Cable, Co-Ops Back Texas Pole Replacement Bill
Cable operators and electric cooperatives supported a Texas pole attachments bill at a livestreamed Monday hearing. HB-1505 would create a broadband pole replacement fund using $75 million in federal pandemic relief, said a summary. The state would reimburse up to…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
$5,000 paid by ISPs or pole owners to replace a pole for supporting broadband in places without 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. The bill would apply Texas pole attachment rules for cablers to all broadband providers. HB-1505 would lower barriers to broadband deployment and provide nondiscriminatory pole access, Texas Cable Association President Walt Baum told the Senate Transportation Committee. The latest version addressed concerns about safety and shifting broadband building costs onto co-ops, said Texas Electric Cooperatives Senior Vice President-Government Relations Eric Craven. The committee didn't vote.