FCC utility poles rules to help broadband, DAS deployments

The Federal Communications Commission’s attempts to make utility pole regulations uniform will not only help with broadband deployments in rural areas, but should help wireless carriers as they build out more Distributed Antenna Systems to help improve coverage in urban and suburban areas.
“Currently, access by service providers to poles can be slow, costly, and mired in long disputes. The National Broadband Plan recognized that one way to lower the costs of telecommunications, cable and broadband deployment and promote competition is to reduce the cost of access to infrastructure,” the FCC said in a press release announcing the further notice of proposed rulemaking as well as an order clarifying some aspects of pole attachments. “The plan found that the impact of utility pole attachment rates on broadband can be particularly acute in rural areas, where there often are more poles per mile than households.”
The FCC ruled that communications providers have a statutory right to use the same space- and cost-saving techniques that pole owners (utility companies) do, and that “attachers” have a right to timely decisions.
As wireless carriers and tower companies deploy DAS solutions to get better coverage, they often run into deployment delays because approving another piece of equipment on a pole is not a priority for utility companies.
Outdoor DAS solutions use smaller, line-of-sight antennas deployed on existing utility poles, which are at a lower height than traditional cell towers, and are connected through fiber at the pole that connects to a transceiver base station hub. The RF signal is transformed to an optical signal as it runs through the fiber to the hub, where it is again converted to an RF signal.
Utility companies generally have to allow DAS providers access to the utility pole, but issues crop up around timelines and lease rates. Utility companies can try to charge DAS providers more than they do other tenants on the pole because the DAS provider usually wants to be at the top of the pole. Also, if the pole needs to be modified to accommodate the weight of new equipment, the utility companies can charge the DAS provider to pay for the new pole.
“Different rates for different types of firms using the same space on a pole makes little sense when the cost of providing the space is the same to the utility pole owner,” the FCC said it its NPRM. “Disparate rates can affect investment decisions and product offerings, resulting in fewer competitive choices for consumers.”
The FCC also seeking comment on timelines for each step in the pole attachment process and rules to resolve disputes in a timely manner.