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One-Touch Make-Ready

New requirements per FCC order

PPL Electric Utilities requirements for the provisions of the FCC Order 18-111.

The effective date of Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) Order 18-111 is May 20, 2019. For detailed information regarding the Order, please refer to the FCC's Third Report and Order and Declaratory Ruling released on August 3, 2018.

One-Touch Make-Ready

One-Touch Make-Ready (OTMR) is "simple" communications space work. Simple communications space make-ready involves rearranging communication space cables where there is no reasonable expectation of a service outage or facility damage, no cable splicing and no antennas. If power space make-ready work or work above the communications space is required, OTMR may be applied only after all power space make-ready work is complete.

PPL Electric Utilities contractor requirements for OTMR:

A requesting attaching company must use one of the following approved contractors to complete the OTMR survey work:

  • Davey Resource Group - 207-944-0493
  • Katapult Engineering, Inc. - 717-432-0716

A requesting attaching company must use one of the following approved contractors to complete the OTMR construction work in the communications space:

  • Celerity Integrated Services, Inc. - 215-538-1600
  • IB Abel, Inc. - 717-885-6062
  • Infrasource -264-314-1394

PPL Electric Utilities requirements for OTMR:

  • All applications for OTMR must be submitted through the PPL Electric Utilities Application portal.
  • Approved survey firms are required to use Katapult Pro software for taking photos and obtaining measurements at the pole and mid-span. This will ensure consistency of information provided in the application process and a timely review of application for completeness.
  • Application must identify poles that are "No make-ready", ONLY "simple" communications space make-ready, and poles that will require power space make-ready.
  • Application must include a completed pole loading analysis at each pole location.
  • New attacher can bifurcate work associated with a project on a single application; ; identifying no make-ready work poles, poles with OTMR communication space only make-ready work, and poles with power space make-ready work.
  • Application must have no pole loading issues.
  • Antenna installations do not qualify for OTMR.
  • New attacher to provide advance notice and allow representatives of existing attachers and PPL Electric Utilities to be present when OTMR surveys are performed. This can be accomplished through a virtual walkdown using the photos from the Katapult Pro survey.
  • The survey work must be reviewed and certified by a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Pennsylvania.
  • If the PPL Electric Utilities review and design contractor is different than the approved OTMR survey contractor chosen by the new attacher, an additional per/pole unit rate will be applied to all OTMR communication space poles (no make-ready and simple communications space make-ready poles).
  • For all poles requiring power space make-ready, PPL Electric Utilities will charge the applicant a unit rate per pole for the review and design work.
  • New attacher must provide 15 days prior written notice to PPL Electric Utilities and all affected existing attachers prior to commencing construction activities. Written notice to include:
    1. The date and time of the make-ready construction work.
    2. A description of the make-ready work involved.
    3. A reasonable opportunity to be present when the make-ready work is being performed.
    4. The name of the contractor chosen by the new attacher to perform make-ready work.
  • New attacher must provide notice to PPL Electric Utilities and existing attachers within 15 days of completing OTMR construction.
  • PPL Electric Utilities may conduct a post-construction survey to ensure PPL Electric Utilities Specifications are met.
  • New attacher is required to remediate any damage, code violations, or non-compliant attachments created during the OTMR process within 14 days at their expense.
  • Substandard, careless or bad faith conduct or the failure to comply with PPL Electric Utilities requirements for OTMR may result in ineligibility for OTMR on future applications.