Dos & Don'ts of Pole Attachments / Part 2

We’re back this month with the second set of important Dos and Don’ts of pole attachment audits. And how exactly does stale moldy bread relate to pole attachments? Read on to find out!

In addition to these tips, we’ve also shared with you 7 steps to a successful pole attachment audit and answered 6 FAQs of pole attachment audits. Have a comment or question about what you read? Reach out to us!

Also, review Part 1 here!

DO Request Mapping Info from Attachers; DON’T Wait for Perfect Information

When beginning a pole attachment audit, our objective is to treat all parties like clients (after all, everyone is contributing to the cost) and to provide valuable, accurate information to all parties. Collecting existing mapping data is a great way to further this cause. However, sometimes the data is not available, not able to be released for proprietary reasons, or simply outdated.

While it is worth making an effort to gather mapping data, it is not worth stalling a project timeline to wait on additional information.

DO Treat All Parties Like Customers (and expect them to pay like customers)

As mentioned above, it is industry standard for all parties to contribute to the cost of a pole attachment audit. After all, the audit would not be necessary for the pole owner to conduct if other parties were not using their assets OR if those attachers notified and documented every attachment they made to the pole owner’s pole.

So, if all parties are expected to contribute to the cost, all parties should receive their desired deliverable – this is simply a matter of fairness. Paying customers deserve to be treated like paying customers.

DO Offer Timely Data; DON’T Offer Real-Time Data

Don’t let your data get stale! Conditions in the field change rapidly, so use your valuable data in a timely fashion.

Like bread, data is best when consumed fresh.

Data becomes less useful as it ages. Things happen in the field. Conditions change. People forget. Poles get hit by cars. For these reasons and many others, it is important to deliver (and act on) data in a timely way.

However, the trend of real-time data that has taken over so many aspects of reporting, from news channels to power outages, sometimes does not add value Data is often reported inaccurately at first and subject to revision and correction. Pole attachment audits are not automated processes – a human inspector is still the safest and most cost-effective way to trace a line, discover an undocumented attacher, or “sleuth” out the owner of a mysterious pole top attachment. Unfortunately, humans also make mistakes. Data requires review for quality assurance.

Pole attachment audits are typically conducted once every 3-5 years to ensure accurate annual billing. There is nothing about this data that screams “real-time,” and providing un-reviewed data in real-time only serves to create unnecessary questions that will be resolved through the quality assurance process. This will slow the overall data delivery process and weaken trust between organizations. It is far better to take the time required to review data and deliver it right, rather than delivering it immediately and wrong.

DO Get More Data Than You Need; DON’T Make Two Trips to the Pole

While this may seem in conflict with the advice above not to throw in the kitchen sink, the same criteria apply. Is it cost-effective? If there is some data that is “on the fence” – for instance, it might be applicable for a billing agreement with one party and not others – it is far more cost-effective to collect this data, even in circumstances where it is not needed, and exclude it from the billing tabulations later, than to omit needed data and have to return to the field to complete the record.

This principle of “starting with the end in mind” should guide inspection design early in the process and will save much pain and frustration later.