W.Va. Facing Pole Attachment Difficulties: Broadband Expert
Pole attachment travails are a particular barrier to broadband network deployment in West Virginia, said Annie Stroud, Generation West Virginia broadband program director. During a Fiber Broadband Association webinar Wednesday, she said that along with issues like the state's high…
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poverty rate and challenging topography, county and municipal governments often have limited capacity in such areas as permitting. Accordingly, subsidized projects' timelines could get delayed because of the pole attachment process. There also is a risk of losing time-sensitive grant funds, she said. Pole attachment issues are exacerbated by some network operators not making proper attachment requests and pole owners not complying fast enough. She said there also aren't enough local engineers to submit and review applications and there isn't a clear regulatory path in the state for handling disputes. The state public service commission has assembled a pole attachment task force. Proposed solutions include considering a mediation process for disputes, changes in pole inventory reporting and a list of approved contractors, she said. The task force final report is due this week.