WASHINGTON, April 7 (UPI) -- Communication regulators in Washington Thursday issued new limits for utility companies to respond to requests for sharing utility poles.
The Federal Communications Commission said its commissioners voted unanimously to set a limit of 148 days for electric companies to attach lines to utility poles and 178 days for them to allow broadband companies to place antennas on top of utility poles. It granted utility companies an additional 60 days for complying with "large orders," however.
The FCC also said it had "launched a comprehensive inquiry into how it can work with its state, local, tribal, and federal partners to improve policies for access to rights of way and for wireless facility siting."
The FCC said it put in the new infrastructure guidelines as part of a Broadband Acceleration Initiative.
The agency said it found "the lack of timelines for access to poles" resulted in "potential for delay in attaching broadband equipment to poles."
"The cost of deploying broadband networks to consumers and businesses depends significantly on the time and expense service providers must incur to access poles and other essential infrastructure," the FCC said.
