Malibu to press governor on undergrounding utility lines
The city says telecom and cable companies refuse to bury lines even as Edison undergrounds power lines paid for by ratepayers.
By Hans Laetz
Malibu is also asking the governor to take action against the communication companies that are ignoring local requests to put their overhead cables underground.
Many residents are infuriated that companies like AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Crown Castle refuse to put their lines underground at the same time that Southern California Edison is putting its big powerlines underground. SCE is getting paid by ratepayers to do that undergrounding.
The cellular companies, the cable companies, the wireless companies are not required to underground — meaning any such cost comes out of their profits. No incentive whatsoever.
Malibu is asking for the state to take action. The city points out that these poles burn and collapse, or get hit and collapse, blocking traffic.
During the Palisades Fire, fire trucks were unable to drive up to Big Rock community because fallen telecommunications wires were blocking the roadway. A fallen pole blocked access to the upper Las Flores Mesa, and two homes burned the following day because emergency access had been compromised.
During Woolsey, fire trucks were blocked from using Kanan Dume Road for days because communications lines were blocking the critical access route.
The city wants the governor to explore the use of emergency funding mechanisms, or public-private partnerships, to get those lines underground.
The letter to the governor will be debated by the city council Monday night.
Comments (3)
Good!
Agree 100%. The incremental costs to co-locate is worth it to improve the beauty of our city.
Great. I hope the city council takes action with the governor on this. It just doesn’t make sense to leave the wooden poles and communication lines above ground when they could work in conjunction with SCE.