Massachusetts legislation · 194th General Court
Massachusetts H3487: An Act establishing a special commission to investigate double utility poles
Status: In committee, April 9, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, February 27, 2025:
SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a special commission to investigate and study the use of so-called double poles. The commission shall consider identifying how many double poles exist and the length of time each has been in place, the reason why such double poles have been in place for such time, and the process and timeline by which existing utility poles are removed following the transfer of attached services to a new pole. The commission shall also consider and may make recommendations on how best to enforce the provisions of Section 34B of Chapter 164 of the General Laws concerning the timely removal of double poles, investigate whether the current timeline for removing such poles is reasonable and adequate, investigate how to address barriers to remove such poles, investigate increasing utilization, improving functionality of attachment management systems (e.g., the National Joint Utilities Notification System (NJUNS), and identifying solutions to resolve communication issues among all parties, unlicensed attachments on utility poles and requirements that providers promptly register such attachments, the legal liability and potential use of indemnification agreements to facilitate the removal of abandoned attachments, whether or not certain costs may be recovered from ratepayers, and the promulgation of regulations by the Department of Public Utilities and Department of Telecommunications and Cable …
Sponsors
- Carole Fiola (D) · primary sponsor
- Homar Gómez (D)
- John Marsi (R, 6th Worcester)
- Jacob Oliveira (D)
- Steven Xiarhos (R, 5th Barnstable)
Latest actions
- : Discharged to the committee on House Rules
- : Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Rules of the two branches, acting concurrently
- : Accompanied by H3975
- : Reporting date extended to Wednesday, March 18, 2026
- : Reporting date extended to Wednesday, December 3, 2025
- : Hearing scheduled for 06/04/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2
- : Senate concurred
- : Referred to the committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy
Votes
- Committee Vote - Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (March 17, 2026): 11 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is H3487?
- H3487 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act establishing a special commission to investigate double utility poles.
- What is the status of H3487?
- In committee as of April 9, 2026. Latest action: Discharged to the committee on House Rules (April 9, 2026).
- Who sponsored H3487?
- Carole Fiola (D), with 4 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for H3487?
- On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H3487
Source: official Massachusetts record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.