The Federal Communications Commission has ruled in favor of internet service provider Comcast in a dispute with Appalachian Power over the cost of utility pole replacement.
Comcast, one of the ISPs receiving federal dollars to deliver broadband to Virginians who lack access, filed a complaint against the utility company in November 2025, after Appalachian began charging full price up front to replace poles that were not suitable for new attachments.
The FCC, in an order issued last week, said that both the Communications Act of 1934 and FCC rules prevent utilities from charging the full replacement price “when a pole already fails to comply with existing safety or engineering standards.”
An FCC news release called the Feb. 5 order the first of its kind, resulting from its new Accelerated Docket process to deliver pole attachment complaint reviews within 60 days of a complaint, “in order to speed the deployment of broadband services to American households and businesses.”
The commission’s action “helps resolve a dispute that had slowed down and would have added deployment costs” for Virginia projects funded under the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment, or BEAD, program, the FCC said.
Comcast argued that it should not bear any cost for issues that existed before it applied for a pole attachment. Some poles are too short for the additional load, and others have safety violations that existed before the internet company made its requests.
In its opinion, the FCC wrote that it made a rule in 2019 forbidding a utility from holding ISPs responsible for such issues.
“Comcast is obligated to pay only the incremental increase in the costs of a stronger and/or taller pole needed to enable its new attachment, not the full costs of a pole replacement,” the commission ruled.
Comcast’s complaint is connected to the federal BEAD program, under which the internet provider told the FCC it was awarded $126 million to connect 13,000 locations in Virginia.
“Comcast currently estimates that it will need to access thousands of [Appalachian]-owned utility poles” for its BEAD-funded operations in Virginia, according to the opinion. According to information the state’s Office of Broadband provided last year, Comcast will connect 2,080 Montgomery County connections and 930 in Lynchburg, among other locations.
Innovation hub expanding in South Boston
The SOVA Innovation Hub in South Boston has begun renovation to expand its downtown campus.
Work began in late January on The Hub @ 801, which a news release called a major expansion of its downtown South Boston campus. When finished, the project will extend the SOVA hub’s footprint beyond its flagship building at 715 Wilborn Ave. It includes a full renovation of the adjacent 12,000-square-foot property at 801 Wilborn Ave., formerly the South Boston Fire Company Support Center.
The renovation will expand the SOVA Innovation Hub’s capacity to serve entrepreneurs, students, businesses and community members across Southern Virginia, according to the news release. It will feature coworking spaces, private offices and two large meeting rooms that can be combined into a 148-capacity event space.
A podcast studio, a fabrication laboratory, a regional makerspace and a digital fabrication facility are included in the plans. Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission and Mid‑Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation are providing some renovation funding. Microsoft and GO Virginia Region 3 are providing funds for fabrication lab equipment and potential startups.
Get more information and project updates at www.sovainnovationhub.com.