GoNetspeed’s proposed $250M Massachusetts fiber investment highlights the need for streamlined pole attachment reform
GoNetspeed is on the heels of investing more than $250 million to deliver fiber broadband internet to dozens of communities throughout Massachusetts. Still, the service provider faces the common challenge: a lengthy process to attach new fiber optic cables to existing utility poles.
This call for pole attachment comes as the company’s investment would represent the provider’s most significant combined investment to date. It would bring service to at least 27 communities, including Haverhill, Beverly, Salem, Quincy, Yarmouth, Barnstable, and many others, with access to a competitively priced fiber-based broadband service.
Jamie Hoare, GoNetspeed's Chief Legal Counsel, said that while the company is committed to its proposal, building a network in Massachusetts is difficult due to outdated laws regarding pole attachments.
“To build our network, we need access to existing utility infrastructure, particularly telephone poles,” he said. “Streamlining that pole attachment process will facilitate broadband expansion in Massachusetts and result in more competition and better prices for residents and businesses in Massachusetts.”
Enter One-Touch-Make-Ready (OTMR)
In Massachusetts, outdated pole attachment rules create many make-ready inefficiencies for emerging entrants like GoNetspeed.
To get on the utility pole in Massachusetts, GoNetspeed must apply for the poles, which the power company and the local telco jointly own.
From there, the utilities survey the pole and determine what work needs to be done to make room for facilities that GoNetspeed wants to install. The utilities then conduct a survey, send a bill to the provider requesting access with a cost estimate, and wait for the pole work to be done.
One way to accelerate the process is the advent of One Touch Make Ready (OTMR). Pioneered by Google Fiber, OTMR is a set of statutes and local ordinances passed by various local governments and utilities in the United States that require the owners of utility poles to allow a single construction crew to make changes to multiple utility wires.
“In Massachusetts, the make-ready process takes several years,” Hoare said. “During the past several years, One Touch Make Ready (OTMR) has become popular nationwide elsewhere.”
Like in other parts of the country, OTMR could streamline the make-ready process in Massachusetts.
“Instead of identifying the pole owner and which poles we want to get on, we will use contractors approved by the pole owners to do the survey ourselves for their review,” Hoare said. “Before they even open the envelope, the pole owner knows it’s an approved contractor that knows the standards, processes, and the pole owners have confidence in their expertise.”
Likewise, after the pole owner reviews the survey, GoNetspeed would use a contractor approved by the pole owners to move facilities around.
With OTMR, GoNetspeed would request a simple change: moving one cable to a different position on a pole. None of these changes would impact existing broadband or power customers.
“We’re not talking about things that would result in customer outages or work up in the power space on the pole,” Hoare said. “Most make-ready work is rearranging work on the pole, so One Touch Make Ready allows service providers to have an efficient way with a single truck roll to address the bulk of the make-ready work.”
Hoare added that while other pole attachment situations would require more complex work in the communications or power space, “OTMR will have a big impact on how long it takes for a broadband provider to activate customers.”
What is H.3546?
Presented by Massachusetts Representative Angelo Puppolo of Springfield, H.3546 is a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3546) for legislation to establish standards for the pole attachment process to facilitate the construction of broadband networks. Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. The bill would establish standards for the pole attachment process for constructing broadband networks utilizing One Touch Make Ready (OTMR).
What is S.2285?
Similar to H.3546, S.2285 is an act proposed by the Massachusetts Senate to establish standards for the pole attachment process to facilitate the construction of broadband networks utilizing One Touch Make Ready (OTMR). Massachusetts Senator Adam Gómez presented the act.
Massachusetts’ OTMR bills
Change appears to be in the air. The potential benefit of GoNetspeed’s proposed investment underlines the state’s need for a streamlined pole process in Massachusetts.
GoNetspeed recently testified at the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy in support of two bills proposed by the state’s House of Representatives and Senate: H.3546 and S.2285.
These bills would establish standards for the pole attachment process for constructing broadband networks utilizing One Touch Make Ready (OTMR).
Surrounding states, including Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, already use OTMR. Allowing OTMRs’ use in Massachusetts would ensure that GoNetspeed can deploy service to the 27 planned Massachusetts communities at a quicker and more confident rate.
While he does not know why Massachusetts has not adopted OTMR yet, Hoare said, “There’s reason for optimism.”
“The legislature is looking at it with the two bills--H.3546 and S.2285,” he said. “Also, the Department of Telecommunications and the Department of Public Utilities have opened up a rulemaking addressing several topics, including reforming the process for getting access to utility poles.”
Moreover, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) have also expressed support for OTMR, which Hoare said was “helpful to see as well.”
In addition to a regulatory proceeding, Hoare emphasized that the legislature's involvement reflects Governor Maura Healey’s call to expand broadband.
The Healey administration is working to expand broadband access and address digital equity, primarily through the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI). This includes initiatives to improve internet infrastructure in underserved areas, particularly public and affordable housing. The administration also focuses on digital literacy programs and providing affordable internet options.
“Having a legislative solution accomplishes a few things: it sends a strong policy signal in line with Governor Maura Healey’s policy that there should be an expansion of broadband access in Massachusetts while locking in the benefits of OTMR to advance broadband competition,” he said.
Reaching unserved, underserved communities
An improved pole attachment process, like OTMR, is vital to ensuring that broadband development can benefit underserved areas.
Besides GoNetspeed, the state's adoption of streamlined make-ready processes would benefit other emerging fiber broadband providers like Gateway Fiber and Ripple Fiber, which have been expanding their presence in parts of the state.
“OTMR will benefit everyone,” Hoare said. “We’re a competitive provider, and the game we play is competition, which would help other providers coming into the state as well.”
Hoare added that OTMR could drive incumbent providers to enhance their services and usher in new public broadband deployments in rural areas, in addition to competitive providers. It would accelerate public projects to get broadband into areas without broadband or limited options.
“This could put more pressure on other providers to provide value to their customers,” he said. “It isn’t just competitive providers that would benefit from this, because there’s a lot of public money allocated for building broadband in places where it is economically difficult to do so quickly.”
In March, the Healey-Driscoll administration and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s (MassTech) Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) announced $10.4 million in grants to upgrade internet access in nearly 8,000 public and affordable housing units across 26 Massachusetts communities. MBI provided the awards through the Residential Retrofit Program, an initiative that works with housing operators and ISPs to upgrade broadband infrastructure in public and affordable housing properties.
By adopting streamlined make-ready processes, Massachusetts will make it easier for competitive providers like GoNetspeed and others to build service to more communities.
Currently, consumers and businesses in much of the state lack provider choice and are left with steep pricing and slow speeds. Without an improved process, the state could lose millions in broadband funding. Massachusetts can now improve the current state of broadband access, unlocking a path that welcomes competition and supports the state's policy goals.
In Massachusetts, GoNetspeed currently serves Amherst, Easthampton, Granby, Ludlow, and Springfield, and in the coming months, more communities throughout the state will gain access to GoNetspeed’s service.
“There is a demand for services from GoNetspeed and competitive providers in general in Massachusetts,” Hoare said. “The tools are laid out to make it easier to bring services to the Commonwealth, and we’re excited to see the movement on that and bring Massachusetts’ pole attachment up to par with the rest of the region.”
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Sean Buckley
Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategies of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report across their websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products.