The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says that it has, for the first time, employed a “precedent-setting” procedure to expedite the review of pole attachment complaints.
The Rapid Broadband Assessment Team (RBAT) used its Accelerated Docket Process to resolve a dispute in Virginia that had slowed down and would have added costs to Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) projects in the state.
RBAT is composed of staffers from the Enforcement and Wireline Competition bureaus. They oversaw the development of a case record that presented both sides’ legal arguments. The process led to the issuance of an order within 60 days.
The case before the FCC involved pole replacements owned by Appalachian Power Company (APCO). Comcast wanted to use the poles, some of which had a preexisting violation of safety or engineering standards requiring replacement.
APCO sought to charge Comcast the full cost of the replacements. The FCC ruled that Comcast must only pay the incremental cost of installing a stronger or taller pole than the one that would be used to correct the previous third-party violation.
“A key pillar of the FCC’s Build America Agenda is to unleash high-speed infrastructure builds,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a press release.
“Too often, disputes between providers and pole owners are a significant obstacle in the way of that deployment. Today’s action shows that the FCC’s new RBAT and Accelerated Docket procedures are a powerful tool to resolve disputes quickly. This critical new FCC process is now officially standing by to resolve these matters so we can get busy connecting American homes and businesses.”
The FCC pole dispute resolution is not the only initiative aimed at speeding up and streamlining oversight of broadband and other telecom-related projects.
For example, last November, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Communications and Technology marked up several bills aimed at speeding the process
by formally reviewing, amending, and voting on changes to a bill before it is sent to the full chamber for consideration.
