TVA seeks to regulate fee structure for pole attachments

Bill Stone, general manager of the Holly Springs Utility Department, recently introduced to the mayor and board of aldermen a Tennessee Valley Authority move to regulate pole attachment fees.

This would counteract a possible state level grab for the role in regulating fees for cable, AT&T and others that rent space on utility poles.

“So, the Public Service Commission and the Legislature would not be able to come in and regulate it,” he told the board, if TVA were granted regulatory power by the electricity distributors in its certificated boundary.

Stone said joining with TVA could help HSUD in collecting pole rental fees from such businesses as MaxxSouth. The contracts have to be renegotiated, Stone said. But the TVA model would be recouping a proportional share of the pole costs.

Alderman Christy Owens said the city’s voice in pole rental rates seems to be weakened.

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