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Kentucky Public Service Commission Public Workshop on Pole Attachments
This Thursday, December 17th, the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) is holding a public workshop on the current pole attachment proceeding, which include proposals that address the currently complex and costly process of building out broadband, which requires access to utility poles.
Some of the largest obstacles preventing high-speed broadband from reaching many Kentuckians are the unnecessary delays and burdensome expenses associated with the process of attaching broadband infrastructure to utility poles. This process – known as make-ready work – requires broadband providers that want to extend their networks to gain permission from utility pole owners before attaching to the poles. Through this process, broadband providers are often forced to bear the entire cost of replacing poles when the existing ones do not have the capacity to handle the new attachments, even if the existing pole was previously scheduled for replacement or already past the end of its useful life. These unfair practices by pole owners lengthen and increase the cost of broadband buildout, discouraging private investment in broadband infrastructure to the places that need it most, like communities in rural Kentucky.
Too many Kentuckians continue to lack the broadband access they need to succeed in today’s world – a fact that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While many people across the Commonwealth have worked tirelessly to address the digital divide that exists in Kentucky, there is still much more work to be done. The PSC is in the unique position to become part of the solution in bridging Kentucky’s digital divide by deciding upon new rules that can benefit and improve the lives of thousands of rural Kentuckians, which includes streamlining the pole attachments process to reduce the barriers to broadband deployment.
The PSC public workshop/meeting on pole attachments begins at 9:00amET on Thursday, December 17th.