DEPARTMENT: Finance
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Troy Elliott, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
CPS Energy Pole Attachment Services
SUMMARY:
The proposed presentation is to provide an update to the Transportation, Technology and Utilities committee on CPS Energy's implementation of its new pole attachment compliance program.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
As a result of growth in the local market for broadband services, incumbent telecommunication and cable providers are upgrading their existing networks and new broadband companies, large and small, are entering the San Antonio market to deploy new fiber networks. These network upgrades and deployments require access to CPS Energy utility poles. Consequently, CPS Energy anticipates pole attachment permit requests to increase from approximately 200 per month to 5,000 per month in 2016.
In response, CPS Energy has created the Pole Attachment Services Department to manage the pole attachment permitting process led by a team of five employees, and supported by an outside engineering firm. In addition, CPS Energy has introduced proposed Pole Attachment Standards (the "Standards") anchored on the principles of public safety, network reliability, and customer service. The Standards will be applicable to all attaching entities in order to provide non-discriminatory access to utility poles as required by state law. The Standards are expected to become effective on August 1, 2016. CPS Energy invited stakeholders to a workshop held on February 17, 2016 to introduce the Standards and has posted on its website the draft Standards and invited comments from stakeholders. Another workshop is planned for May 11, 2016.
The new pole attachment program will introduce significant system and process improvements, including the following:
* Options for each attaching entity to select permitting process that best fits its business
* Opportunity for attaching entitie...
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