In the wake of the FCC's announcement last week that it intends to adopt an order and further rulemaking on pole attachments during its May 20, 2010 open commission meeting, UTC and other utility industry advocates have been meeting with the FCC to express their continued opposition to rate subsidies and new access requirements for pole attachments that would threaten safety and reliability of critical infrastructure.

UTC met with FCC commissioners, their staff, and the staff at the Wireline Competition Bureau and urged the FCC not to adopt many of the recommendations in the FCC's National Broadband Plan (NBP). Specifically, UTC opposed recommendations for a broadband rate based upon the current rate for cable television attachments and recommendations for one-size-fits-all standards and timelines for access as well as the establishment of a pole attachment database that would be publicly accessible and searchable. UTC and utility representatives explained such a database would be impractical and would take resources away from the deployment of broadband. UTC has been informed that many if not all of the NBP recommendations will be included as part of the further rulemaking, but the order itself will address nondiscriminatory access for pole attachments in general, rather than imposing specific requirements.