With the promise of NTIA’s BEAD subsidies to fund rural broadband projects, ISPs want federal regulators to expand access to utility poles. They see that as a critical factor in the timely deployment of new broadband networks.
Representatives from CTIA, AT&T (NYSE: T), T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS), and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) recently met with FCC officials concerning the issue. They seek clarification on whether utility-owned light poles fall under the definition of “pole” in Section 224 of the Communications Act, according to Broadband Breakfast.
Under Section 224(f)(1), utilities must provide cable television systems and telecommunications carriers with nondiscriminatory access to any pole, duct, conduit, or right-of-way they own or control. CTIA asserted that this definition should naturally extend to utility-owned light poles, which are increasingly important in the deployment of 5G networks and other broadband infrastructure.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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