![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/07-30-25-Poles-tle-893x840.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The issue of who pays for pole replacements, the electric utility or the internet service provider attaching new broadband equipment, is at the heart of an order issued Monday by the West Virginia Public Service Commission. (Photo by Steven Allen Adams)<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCHARLESTON \u2014 The West Virginia Public Service Commission is taking the side of an internet service provider in a dispute over who pays for pole replacements when adding broadband attachments.
\nIn an order issued Monday, the PSC prohibited Appalachian Power from enforcing a \u201cpre-existing violation\u201d policy to place the cost of repairs or replacement of utility poles on internet service providers, instead of the electric utility that owns the poles.
\n Appalachian Power has cited its pre-existing violation policy when issues are discovered with the pole or prior attachments to the pole during make-ready, the process of modifying utility poles for new ISP equipment.
\nThe PSC ordered Appalachian to comply with its rules regarding pre-existing violations when it comes to pole attachment applications submitted by Comcast Cable Communications. The two companies were also ordered to meet and file a future timeline for make-ready completions.
\nCurrent laws prohibit pole owners from denying access to utility poles to new attachers, such as ISPs, due to safety concerns stemming from pre-existing code violations caused by other attachers.
\nA 2023 order issued by the Federal Communications Commission also determined that pole owners cannot charge new attachers for replacements of utility poles due to pre-existing conditions on the pole, if the pole is already scheduled for replacement or if the pole is non-compliant with safety standards.
\nComcast filed its pole attachment complaint with the PSC on May 22. Attorneys for Comcast claimed that Appalachian Power\u2019s pre-existing violation policy violated PSC pole attachment rules, causing delays in new broadband deployment; created unjust and unreasonable terms and conditions; and caused Comcast to not complete make-ready construction within timeframes required by the PSC rules.
\n\u201cThe language of Pole Attachment Rule 10.4.4 clearly states a pole owner may not charge a new attacher to bring pole into compliance if the pole is out of compliance because of work performed by a party other than the new attacher prior to the new attachment,\u201d the PSC wrote.
\nThe issue of who is responsible for pole repairs and replacements is one of the several at the heart of disagreements between ISPs and electric utilities. Bridgeport-based Citynet is having a similar dispute with Akron-based FirstEnergy subsidiaries Mon Power and Potomac Edison over grandfathering.
\nAttorneys for Appalachian Power filed a motion to stay a PSC ruling on July 16, after PSC staff filed a petition to reopen an earlier case involving the pole attachment issues in order for the commission to further consider pre-existing violations.
\n\u201cGiven the importance of resolving pre-existing violations on utility poles to expeditious broadband deployment in West Virginia, APCo agrees with Staff that pole owners\u2019 treatment of pre-existing violations warrants the kind of careful consideration and deliberation possible during the Rulemaking process,\u201dthe company\u2019s attorneys wrote.
\n\u201cA ruling in the present case is not proper at this time \u2026 and will thus be undertaking a lengthier and more deliberate process to establish general rules regarding with respect to how utilities handle pre-existing violations in the course of the pole attachment process,\u201d the attorneys continued.
\nThe PSC issued an order on June 27 establishing a Pole Attachment Working Group to address various issues, including make-ready timelines, cost allocation and rule updates. The Commission mandated the creation of a pole inspection database to aid broadband providers, contingent on funding, and required pole owners to file annual reports on attachment requests. The order also addresses specific rule modifications, such as allowing temporary pole attachments during pole replacements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The issue of who pays for pole replacements, the electric utility or the internet service provider attaching new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[84,1638,20434,20431,20432,20433,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-34148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-internet","tag-business","tag-internet","tag-psc-sides-with-internet-service-provider-in-broadband-pole-attachment-issue","tag-psc-sides-with-internet-service-provider-in-broadband-pole-attachment-issuelocal-news","tag-psc-sides-with-internet-service-provider-in-broadband-pole-attachment-issuenews","tag-psc-sides-with-internet-service-provider-in-broadband-pole-attachment-issuewest-virginia-news","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}