Untapped opportunity in the joint use challenge
Greg Bennett Vice President of Consulting and Joint Use Services LineSoft Corporation 1942 Musket Court Stone Mountain, GA 30087 Telephone: (770) 493-6470 Fax: (770) 493-6470 E-mail: gbennett@linesoft.com The stage An Historical Perspective Not too long ago, power poles had one purpose-to support the lines and equipment necessary to ensure the reliable flow of electricity to homes and businesses. The desire to "attach" to a pole usually referred to a campaign sign or garage sale flyer. While there was an occasional request from the local cable TV company, these demands were fairly easy to manage-or ignore-with little consequence. This all changed with the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The regulations that have altered the way utilities address pole attachment requests are straightforward: (f) (1) A utility shall provide a cable television system or any telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to any pole, duct, conduit or right-of-way owned or controlled by it. (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a utility providing electric service may deny a cable television system or any telecommunications carrier access to its poles, ducts, conduits, or rights-of-way, on a nondiscriminatory basis where there is insufficient capacity and for reasons of safety, reliability, and generally applicable engineering purposes. Almost overnight, requests for joint-use attachment skyrocketed. In fact, at one electric utility, such requests grew from 1,000 per year to as many as 2,000 per month. In today's era of diminishing resources, it is a rare electric utility that has the necessary staff to successfully manage the ongoing demands of joint use. Striking a balance The stakes are high for owners and applicants alike, and a thorough understanding of both sides of the issue is important to successfully meet the joint use challenge. The Applicants: A Shrinking Window of Financial Opportunity In the wireless world, the competition is fierce and business pressures intense. The mantra among these new players is "First to Market Owns the Market." From their perspective, if they can't get their facilities in the air fast, they probably won't be around to reap the benefits. This new breed of business also has an historical bias against the traditional electric utility. They may be suspicious of an owner's analysis and recommendations for an attachment solution and any associated costs. Most of these organizations have based their business plans on historical electric utility permitting procedures and have not factored in the potential costs of preparing a pole to handle additional attachments - costs that must be borne by the applicant. And after all, anything that takes time will slow down their entry into the market and, subsequently, their potential to generate revenue. The Owners: Maintaining the Integrity of the Infrastructure In the past, attachment has been a relatively simple task for the electric utility - the volume of work was low, the poles were relatively "clean" and responding to requests did not require a significant investment of either time or money. But as the demand for attachment increases, it is more difficult to manage the process using existing procedures. Adding to the challenge, the fast pace of change makes it difficult to maintain an accurate accounting of pole attachments. Without a clear picture of what is happening in the field, it is very difficult to make intelligent decisions about what requests to grant and what adjustments may be necessary to safely accommodate an applicant. Ignoring or unjustifiably denying attachment requests is not an option. The FCC requires that all requests be reviewed and addressed within 45 days. Noncompliance can result in fines, but of even greater concern is the potential threat to public safety and subsequent litigation risk that poorly managed attachments can pose. What's more, attachments can potentially impair the electric utility's ability to deliver electricity, interrupting its revenue stream, and subjecting it to potential regulatory action. The ideal solution What Is the Answer? So how does an owner ensure that attachments are in NESC compliance, are addressed within the timeframe mandated by the FCC, protect public safety, and do not hamper reliable electricity delivery? And how can an applicant be sure that the engineering recommendations of the electric utility are valid - especially if they come with a hefty price tag? Utilities throughout North America are finding that the only efficient and effective way to meet the joint use challenge is by using the right automation tool - one that provides indisputable engineering support and documentation for its recommendations. But equally as important as selecting the right software, is defining the electric utility's joint-use strategy. Does the electric utility have the team of engineers, project managers, and technicians necessary to deliver a complete joint-use solution? Can current staff inspect and analyze structures, plus manage all aspects of reporting, proposal tracking, and billing? An Outsourced Approach Most forward-thinking electric utilities have discovered the value of partnering with companies with strong expertise in joint use analysis. By outsourcing all or many of the tasks associated with joint-use requests, the electric utility can focus its own resources on other tasks required to own and run the business. In other words, the inconsistent volume of requests that creates staffing challenges for electric utilities is solved. In addition, applicants may be more receptive to recommendations coming from an expert third party rather than directly from the electric utility. The ideal solution delivers comprehensive application management, including proposal processing, engineering analysis, and well-founded recommendations. The vendor should work with the electric utility's work management methodology to automatically schedule crews, order materials, track work progress, and provide full results reporting. Using data from the electric utility's electronic maps, combined with field observation, technicians should analyze structure strength and clearances for both existing and proposed attachment conditions. Once verified, the data can be made available to the electric utility's enterprise-wide system. Of primary importance, the electric utility will have the information to assess requests. And with the right information, combined with the right automation tool, the electric utility can create construction plans and estimates, work orders, and timely applicant and agency compliance notification. Key Factors of a Solution Whether used by the electric utility's internal staff or a third party, effective tools are required to support the joint use process. The electric utility's joint-use software tool should perform strength and clearance analysis on existing and proposed facilities as well as support field analysis. It should identify ramifications of adding proposed changes, evaluate proposed changes in compliance with existing standards and codes, and supply all the data needed to make solid, engineering-based structure decisions - unarguable and documented decisions that are supported by engineering calculations. The tool would ideally provide a means to visually inspect and confirm the situation in the field. A palmtop or laptop computer would ensure a completely mobile solution that lets technicians confirm data onsite, and quickly enter and re-analyze corrected data for up-tothe- minute results. Functionally, the tool should facilitate ease of use (easy to see/easy to fix), support data acquisition (GIS, existing records, digital images, etc.), identify attachee percentage of use for determining percentage of cost, apply all applicable codes and standards, and identify and solve out-of-compliance conditions. The following are additional features to consider when evaluating joint-use software: Map-based Structure Analysis and Modeling The application should deliver results in both tabular and graphical formats. A utilization report showing the percent of pole, guy and anchor capacity used by each attachment, as well as deflection, shear and moment diagrams for each structure under all load cases should be available on the spot. Additionally, the technician should be able to take digital images of the structure, copy the photos to the application, and associate the photos with the data record as visual documentation for future reference. Map-based Clearance Analysis and Modeling A "profile view" should display the position of each cable and conductor on each pole in a branch under multiple load conditions. The system should also display a user-defined ground clearance line for each span. Clearance violations should be quickly and easily identified, and a solution modeled and documented. Structure Analysis Field analysts should be able to measure, define, and analyze single, non-mapped structures with precision. Users should be able to input structure details, and using electric utility and agency standards, evaluate pole loads using the same advanced techniques applied to mapbased structures, guys and anchors. Poles should be inspected and analyzed, and remedies identified on-the-spot. All analysis should be performed using electric utility-defined loading conditions, construction grades, wind directions, soil classes, fiber stress reduction factor, and required ground clearance. Generate Remedies and Estimates Work sketches should display remedies along with the section of map where the work is required. The software should produce quick cost estimates for all required work. A summary report should display all project results, remedies, and estimates. Joint use in action Two major Midwest utilities currently outsource joint-use concerns to LineSoft Corporation. Columbus, Ohio In Columbus, LineSoft's joint-use team is responsible for handling all non-regulated attachments associated with 300,000 poles. This includes data acquisition, field evaluation, structural analysis, creation of remedies, solving clearance and structural problems (e.g., adjusting conductors, replacing or adding poles, or adding guys and anchors), and all make-ready work orders according to the electric utility's engineering standards. The team ensures that pole attachment applications are processed in a timely, responsive manner and that they meet the 45-day turnaround requirement. Applicants' needs and timelines are met, while the electric utility adheres to strict electric utility and NESC guidelines for attachment. During 1999, a team of 23 LineSoft engineers and technicians evaluated more than 30,000 poles for permits, and performed make-ready work orders on more than 8,000 poles. They process an average of approximately 2,000 poles per month. Kansas City, Kansas In Kansas City, the LineSoft joint-use team is responsible for handling all applications for proposed attachments. Tasks include field evaluation, structural analysis, and all makeready work according to the electric utility's engineering standards. The consulting team ensures the application process proceeds smoothly and that electric utility guidelines are adhered to throughout the joint-use proposal application process. This role is one of an equal partner and team member working in tandem with electric utility staff members. The consultant oversees the entire business process, ensuring that risk management and safety objectives are met, engineering quality and consistency is ensured, litigation risk to the electric utility is reduced, and profitability objectives are realized. Conclusion By identifying exactly who uses what portion of total pole strength, the vendor should be able to recommend the best course of action. The electric utility is then able to defend its decision, state the ramifications of attachment, and equitably apportion the cost of the facility upgrade. The applicant will clearly understand the consequences and costs of adding load to the pole. The regulatory agency's requirements are met. And the electric utility maintains the integrity of its infrastructure, ensuring public safety, minimizing liability, and ensuring service delivery for its customers. | ||
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