Power Struggle: Comcast and Appalachian Power fight again over broadband pole attachment charges

CHARLESTON – Once again, a major telecommunications company is taking on one of West Virginia’s two electric utilities over the issue of unfair charges for attaching new broadband to poles. Attorneys for Comcast Cable Communications last week filed a pole attachment complaint against Appalachian Power with the Federal Communications Commission. The dispute centers on pole attachment fees, with Comcast alleging that Appalachian Power is flouting a prior 2026 FCC order by charging arbitrary percentages for infrastructure replacements. Comcast argues that it should only be responsible for the incremental costs specifically required for its new equipment,…