Your Double Poles Are Hiding Lost Revenue

We have drilled it into your head: double utility poles are a liability. They are a safety issue. They cost money. They drain your joint use department's resources. But what if we ended this series on double wood by telling you that they can also be a hidden source of revenue? A benefit wrapped in a detriment wrapped in a bunch of cabling? Who would have thought?

The truth is, hiding in plain sight on that double pole listing over the busy intersection or on those twenty poles long forgotten in a field could be a large amount of potential revenue. Here's how:

Bootleg Bonanza

File this under "if you never look, you will never know." Double utility poles are by and large forgotten souls. Therefore, the process of removal will undoubtedly uncover a few hidden surprises—the best (or worst, depending on your perspective) being a host of illegal attachments. This itself is an opportunity—one to negotiate real, paying contracts with these entities and start a beautiful and profitable new relationship. File that under "how field asset management can do more than save you money—it can make you money."

Back Rent Bonus

From our interaction with joint use departments all over the U.S., big and small, we know that attacher contract negotiation and rent collection is often significantly behind the times. We have observed contracts more than 40 years old—meaning if anyone even remembers they exist, the existing terms are definitely in need of adjustment. When double utility poles are discovered, this often comes into play. Old pole might equal old agreement, plus old rate that needs to be adjusted, or no agreement whatsoever. In all cases, checking out what is on a disused pole is a chance to collect and update records and contracts.

One Final Doubly Important Warning

All of this points back to another issue that double utility poles are simply an indicator of: asset data management processes and procedures in need of update.

Neglecting to clear double poles from the landscape can be indicative of a couple of things, from resource contention to fractured relationships with attachers who simply refuse to move their equipment. But finding bootleg or unknown attachers on double utility poles is also a symptom of a lack of information about what is in the field. Without regular field assessment, thorough field asset management and integrated data assessment, a pole in the field is essentially an island: unseen and unaccounted for.

The moral to this double wood story: detriment sometimes hides benefit—and sometimes it works the other way around.

In this, the year of the double utility pole, why else might you want to clean up your act—and your community's landscape? Download our top 6 reasons to tackle your double poles today.