Comcast, Georgia town settle utility pole dispute

When the term cable infrastructure is tossed about these days, it's generally in reference to some element in a state-of-the-art computer-driven broadband system.

A recently resolved dispute between Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) and Chickamauga, Ga., however, revisits the need for grassroots infrastructure in cable system operations. In this case, the dispute revolved around the age-old problem of pole attachment fees and how much Comcast should pay.

According to a story in Northwest Georgia News, Chickamauga was close to shutting down Comcast's access before "back-and-forth" negotiations resulted in an annual rate per pole accessed from $7.04 to $16.50 along with a retroactive payment for 2012 through 2014. All totaled, the new fees put $4,000 in annual revenue into the city's coffers and $9,539 for the retro monies.

Additionally, Comcast pays about $50,000 in franchise fees.

For more:
- read this Northwest Georgia News story

Related articles:
Google Fiber: Title II reclassification could ease access to utility poles, rights-of-way
NCTA to FCC: Google can already attach to utility poles without Title II
Competitive providers get creative in local permitting processes