ACA Asks FCC To Leave Pole Attachment Fee As Is

American Cable Association President Matt Polka says that cable utility companies are not subsidizing cable service and that the Federal Communications Commission should reject a petition by a quartet of those companies asking it to increase pole attachment fees. "Requiring cable providers to pay higher pole attachment fees simply because they now offer digital phone service over their lines would drive up the cost of advanced cable services for consumers and slow the pace of broadband deployment across rural areas where costs already run higher than average for small, independent cable operators," ACA said in comments to the FCC. The FCC is currently deciding how to classify Voice over Internet Protocal phone service as well as collecting comments on the utility company request for a ruling. Last month, American Electric Power Service Corporation (AEP), Duke Energy Corporation, Southern Company, and Xcel Energy Services asked the FCC to make cable operators pay the telecom rate for pole attachments, rather than the cable rate, which is lower, arguing the higher rate was justified because VOIP is the functional equivalent of traditional phone service.