An Act to Facthtate the Expansion of Broadband
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1456
Committee Amendment CA_A_S336 (Senate)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" f} "to SP 574, L D 1456, "An Act to Facthtate the 
Expansion of Broadband" 
Amend the bill by stnkmg out the title and substitutmg the followmg 
'Resolve, to Study the Effect of Current Laws and Rules on the Expansion of 
Broadband' 
Amend the bill by stnkmg out everythmg after the title and msertmg the followmg 
'Sec. 1. Public Ut1hties Comm1ss1on study. Resolved: That the Public Utihttes 
Commission, m consultat10n with the Mame Connectivity Authonty, established m the 
Mame Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 9404, shall study current pole attachment laws 
and rules and the effects of those laws and rules on broadband expansion through pubhc 
networks, private networks or pubhc-pnvate partneiships The study must mcorpmate 
mput and analysis from the Interagency Broadband Workmg Group, which is a workmg 
group led by the Mame Connectivity Authority, and mclude 
I An exammat10n of the average tune mvolved for each stage of pole make-ready 
work, as defined m Title 35-A, section 2524, subsection 1, paragraph A, mcludmg the time 
for Jomt use pole owners to approve new attachments for tax-exempt mumcipahttes and 
pnvate compames, and ways to decrease or standardize wait times for attachments, 
Usmg readily available mformation to the extent possible, mcludmg pole data that 
may be available m the electromc pole attachment management system, an estimate of the 
number of utility poles statewide that could accommodate mumcipal facthty attachments 
without the need to replace the pole and an assessment of comphance with Title 35-A, 
sect10n 2524, subsection 2, 
An assessment of the effectiveness of the commission's enforcement practices fm 
timely relocation or removal of utility poles that are funct10nally obsolete, that are m 
v10lation of requrrements of the federal Amencans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or that 
obstruct current or future mumcipal mfrastructure, and 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" 11 "to s p 574, L D 1456 C.s ~ 3~ 
: 4 A review of the commiss10n' s current educational resources regardmg the rights of 
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mu~ucipahties and other entitles to attach to shared-use poles and the availability of the 
commiss10n's dispute resolution process, mcludmg the effectiveness of such resources 
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IBy February 15, 2024, the commission shall submit an mitrnl report to the Jomt 
Standmg Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology descnbmg the findmgs of the 
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commission and the commission's progress toward addressmg each of the elements of the 
study and any recommendations, mcludmg proposed legislat1on, resultmg from the study 
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After reviewmg the mitial report, the Jomt standmg committee may report out a bill relatmg 
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to the report to the Second Regular Sess10n of the 131 st Legislature By December 1, 2024, 
the fOmmission shall submit a final report to the JO mt standmg committee of the Legislature 
havmg Jurisdiction over utility matters mcludmg findmgs and any recommendations, 
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mclµdmg proposed legislation, resultmg from the study After i eviewmg the final rep011, 
the committee may report out a bill to the 132nd Legislature m 2025' 
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!Amend the bill by relettenng or renumbermg any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
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nm11-ber to read consecutively 
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SUMMARY 
[his amendment replaces the bill with a resolve that d1rects the Public Utihties 
Commission to study current pole attachment laws and rules and the effect of those laws 
and !rules on mumcipal broadband expansion, mstead of studymg methods of promotmg 
mumcipal broadband expansion through a hmited-penod reduction m pole attachment rates 
for ijroadband providers that agree to deliver new high-speed Internet service at affordable 
rates The study must mclude a ieview of each stage of the pole make-ready p10cess, an 
estuil.ate of the number of utility poles statewide that could accommodate mumcipal facihty 
attadhments without the need to replace the pole, an assessment of the comimssion' s 
enfo~cement practices and related laws applicable to utility poles and a review of the 
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commission's current educat10nal resources related to pole attachments and the 
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effe~tiveness of those i esources The amendment reqmres the commission to submit an 
mittal report of the study by February 15, 2024 and reqmres a final report to be submitted 
to th
1e Jomt standmg committee of the Legislature havmg Junsdiction over utility matters 
by ~ecember 1, 2024 
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FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
( 
Approved 06/12/23 feae. 
LD 1456 
LR 1208(02) 
An Act to Facilitate the Expans10n of Broadband 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment "tf { $·~ 
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology 
Fiscal Note Reqmred: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Mmor cost mcrease - Other Special Revenue Funds 
Any addit10nal costs to the Pubhc Utilities Commiss10n or the Mame Connectivity Authonty from the provis10ns of 
this bill are expected to be mmor and can be absorbed withm existmg budgeted resources 
LR1208(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1