Telecom Industry Urges Conn. OTMR; AT&T Appeals Fla. Attachment Rules
Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority should quickly adopt one-touch, make-ready (OTMR), telecom companies said in reply comments Monday in docket 19-01-52RE01. Meanwhile in Florida, AT&T challenged the Public Service Commission’s pole dispute rules. With limited disagreement among stakeholders, Connecticut’s PURA…
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“has the information necessary to reach a final determination,” the New England Cable and Telecommunications Association said Monday. PURA should reject pole owner requests to shift more upfront costs to new attachers, NECTA said. CTIA urged PURA to get on with codifying FCC rules for pole attachment rates and timelines, OTMR, self-help and dispute resolution. "Despite numerous rounds of comments, a hearing, and a late-filed exhibit hearing, there is nothing in the record suggesting that any other approach is better suited to resolve Connecticut pole owners’ continuing, unabated failure to meet pole attachment deadlines, which is the very issue that gave rise to this docket.” In earlier comments, state agencies urged quick OTMR adoption to prepare the state for incoming federal dollars (see 2203020013). PURA is tentatively scheduled to post a draft decision April 11 and make a final decision May 11. Friday in Florida, AT&T petitioned the state’s administrative hearings division to toss pole attachment complaint rules adopted earlier this month by the PSC, which adopted some but not most of AT&T’s suggested edits (see 2203010020). “The Proposed Rule should be declared invalid because it is an invalid exercise of delegated legislative authority,” AT&T said. “The PSC was directed to develop rules sufficient to reverse preempt the FCC’s regulation of pole attachments and to consider the interests of Florida consumers when doing so.” Instead, it “proposed a rule that fails to provide adequate standards for PSC decisions and creates significant uncertainty for the regulated community.” Also in Florida, two state bills (SB-1800 and SB-1802) to set up a broadband pole replacement fund (see 2203030064) didn’t get votes before legislators adjourned last week.