Parkersburg News and Sentinel

The West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) is taking the side of an internet service provider in a dispute over who pays for pole replacements when adding broadband attachments. In an order issued July 28, the PSC prohibited Appalachian Power from enforcing a “pre-existing violation” policy to place the cost of repairs or replacement of utility poles on internet service providers, instead of the electric utility that owns the poles. Appalachian Power has cited its pre-existing violation policy when issues are discovered with the pole or prior attachments to the pole during make-ready

Since the connectivity summit held in Marietta (OH) last July, the plight of Appalachian broadband deserts has caught the attention of lawmakers in Washington D.C. “At this time the Citizen’s Connectivity Committee is particularly interested in four of the most recent bills,” noted Liz Shaw, organizer of the Appalachian Ohio-West Virginia Connectivity Summit and Town Hall held at Washington State Community College and Marietta High School in 2017.