SAN FRANCISCO-The California Public Utilities Commission has ordered local telephone and electric utility companies to allow telecommunications firms and cable TV companies equal access to their poles, conduits and rights-of-way so they may install their facilities on these premises.
Enabling competitor firms to become facilities-based, the commission noted, is one of the essential steps for full-scale phone service competition to succeed.
Because connections to poles or conduits vary widely and are technically complex, the commission chose to set forth guiding principles and minimum performance standards, rather than detailed requirements which could not address every situation that might arise. Some providers may use poles and other utility facilities in ways not foreseen by traditional landline providers, and thus develop new approaches to deal with the demands of new technologies.
