NEWS
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C.  20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.
See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
May 20, 2010 Mark Wigfield, 202-418-0253
Email: mark.wigfield@fcc.gov
FCC PROMOTES BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT, COMPETITION, 
AND AFFORDABILITY BY REDUCING INFRASTRUCTURE ACCESS COSTS
Washington, D.C. -- The Federal Communications Commission today adopted an Order and Further 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that implements key recommendations of the National Broadband Plan 
for promoting broadband deployment and competition.  The Order and Further Notice will make 
broadband more affordable and available by speeding and reducing the costs of access to an essential 
piece of infrastructure: utility poles.
Currently, access by service providers to poles can be slow, costly, and mired in long disputes.  The 
National Broadband Plan recognized that one way to lower the costs of telecommunications, cable, and 
broadband deployment and promote competition is to reduce the cost of access to infrastructure.  The 
Plan found that the impact of utility pole attachment rates on broadband can be particularly acute in rural 
areas, where there often are more poles per mile than households.
The Order adopted today will reduce costs and speed access to poles by clarifying the statutory right of 
communications providers to use the same space- and cost-saving techniques that pole owners use, such 
as placing attachments on both sides of a pole.  The Order also establishes that attachers have a statutory 
right to timely access to poles.
The Further Notice seeks comment on revising pole attachment rates to make them as low and as close to 
uniform as possible, reducing the disparity between current telecom and cable rates.  Different rates for 
different types of firms using the same space on a pole makes little sense when the cost of providing the 
space is the same to the utility pole owner.  Disparate rates can affect investment decisions and product 
offerings, resulting in fewer competitive choices for consumers.
The Further Notice also seeks comment on a specific timeline to govern each step of the pole attachment 
process, while still providing flexibility to accommodate safety concerns and special circumstances, such 
as natural disasters.  
Finally, the Further Notice proposes rules to speed resolution of disputes, which can delay delivery of 
new, competitive offerings to consumers.
Action by the Commission May 20, 2010 by: Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (FCC 10-84).  Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners Copps, McDowell, Clyburn and 
Baker.  Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners Copps, McDowell, Clyburn and Baker issuing separate 
statements.
Docket Nos.:  WC Docket No. 07-245 and GN Docket No. 09-51
Wireline Competition Bureau Staff Contacts:  Jonathan Reel at 202-418-1580; Marvin Sacks at 202-418-
1520
--FCC--
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