IBEW, CWA Press FCC to Protect Worker Safety, System Reliability on Pole Attachments
Unions urged the FCC to ensure worker safety and system reliability in any new pole-attachment rules. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers members "are literally on the front lines of network maintenance and development," so "any changes to pole networks should…
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protect the safety and reliability of the grid and communications network, and those who work on it," said a filing posted Friday in docket 17-108 (that's the net neutrality docket, but the letter addressed the wireline infrastructure deployment proceeding, which is docket 17-84). IBEW noted concerns about "pole congestion, safe access to perform pole work and the effect of RF radiation on linemen working on poles." It urged the FCC maintain national utility standards on the "distance between communications equipment and utility space for high voltage wires and devices." It backed one-touch, make-ready (OTMR) solutions to streamline pole attachments, "but only outside the utility space," and urged the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee to consider the issues. Communications Workers of America said in docket 17-84 BDAC OTMR recommendations "appropriately exclude 'complex' make-ready work in the communications space and all work in the utilities space from mandated third-party OTMR," in a meeting with an aide to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. "However, the BDAC OTMR recommendation overreaches by authorizing third-party contractors to perform 'simple' make-ready work in the communications space without advance notice to all existing attachers, without providing existing attachers the opportunity to move their equipment in a timely manner, and by giving new attachers’ contractors the authority to determine whether make-ready work is 'simple' or 'complex.'" CWA cited similar concerns to an aide to Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.