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New OTMR guidelines range from shortened timetables to specific processes. The primary parties involved (asset owners, existing attachers, and new attachers) will likely experience changes in their everyday roles and responsibilities.

The Federal Communications Commission’s One Touch Make Ready order (OTMR), issued in August of 2018, spells out the rules, requirements, and deadlines that the joint use community must begin following no later than February 2019.

The FCC’s One Touch Make Ready (OTMR) order has placed the joint use community and its personnel in a new and uncharted landscape for broadband deployment.

It has the potential to change roles within businesses and the joint use community...

If you’ve been reading our latest blog series, you know that the FCC issued a Report and Order in August for the new policy One Touch Make Ready.

Similar to the “Dig Once” policy for overhead attachments, the OTMR order seeks to streamline make...

Across the United States, the joint use community is busy transitioning to the new rules and timetables established by the FCC in the August 2018 One Touch Make Ready order.

The FCC’s One Touch Make Ready (OTMR) order, issued in early August, involves big changes for everyone in the joint use community: asset owners, existing attachers, new attachers, and contractors. No later than February 2019, companies must begin...

The stage has been set for major advances in technology, and that means big changes for the joint use community.

In August, the Federal Communications Commission issued the One Touch Make Ready (OTMR) order, a set of rules designed to speed up...

Installing fiber optic cable can be an expensive and lengthy process. Often, it requires an extended period of right-of-way negotiations and acquisitions before a company starts to dig. Plus, there’s a costly and disruptive construction process...

There are big changes on the horizon for joint use professionals. With the race to attach and deploy services, the next few years will be a busy time for joint use professionals.

Consumers are eagerly awaiting the next step in broadband technology: 5G. With an explosion of small cell and fiber deployment, internet is the fastest it’s been to date. Users can download and stream data better than ever before. We’ve been...

Fiber optic broadband is sweeping the nation. Fiber's advantages over copper include faster speeds, durability, and efficiency. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are going the extra mile and converting their extended networks to fiber, as more...

The first Monday in September is dedicated to celebrating the American worker. Labor Day supports the goals of our Founding Fathers—to live in prosperity and economic accomplishment.

Businesses are in a rush to get small cell wireless attachments deployed. Competitors are entering the field and practically racing to the utility poles and other infrastructure anticipating the rollout of next generation wireless technology. ...

Several years ago, buzz began about the incoming mass deployment of small cell attachments.

Until 2017, deployment has been lagging. So far in 2018, it appears that deployment will continue to move into high gear.

The joint use industry is responding to the explosion of small cell growth, but without the structure of formal guidelines from either the industry or the federal government.

We interviewed Dianne Costello, Product Manager of Managed Services and Client Training, at Alden. We asked what small cell attachers should know about utility poles, street lights, traffic lights, and other assets.

Small cell is bringing big changes to joint use departments of electric utilities, telecommunications and broadband providers. These companies are facing an exploding interest from wireless carriers to attach small cell equipment to their...

Independence Day is characterized by fireworks, barbecues, and quality time with friends or family. It is a day to reflect on our country’s heritage—and the freedom that America gained by signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776....

Utility poles offer the necessary power and connectivity that is vital for small cell deployment. Providers will likely continue to increase permitting requests for small cell attachments, and pole owners may struggle to handle the number of...

In the next few years, communications companies will deploy thousands of antenna systems to fuel next-generation 5G. The 5G broadband system will support connections for artificial intelligence.

Cell phone signals have become much more reliable in the last few years. Making calls from your office, home, or school typically presents few problems. However, try to upload a video or stream music while out and about, and your mobile...

Nationwide, utilities and other asset owners are seeing an influx of inquiries and permitting applications for small cell. Today, there are nearly 2.8 million small cell units deployed globally. By 2025, that number is predicted to reach 70.2...

With numerous cybersecurity threats discussed in the four previous posts, it is no wonder some leaders in the joint use space are questioning centralized, online systems.

Keeping up with evolving cyber threats is a struggle, but it is possible to...

In the early days of cable service, providers encountered attackers who tried to steal service, customer data, and video content. As service offerings expanded to include broadband Internet, attacks have grown to be even more extensive, more...

Communications companies possess extensive consumer data, including financial and behavioral information. Customers subscribe to services that range from home and mobile phone service, cable, Internet, and more.

The U.S. electric grid consists of more than 7,000 power plants, 55,000 substations, 160,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and millions of miles of lower-voltage distribution lines. The system is interconnected with a series of...

As the joint use industry inches closer to a technology-based future, cybersecurity is an everyday concern. In the last few years, there have been incredible innovations in technology: the Internet of Things, Machine-to-Machine communications,...

Distributed antenna systems (DAS) were the original small cells. First used more than 30 years ago, DAS began as a solution to provide wireless coverage in areas where there was none. Today’s DAS networks help fill in holes where wireless...

The Internet of Things (IoT) is ushering in a new era of connected homes, smart appliances,  and other developments beyond our imagination. Technology companies and government organizations are working to enable the necessary infrastructure for...

New players in the joint use arena are racing to deploy services. Utility poles once stood tall under the weight of power and telephone lines alone, but today’s joint use infrastructure now must also support dozens of competing broadband...

What Pole Owners & Attachers Need to Know 

Many joint use asset owners and attachers/renters use homegrown, legacy applications to manage their assets. Some use Excel spreadsheets, or use a combination of applications such as Sharepoint, Maximo, and others. As needs change, systems must...

In our 3-part blog series, we are inspecting common pole conditions that can be costly for asset owners, as well as attachers.

In our 3-part blog series, we are investigating common pole conditions that interrupt service deployment and increase asset owners’ risk.  In part 1, we looked at dangerous conditions on utility poles.

This article will look at the multitude of...

In this 3-part blog series, we are addressing common pole conditions that halt service deployment and can be costly to asset owners. It is our experience that asset owners often do not know the current statue or condition of all assets in the...

In our four-part educational series, we have explored three important issues that manhole and handhole owners are currently facing: trespass, damage, and violations. All three can work against each other, creating inaccessible vaults and...

In this four-part series, we are uncovering manhole and handhole conditions. In our experience, asset owners are often surprised at the amount of damage, trespass, and violations found in underground spaces without regular inventories. The first...

Successful joint use management of underground infrastructure begins with knowing which assets are in underground spaces and tracing actions to each one.

Successful business decisions for asset owners and occupants of underground infrastructure begins with knowing which assets are underground and tracking activities of each.

Our first article, “Getting Ahead in 2018: Pole Inspections (Part 1 of 3)” looked at the proactive strengths of resolutions to start and maintain regular pole audits. Our second post, “Getting Ahead in 2018: Inspections (Part 2 of 3),”...

In this post, we suggest ways to get ahead in 2018 by reviewing vital tools for strengthening joint use operations and management. The first article in this series, “Getting Ahead in 2018: Pole Inspections (Part 1 of 3)” discusses utility pole...

Over the next three articles, we will discuss the tools needed to strengthen joint use partnerships. We will focus on the ways that inspections and inventories, paired with a centralized asset management system, are critical to managing an...

This week, we wanted to reflect on our gratitude. We work together daily with incredible people who provide us with electricity, entertainment, and the ability to communicate and connect with our world. In honor of these hard-working companies...

To close our underground series, we look at the crucial principles of an underground inventory. Underground inspections are necessary for asset owners, who must know the current conditions of their facilities. Although underground systems can...

A few weeks ago, Hurricane Harvey gushed into the streets of Houston and surrounding areas. It flooded businesses, homes, and schools. But it didn’t stop there. Water leaked from the streets  into the manholes and handholes of underground...

Foreign to our everyday lives above ground, the underground world can be quite mysterious. What lies beneath is unknown and unfamiliar. Twenty-first century urban explorers have begun to uncover findings of underground communities, secret maps,...

The future of communications is rapidly progressing. With high-speed broadband becoming a basic requirement in daily life, extensive changes are being made to regulations and federal deployment plans. Initiatives such as the Connect America Fund...

From utility pole placement requests to calling for faster Internet speeds, consumers are a powerful influence in driving growth within the utility and communications industries. As consumers’ needs expand and change, these industries must...