Frequently asked questions

An annual program fee, set below the owner’s expected maintenance and replacement costs over a comparable period. PoleCo funds the accelerated work with its own capital and carries the execution and cost risk, so an unpredictable cost becomes an agreed one. Individual results vary based on fleet condition and program scope.

PoleCo funds best⁠-⁠in⁠-⁠class inspection, treatment, and restoration up front and on an accelerated basis. Treating or restoring a pole costs a fraction of replacing it, and restoring a pole can extend its life by decades, so spending earlier means spending less in total over time. Recording every attachment and billing at the rates regulators allow also earns more from the same poles. Over the life of the program, those savings and incremental revenues help fund the work and allow us to offer an annual program fee below each owner’s expected maintenance and replacement costs.

Owners can receive value through upfront capital, a lower annual program fee, or a combination depending on their needs. Owners may direct upfront capital toward priorities such as storm hardening, vegetation management, or customer affordability. The mix between upfront capital and a lower annual program fee is tailored to your objectives and agreed during the assessment.

Programs are long⁠-⁠term by design, measured in decades. A long horizon is what justifies investing early, and it ties our success to the long⁠-⁠term condition of the network rather than any single year’s budget.

No. PoleCo provides capital, but the value comes from managing and doing the work differently: front⁠-⁠loaded, condition⁠-⁠led maintenance and dedicated joint⁠-⁠use management. Financing alone does not extend pole life or collect revenue on all attachments.

PoleCo funds and manages the pole program: inspection, treatment, restoration and reinforcement, replacement planning and delivery, and joint use administration. You retain full access to and operational control of your network, set the program’s goals and service levels, and maintain oversight through agreed audit rights and performance reporting.

Osmose Utilities Services, PoleCo’s exclusive partner, performs inspection, treatment, restoration, and joint⁠-⁠use field work. Qualified line contractors perform pole replacements, with Osmose identifying and managing those contractors.

Pole owners keep approval rights over new attachers, as set out in each program agreement. PoleCo manages the application, engineering, and administrative process within the agreed program.

Your crews remain focused on operating the network, maintaining service, and responding to emergencies. PoleCo takes responsibility for the pole maintenance and joint⁠-⁠use work that often competes with those priorities. If you would like your existing crews to continue performing certain program activities, we define those roles together.

Yes, end to end. Together with Osmose, we audit every pole, bring unauthorized and non⁠-⁠compliant attachments to standard, manage agreements, billing, and collections, process applications, and deliver make⁠-⁠ready engineering through qualified engineering resources. We also collect and retain the joint use revenue, which helps fund the program.

Attachers continue to pay the rates regulators allow under their agreements. What changes is the quality of administration: one accountable point of contact, accurate records, applications processed on time, and make⁠-⁠ready engineering delivered by best⁠-⁠in⁠-⁠class engineering resources.

With an assessment of the network’s condition, the cost of owning and maintaining it today, and the status of every attachment. That assessment shapes the program and its terms.