Bill > HB825

This bill addresses the issue of double utility poles in Pennsylvania by requiring the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to create new regulations to manage and reduce the occurrence of utility poles that remain in place after a replacement pole has been installed. The bill defines a "double utility pole" as a situation where a damaged or old utility pole remains in place after a new pole has been installed, and the attached infrastructure (such as electric, telephone, or cable lines) has not been transferred to the new pole. The legislation mandates that the PUC develop rules within 18 months to establish guidelines for: the acceptable duration of double utility poles, requiring infrastructure owners to register and maintain current contact information, setting a reasonable timeframe for moving infrastructure to new poles, creating procedures for compensation and indemnification for pole owners, allowing pole owners to require surety bonds from infrastructure owners, and establishing potential civil penalties for non-compliance. The bill aims to improve public safety, streamline public rights-of-way, reduce unnecessary expenses, and enhance the visual aesthetics of utility infrastructure. Importantly, any costs incurred in transferring or removing facilities cannot be passed on to ratepayers if they have been fully recovered from the infrastructure owners.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry, Labor and Employment

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2025&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=825