than later,” possibly in a couple of weeks, said Chairman Robert Matzie (D). Reauthorization "is especially critical at this time since federal funding has been awarded to plan and construct utility infrastructure projects,” DeFrank told the committee. “From broadband deployment to replacing aging pipelines and building out our electric transmission lines, One Call tickets are likely to increase in the coming years." The PUC chair praised proposed changes, including adding late fees for untimely payments and eliminating an exemption for reporting on damage that costs less than $2,500 to repair. DeFrank suggested expanding the definition of excavation to include work using hand tools and “soft excavation technology" like vacuums, high-pressure air or water. The Pennsylvania PUC has enforced the state law for seven years. The 811 system handles 1 million calls yearly -- and the number is rising, said Pennsylvania One Call System CEO William Kiger: The calls result in about 7 million locate requests a year. The state Senate has a similar bill (SB-1237).