CS/CS/HB 1239 (Tomkow) and CS/CS/SB 1592 (Burgess) require municipal electric utilities, through July 1, 2024, to offer broadband providers a discounted rate of one dollar per attachment per year for any new pole necessary to make broadband service available to an unserved or underserved consumer within the utility’s service territory.

The bills provide terms for these discounted attachments. The bills also provide safety and reliability standards for pole attachments and specify each party’s responsibility for costs associated with replacement poles. CS/CS/HB 1239 also creates a program within the Florida Office of Broadband to award grants, subject to appropriation, to applicants who seek to install or deploy infrastructure that expands broadband service to unserved areas.

 (Hughes)