In a unanimous vote, the FCC on Thursday approved a one-touch make-ready (OTMR) order for attaching new broadband equipment to utility poles.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said that the new policy will help accelerate broadband deployment and competition, as well as substantially lower the cost for broadband work on utility poles.

OTMR enables new providers, like Google Fiber for example, that want to attach to a utility pole to move all of the wires and equipment in order to prepare the pole in as little as one visit or one “touch.”  Previously, the provider would have had to wait and pay for each existing attacher to move equipment and wires already in place, potentially requiring multiple crews from multiple companies to work on the same pole over what could be months.

“It’s a bit like having to go to the grocery, the dry cleaner, and the bank. The slow way to do this would be to visit each business but return home each time,” Pai said in a statement. “The rational thing we all do is to do each errand, one after the other, all on one trip. That’s essentially what OTMR is.”

Still, OTMR won’t apply to more complicated attachments or situations with greater safety risks, such as attachments located high on a pole.  

The policy also “makes clear” that states and local governments are not to impose moratoria on broadband deployment.  

“There may be many reasonable ways local governments can regulate network deployments in their jurisdiction, but blocking competition and better services for American consumers is not one of them,” Pai said.

Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel agreed with speeding up pole attachments, but dissented in part, saying there was not enough clarity about important details, which would ultimately slow broadband deployment.

The agency’s action received praise from CenturyLink, which said OTMR will help lower deployment costs.  

“CenturyLink applauds the FCC, under the leadership of Chairman Pai, for taking much needed steps to reduce pole attachment costs that can be a barrier to network investment,” said David Bartlett, CenturyLink VP of federal government affairs, in a statement. “Obtaining parity in the pole attachment fees paid by different broadband providers will help lower broadband deployment costs and encourage providers to make consumer-focused network investments.”