Controversy is bubbling up over the FCC’s draft plan to vote this week on allowing “one-touch make-ready”(OTMR) for most pole attachments and further reform its pole attachment policies. The concept is, the new attacher or an approved contractor would perform all work to prepare the pole, rather than each attacher performing the work separately. More than 1,000 public comments have been filed to the Commission on the issue so far.
Utilities, carriers and their infrastructure groups pushed for the changes. The Power and Communication Contractors (PCCA), for example, says the updates would avoid multiple truck rolls, expedite the attachment process and reduce service disruption to consumers. “The OTMR option would apply only to ‘simple’ make-ready work and would not be available for ‘complex’ work involving electric-supply facilities that poses greater safety threats or is more likely to cause an outage or damage,” PCCA told the Commission.
The Wireless Infrastructure Association said removing the barriers to deployment will bring “much-needed predictability and clarity” to deployment in a recent lobbying visit to the agency.
However the Communications Workers of America asked the FCC not approve the changes, saying in a petition signed by 6,877 workers, the proposal threatens to turn good jobs into “low-wage contractor work.” The CWA is concerned OTMR would lead to “dangerous work conditions, such as ungrounded wires and heavy terminals hanging without adequate support, and risk public safety.”
Concerns remain over who has to pay if the work isn’t done correctly. Comcast urged the agency to change the language to make it clear an existing attacher can manage and modify its own facilities during any advance notice period. Google Fiber said it should state that if a new attacher’s work damages an existing attacher’s equipment or causes a service disruption, the new attacher should be required immediately to stop the work and notify the existing attacher.
Comcast says in this instance, the agency should state “existing attacher may either complete any necessary remedial work and bill the new attacher for the reasonable costs related to fixing the damage and restoring service,” or the FCC should require the new attacher to immediately fix the damage and restore service at its expense.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
July 30, 2018
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