The FCC has released an Order on Reconsideration in response to a Petition for Reconsideration or Clarification of the 2011 Pole Attachment Order filed by NCTA. In the Order on Reconsideration, the FCC takes action to keep pole attachment rates united and low in order to further its overarching goal to accelerate deployment of broadband by removing barriers to infrastructure investment and promoting competition.
Specifically, the FCC takes the following actions in the Order on Reconsideration:
- Adopts NCTA’s proposal to broaden the use of cost allocators in the telecom rate formula by adding the following cost allocators for poles with 2 and 4 attaching entities (current cost allocators cover poles with 3 (0.44 percent of costs) and 5 (0.66 percent of costs) attaching entities):
- For poles with 2 attaching entities: 0.31 percent of costs
- For poles with 4 attaching entities: 0.56 percent of costs
- Concludes that when the average number of attaching entities is a fraction, the percentage cost allocator will be located between the whole numbers at the point where it most closely approximates the cost used in the cable rate formula.
This Order will become effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.
Please contact us if you have any questions or would like additional information.