CHARLESTON – The Public Service Commission of West Virginia issued a new clarification order Monday to move forward the expansion of broadband communications in the state.
Replacement of utility poles that have reached the end of their useful life – those designated as “red-tagged” — because of age, deterioration, safety violations, accident or any similar degradation is the financial responsibility of the pole owner.
But a company that wishes to attach lines or devices to a pole that otherwise needs no upgrade to perform its primary service is liable for the cost of those necessary improvements, the Commission said.
“It is the Commission’s intention to protect new attachers from unreasonable responsibility for pole replacement costs, not to insulate them entirely from expenditures on poles from which they benefitted,” the Commission ruled.
This is the latest in a series of orders to resolve the question of attaching broadband communication lines by third parties to the estimated 2.5 million utility police that dot the state’s landscape and are owned primarily by electric power and telephone companies.
More information on this case can be found on the PSC website: www.psc.state.wv.us. Click on “Case Information” and access Case No. 24-0703-T-E-CTV-GI.
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