Bill > H3557

This bill requires telephone and distribution companies to submit an annual report to specific legislative committees regarding double poles (utility poles with multiple sets of equipment or wires) by April 1, 2027, and every year thereafter. The report must detail the number of double poles at the beginning and end of the reporting period, the activity involving pole attachments during the year, the number of unlicensed commercial and municipal attachments, and the average time between erecting a second pole and removing the original defective pole, with different timelines for poles with and without unlicensed attachments. Companies must also provide a timeline for projected double pole removal, including associated costs, and list communities participating in a statewide notification system for pole equipment transfers. Additionally, the bill mandates that the departments of public utilities and telecommunications jointly issue a report within 90 days of the act's passage, assessing the progress made in reducing double poles in the Commonwealth since a previous report in 2016, with a specific focus on the period through December 31, 2025. The goal of the bill appears to be improving infrastructure efficiency and tracking the removal of redundant utility poles.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H3557