Earlier this month in WC Docket No. 17-84 and WT Docket No. 17-79 the FCC released new rules for one touch make ready (OTMR) for connecting wires to poles. These new rules allow a new attacher to a pole to use a single contractor to perform simple make-ready work, which they define as work where “existing attachments in the communications space of a pole could be transferred without any reasonable expectation of a service outage or facility damage and does not require splicing of any existing communication attachment or relocation of an existing wireless attachment.” These new rules will go into effect on February 1, 2019 or sooner, after 30 days, if the new rules are published in the Federal Register announcing approval by the Office of Management and Budget.

The OTMR rules don’t apply to more complex make-ready work where poles need to be replaced or where existing cables must be cut and spliced to accomplish the needed changes. The new rules don’t cover wireless attachments, so this is not an order that lets wireless companies place devices anywhere on poles at their choice (something the wireless companies are lobbying for). These rules also don’t apply to any work done above the power space at the top of poles.

For those not familiar with make-ready, a new attacher must pay to rearrange existing wires if there is not enough space on the poles for the new wire to meet safety standards. In most cases this can be accomplished by shifting existing wires higher or lower on the pole to create the needed clearance.

Possibly the most interesting part of the new order is that the FCC says that a new attacher is not responsible for the cost of fixing problems that are due to past attachers being out of compliance with safety codes. The reality is that most make-ready work is due to past attachers not spacing their wires according to code. This FCC language opens the door for new attachers to argue that some of the cost of make-ready should be charged to past attachers. Anybody who wants to make such claims needs to photograph and document existing violations before doing the work. I can foresee big fights over this issue after the make-ready work is completed.

 These rules end some of the practices that have made it time consuming and costly to put a new wire on a pole. Existing rules have allowed for sequential make-ready, where each existing utility can send out a crew to do the work, adding extra time as each separate crew coordinates the work, as well as adding to the cost since the new attacher has to pay for the multiple crews.

The new rules don’t apply everywhere and to all pole owners. There is still an exception for poles owned by municipalities and by electric cooperatives. The rules also don’t automatically apply to any state that has its own set of pole attachment rules. There are currently 22 states that have adopted at least some of their own pole attachment rules and the states still have the option to modify the new FCC rules. Expect delays in many states past the February 1 effective date as states deliberate on the issue. Interestingly, there are also two cities, Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN, that have already adopted their own version of OTMR and the order does not say if local governments have this right.

The order considerably shortens the time required to perform simple make ready. There are many nuances in the new time line that make it hard to condense to a paragraph, but the time lines are considerably shorter than the previous FCC rules. The FCC also shortened the time line for some of the steps for complex make-ready. Unfortunately, in many cases it’s the complex make-ready time lines that will still impact a project, because a few poles needing complex make ready can delay implementation of a new fiber route.

The order encourages pole owners to publish a list of contractors that are qualified to do the make ready work. The new rules also define the criteria for selecting a contractor in the case where the pole owner doesn’t specify one. Pole owners can veto a suggested contractor from the new attacher, but in doing so they must suggest a qualified contractor they find acceptable. Not mentioned in the order is the situation where a utility insists on doing all work themselves.

As a side note, this order also prohibits state and local governments from imposing moratoria on new wireless pole attachments. The ruling doesn’t stop states from imposing new rules, but it prohibits them from blocking wireless carriers from getting access to poles.

Overall this is a positive order for anybody that wants to add fiber to existing poles. It simplifies and speeds up the pole attachment process, at least for simple attachments. It should significantly hold down pole attachment costs by allowing one contractor to do all of the needed work rather than allowing each utility to bill for moving their own wires. There are still some flaws with the order. For instance, although the time frames have been reduced, the pole attachment process can still take a long time when complex pole attachment work is needed. But overall this is a much needed improvement in the process that has caused most of the delays in deploying new fiber.