COLUMBUS, Ind. — An ordinance making it easier for utility and telecommunications companies to bury lines in the public right-of-way received second and final approval Monday from the Bartholomew County commissioners.
The new ordinance eliminates 33-year-old regulations that required fiber optic cable and other utility lines to be installed within the public right-of-way in a very specific and expensive way, Commissioner Tony London said.
“Basically, this is about the expansion of broadband internet into rural areas,” said London, who also chairs the Bartholomew County Broadband Initiative Committee. “This will drop the costs and lower the hurdles for providers installing fiber optic cable.”
But county attorney Grant Tucker stressed the new ordinance also applies to any utility or individual making a cut or laying a utility within the county’s right of way or across rural roads.
These revised regulations also attempt to streamline the permitting process by allowing the provider to do most of his business with the county highway engineer, commissioners Chairman Larry Kleinhenz said.
“I do believe this will make the process more manageable, and make us a little more attractive (for broadband providers),” Kleinhenz said.
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
