FCC Adopts New Pole Attachment Rules To Streamline Broadband Deployment

On July 25, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") issued a new pole attachment order that further reformed the Commission's rules and policies governing communications attachments to utility poles.

The order builds on the FCCs' December 2023 rule amendments intended to facilitate and expand access to high-speed broadband services, especially in rural and under- or unserved areas of the country. Among other things, the FCC's latest order:

• Codifies new access timelines for large pole attachments applications;
• Establishes advance notice and meet-and-confer requirements for mid-size and large pole attachment applications;
• Requires utilities to accept bulk applications without arbitrary limitations on size or frequency;