AN ACT CONCERNING REPORTING OF DOUBLE UTILITY POLES.

Senate
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General Assembly File No. 471
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 421

Senate, April 7, 2026

The Committee on Energy and Technology reported through
SEN. NEEDLEMAN of the 33rd Dist., Chairperson of the
Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill
ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING REPORTING OF DOUBLE UTILITY POLES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section 1
and section 2 of this act: 2
(1) "Public utility pole" means a pole, including a portion of a pole, 3
owned by a telephone company or an electric distribution company that 4
is used to support wires for (A) the distribution of electricity, (B) 5
telecommunications services, as defined in section 16 -247a of the 6
general statutes, or (C) the lighting of streets or sidewalks; 7
(2) "Double utility poles" means a replacement public utility pole 8
built or installed alongside, or attached to, an existing public utility pole, 9
or a portion of an existing public utility pole, for the purpose of 10
transferring the wires from the existing utility pole to the replacement 11
utility pole, provided the existing public utility pole, including any 12
portion of such utility pole, has not been removed after the installation 13
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of the replacement utility pole; 14
(3) "Electric distribution company" has the same meaning as 15
provided in section 16-1 of the general statutes; 16
(4) "Telephone company" has the same meaning as provided in 17
section 16-1 of the general statutes; and 18
(5) "User" means any person or entity, except for an electric 19
distribution company, a telephone company, a municipality or a 20
political subdivision of a municipality, that maintains equipment of any 21
sort on a public utility pole. 22
(b) The owner of any public utility pole, or the owner's agent, shall 23
deliver written notice of any removal and replacement work concerning 24
such utility pole to each user of such utility pole not less than seventy -25
two hours (1) before the starting date of any such work if such work is 26
planned, or (2) after such work is completed if such work was 27
unplanned and necessary to correct a hazardous condition on an 28
emergency basis. Such notice shall describe the location of the public 29
utility pole, the nature of the work completed or to be completed, the 30
date upon which such work was completed or is to be completed and 31
the date and method of delivery of such notice. 32
(c) Each user of a public utility pole that receives notice of work 33
pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall transfer its equipment 34
from the existing public utility pole to the replacement public utility 35
pole not later than fifteen days after receiving such notice. Upon the 36
completion of the work to transfer equipment pursuant to this 37
subsection, the user shall provide written notice to the owner of such 38
utility pole that such work has been completed. 39
(d) If a user fails to complete the work required to transfer the user's 40
equipment in the time required under subsection (c) of this section, the 41
owner of the public utility pole, or the owner's agent, may complete 42
such work on the user's behalf. Such owner or owner's agent may 43
submit a bill to such user based on the prevailing rate of wages 44
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established pursuant to section 31-53 of the general statutes for any such 45
work completed on behalf of such user. 46
(e) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, a user 47
that fails to transfer the user's equipment to a replacement public utility 48
pole in compliance with subsection (c) of this section shall be in violation 49
of this section. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority may impose, 50
by order of the authority, a civil penalty not to exceed one hundred 51
dollars for each violation of subsection (c) of this section, and in the case 52
of a continued violation, each day thereof shall be deemed a separate 53
violation. The authority shall impose any such civil penalty in 54
accordance with the procedure established in section 16 -41 of the 55
general statutes. 56
(2) The authority shall impose no penalty on a user pursuant to this 57
subsection if (A) the user of a public utility pole was prevented from 58
completing the transfer of such user's equipment due solely to a 59
municipality's failure to timely remove or transfer any equipment 60
owned by such municipality or a political subdivision of the 61
municipality, or (B) the owner of a public utility pole, or the owner's 62
agent, completes any work required to transfer such user's equipment 63
pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. 64
(f) (1) An electric distribution company or telephone company that 65
removes a public utility pole, including any portion of such a utility 66
pole, and installs a replacement public utility pole shall complete the 67
transfer of any wires or equipment owned by the electric distribution 68
company or telephone company and the removal of the public utility 69
pole that was replaced not later than fifteen days after such company 70
receives notice from each user of such pole that each user has completed 71
the transfer work required by the user pursuant to subsection (c) of this 72
section. 73
(2) An electric distribution company or telephone company that fails 74
to transfer such company's equipment to a replacement public utility 75
pole, and remove the public utility pole that was replaced, in 76
compliance with subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be in violation 77
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of this section. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority may impose, 78
by order of the authority, a civil penalty not to exceed one hundred 79
dollars for each violation of this subsection, and in the case of a 80
continued violation, each day thereof shall be deemed a separate 81
violation. The authority shall impose any such civil penalty in 82
accordance with the procedure established in section 16 -41 of the 83
general statutes. 84
(g) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall remit the amount 85
of any civil penalty collected pursuant to this section or section 2 of this 86
act to the Commissioner of Social Services for the purpose of providing 87
funding for the Connecticut energy assistance program administered by 88
the commissioner pursuant to section 17b-2 of the general statutes. 89
(h) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority may adopt regulations, 90
in accordance with chapter 54 of the general statutes, to implement the 91
provisions of this section and section 2 of this act. 92
Sec. 2. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) (a) On and after October 1, 93
2026, the owner of any public utility pole shall compile and maintain a 94
list of any double utility poles owned or maintained by such owner or 95
such owner's agent that have existed for not less than thirty days. Such 96
owner shall provide such list to the Public Utilities Regulatory 97
Authority upon the authority's request. 98
(b) Not later than October 1, 2027, the owner of any double utility 99
poles, or the owner's agent, shall undertake any work necessary to 100
eliminate such double utility poles. Any owner that fails to eliminate 101
such double utility poles on or before October 1, 2027, shall be in 102
violation of this section. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority may 103
impose, by order of the authority, a civil penalty not to exceed one 104
hundred dollars for each violation of this section, and in the case of a 105
continued violation, each day thereof shall be deemed a separate 106
violation. The authority shall impose any such civil penalty in 107
accordance with the procedure established in section 16 -41 of the 108
general statutes. 109
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2026 New section

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(e)(1), a reference to "subsection (b)" was changed to
"subsection (c)", for accuracy.

ET Joint Favorable Subst.

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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Social Services, Dept. GF - Revenue
Gain
Minimal Minimal
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill creates a process for public utility pole users and owners to
transfer their wires and equipment from existing poles to replacement
poles and then remove double utility poles, which does not result in a
cost to the state or municipalities.
The bill also imposes a civil penalty of up to $100 for each day that a
utility pole user or owner remains in violation of the bill’s requirements
under various circumstances. It is anticipated that this will result in a
minimal revenue gain to the Department of Social Services (DSS), which
the bill requires be used to support the Connecticut Energy Assistance
Program (commonly known as LIHEAP).
Rate Payer Impact
The bill could potentially achieve savings for electric customers, to
the extent it results in costs caused by pole users to be appropriately
allocated to those entities, rather than electric distribution companies.
The amount of savings is indeterminate and will be based on a number
of factors outside the immediate scope of the bill.
The Out Years
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The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to the number of civil violations and the
revenue collected.

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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 421

AN ACT CONCERNING REPORTING OF DOUBLE UTILITY POLES.

SUMMARY
This bill generally creates a process, including notice requirements,
deadlines, and penalties, for public utility pole user s and owners to
transfer their wires and equipment from existing poles to replacement
poles and then remove double utility poles (where the existing pole and
its replacement are alongside or attached to each other) by October 1,
2027.
Under the bill, a “public utility pole” is a pole or portion of it that is
owned by a telephone company or an electric distribution company
(EDC; Eversource or United Illuminating) and used to support wires for
distributing electricity, telecommunications services, or street or
sidewalk lighting. A “user” is any person or entity that maintains
equipment on a public utility pole, except for an EDC, t elephone
company, municipality, or municipality’s political subdivision.
The bill allows the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority ( PURA) to
adopt regulations to implement its provisions.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
REQUIREMENTS AND PENALTIES
Notice Requirement
The bill requires a public utility pole’s owner or agent to deliver to
each of the pole’s users written notice about any removal and
replacement work for the pole. The notice must be delivered at least 72
hours (1) before the work on the pole start s (if the work is planned) or
(2) after the work is completed (if it was unplanned and ne eded to
correct a hazardous condition on an emergency basis). The notice must
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describe the pole’s location, the nature of the work, the expected or
actual completion date, as applicable, and the notice’s date and method
of delivery.
User Requirement to Transfer Equipment
The bill requires each notified user to transfer its equipment from the
existing pole to the replacement pole within 15 days after receiving the
notice. Upon completing the transfer, the user must notify the pole’s
owner in writing.
If a user fails to complete the transfer within the 15 days, the bill
allows the pole’s owner, or its agent, to complete the transfer work on
the user’s behalf and bill the user for the work based on the prevailing
wage rates set in the state’s prevailing wage law.
Pole Owner’s Removal and Replacement Work
The bill requires an EDC or telephone company that removes and
replaces a public utility pole, including any portion of one, to finish
transferring any wires or equipment it owns and remove the replaced
pole within 15 days after it receives notice from each of the pole’s users
that they have completed the transfer work as required by the bill.
Double Utility Poles
Starting on October 1, 2026, the bill requires the owner of any public
utility pole to compile and maintain a list of any double utility poles it
(or its agent) owns or maintains that have existed for at least 30 days.
The owner must give the list to PURA upon request.
Under the bill, a “double utility pole” is a replacement public utility
pole built or installed alongside, or attached to, an existing public utility
pole, or a portion of one, for transferring the wires from the existing pole
to the replacement, when the existing utility pole or any portion of it has
not been removed after the installation of the replacement.
The bill requires any double utility pole owner, or its agent, to
perform any work needed to remove its double utility poles by October
1, 2027.
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Enforcement
The bill generally allows PURA to issue an order imposing a civil
penalty of up to $100 for each day that a utility pole user or owner
remains in violation of the bill’s requirements (for users to transfer their
equipment, and owners to transfer their equipment and remove
replaced poles and double poles). The bill requires PURA to (1) impose
the penalties under its statutory procedure for issuing civil penalties and
(2) remit the collected penalties to the social service s commissioner to
help fund the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program.
However, the bill prohibits PURA from imposing a civil penalty on a
utility pole user if the (1) user was prevented from completing the
transfer work solely because of a municipality’s failure to timely remove
or transfer any equipment it (or its political subdivision) owns (the bill
does not specify a deadline for a municipality to complete this transfer)
or (2) pole’s owner or agent completed the transfer work for the user as
allowed by the bill.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Energy and Technology Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 19 Nay 7 (03/19/2026)