CHARLESTON (Hinton News) – To streamline the review process for line attachments involving jointly owned communication line poles, state regulators issued an order designating Monongahela Power Company as the focal point of contact.
The case’s significance is highlighted by the fact that telecommunications carriers are currently applying for pole attachments as part of a massive deployment of broadband communications services in West Virginia.
The staff of the Public Service Commission of West Virginia filed a petition in May to simplify the application process in a case that involved Monongahela Power, The Potomac Edison Company and Frontier West Virginia, Inc. Both Mon Power and Frontier had been accepting and dealing with the carrier applications and fees in the case of their jointly owned poles.
Since Mon Power has specialized software, the Public Service Commission designated it as the point of contract. Mon Power will issue or deny permits. It will solely charge fees, perform billing services, and distribute payments. It will perform required engineering work.
Both Mon Power and Frontier, however, will invoice applicants for work each must perform – called “make ready” in the order – to accommodate third-party attachments on the poles.
The commission said it had hoped that the effect of its acceptance of the joint agreement by the parties involved would have resulted in one stop shopping for applicants, but “the parties have agreed that Frontier must be responsible for make-ready in the telecommunications space.”
The parties involved in the case reached general agreement, which was embodied in a joint stipulation filed with the commission on June 9.
More information on this case can be found on the PSC website: www.psc.state.wv.us. Click on “Case Information” and access Case No. 22-0885-T-E-SC.
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