Current processing timelines exceed what surrounding states and FCC timelines look like.

May 28, 2026 – Telecommunications trade groups are pushing back against proposed Massachusetts pole attachment rules, warning state regulators that lengthy timelines and weak enforcement mechanisms could slow broadband deployment and jeopardize federal funding opportunities.

The debate centers on a proposed rulemaking underway at the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and Department of Telecommunications and Cable to modernize the state’s pole attachment framework. 

Under Section 224 of the Communications Act, the Federal Communications Commission regulates pole attachments unless a state chooses to oversee the process itself. Massachusetts is one of several “reverse preemption” states that administers its own pole attachment rules rather than relying on federal oversight.