Industry News – 1-14-22

Pole attachment issues and their impact on broadband deployment were front and center in New York State as their legislature passed, and governor signed legislation to mandate fair distribution of installation costs. Specifically, the new law clarifies that pole owners who currently collect a fee from ratepayers for pole replacement cannot shift the costs solely to broadband service providers. In addition, the law places all utility poles in a given municipality under one contract to create a more efficient process for broadband service providers to expand service.