Washington UTC Adopts Pole Attachment Rules
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission adopted pole attachment rules that take effect Jan. 1, said a WUTC order. It said the rules generally follow the ones put forth by the FCC, except WUTC didn't adopt the telecom rate formula,…
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so all attachers will have the same rate formula. In the new rules, WUTC also forbids pole owners from denying access if the attacher is willing to compensate the owner for the costs to replace the existing pole with a taller pole, which is similar to FCC rules. The rules allow attachers to overlash without having a permit, but require an overlasher to provide 15 business days’ notice to the pole owner. A pole owner may refuse to allow the overlashing within 10 business days. The rules apply to wireless attachments to utility poles, as well. PCIA called changes "common sense rules governing attachments." PCIA, along with AT&T, asked that the UTC exempt CMRS companies from the definition of "owner" in the rule change. "For nearly two years, PCIA has been advocating for responsible and consistent pole attachments rules in Washington State," PCIA said in a statement Monday. “Friday’s rule implementation represents a vast improvement over the existing uncertainty surrounding pole attachment rulemaking.”