Today I discuss the draft proposal from the FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) sub-committee that is examining competitive access. This draft report to the FCC is not yet final, but it details the issues and discussions of the group and is likely close to the finished work product.

This sub-committee is tackling some of the hardest issues in the industry. The pole attachment process has been a costly roadblock to implementation of new networks since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed access of competitors to poles, ducts and conduits. The report considers a number of different issues:

The FCC Complaint Timeline. The FCC currently has no rules that require the agency to respond to a complaint from a carrier having problems connecting to poles. This deters attachers from making complaints since there is no guarantee that the FCC will ever resolve a given problem. The subcommittee recommends that the FCC adopt a 180-day ‘shot-clock’ to require rulings on attachment issues. The sub-committee is also recommending that the FCC react within 180 days to complaints about attachment rates and fees. The group wants to stop pole owners from capturing some capital costs twice. They claim some pole owners capitalize the cost for pole make-ready, which is paid by new attachers, and then build these costs again into the base pole attachment fees.

One Touch Make Ready. The sub-committee looked in depth at make-ready costs – the costs of a new attacher to get onto a pole. They are making numerous recommendations:

They want a simplified one-touch pole attachment process that streamlines the application, permitting and make-ready process. They would like to see all attachers agree to use only one contractor to speed up the make-ready process. They are also asking that the various parties agree to one contractor that is allowed to work in the power space, which is needed for some wireless attachments. They want make-ready rules to be uniform across all jurisdictions.

They want to require that the pole owner and all existing atachers be present during the feasibility survey, rather than having to coordinate visits with each existing attacher.

They want to speed up the time lines for reviewing and amending attachment requests.

They want to strengthen the FCC’s rules for ‘self-help’ which allow work to proceed when existing attachers don’t respond to attachment requests.

Fees and Rates. The sub-committee does not want the FCC to create a new pole attachment rate for a broadband connection – something they fear might be considered due to removing Title II regulation of broadband. They want ‘broadband’ attachments to be the same rate as telecom or cable attachments.

Recommendations for Other Infrastructure. The sub-committee would like to see an infrastructure database that identifies the owners of common telecom infrastructure like poles, ducts, trenches, street lights, traffic lights, towers, water towers, bridges, etc. This should include public buildings that might be useful for placement of 5G infrastructure. Knowing such a database will be expensive they have suggested ways to fund the effort.

Jurisdictional Issues. They want to see processes that streamline the jurisdictional differences for projects that crosses multiple local jurisdictions.

Use of Subsidized Infrastructure. Currently infrastructure built to serve schools or rural health care facilities is restricted to those specific uses if subsidized by the E-rate or Healthcare Connect Fund. The sub-committee wants such facilities to also be usable for other commercial purposes.

It’s hard to guess how much traction some of these recommendations might get at the FCC. Some of the jurisdictional issues, as well as the creation of an attachment database probably require Congressional action to solve. And some of the biggest ISPs like AT&T are both pole owners and fiber builders and it’s hard to know where they will support issues that will help them but which will also make it easier for their competitors. It’s also worth noting that the FCC is under no obligation to respond to the BDAC process. However, this particular sub-committee has taken a logical approach to some of the biggest problems with attachments, and these proposals deserve a hearing.