CS for CS for SB 1592 - Florida Broadband Deployment Act of 2021

• Municipal electric utilities must offer broadband providers a promotional rate of $1 per wireline attachment per pole per year for new attachments serving unserved or underserved areas from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2024.

• Broadband providers must submit applications with route maps to the municipal utility and Office of Broadband identifying which poles and customers qualify for the promotional rate, and must make reasonable efforts to provide service within 12 months or pay prevailing rates.

• All wireline attachments must comply with National Electrical Safety Code standards, and municipalities may adopt stricter safety standards that broadband providers must meet.

• Municipal utilities may require broadband providers to reimburse reasonable replacement costs for utility poles only when necessary for engineering or safety compliance, with "useful life" defined as at least 30 years for wood poles and 50 years for concrete, steel, or iron poles.

• Municipal utilities are prohibited from increasing pole attachment fees for broadband providers between July 1, 2021 and July 31, 2022, and local technology planning teams must assist rural communities with broadband deployment planning and federal grant applications.