Pennsylvania Regulations Reviewer Clears Pole-Attachment Rules
Pennsylvania pole-attachment rules got a green light from the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission at a Thursday meeting livestreamed from Harrisburg. IRRC commissioners voted 5-0 for Pennsylvania reverse pre-empting FCC pole attachment authority, joining 20 other states and Washington, D.C.…
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The Public Utility Commission finalized rules over the summer, but they need the Pennsylvania attorney general’s OK (see 1911080016). IRRC Chairman George Bedwick asked why the PUC didn’t estimate how much it would cost to implement the rules. The PUC expects minimal cost in the near term because the commission already has a dispute resolution process, replied PUC Assistant Counsel Colin Scott. There could be small uptick in disputes coming to the PUC, but the commission doesn’t expect it will need any additional hires, he said. Bedwick also noted legal concerns, previously raised by IRRC (see 1812280044), about the mechanism for automatically adopting changes to federal rules.