Changing the Joint
Use Game:
Profiling Alden Systems
In light of the FCC involvement regarding pole attachment regulations and
associated costs, the importance of accurate pole tracking and inspection cannot be overstated. Pole ownership and attachment disputes can lead to lengthy
and expensive legal battles, with potential fines and fees resulting from an
unsatisfactory ruling. The first step in avoiding disputes, and prevailing in a
legal battle, is accurate, up-to-date information on the location and condition
of your poles and other equipment. With proprietary software, GPS tagging
and real-time inventory updates, Alden is leading the way in pole tracking
and assessment.
By David Young
Accurate Data = Actionable Data
Alden is helping pole-owning entities
across the United States perform joint-use
audits to ensure regulatory compliance
and enhance public safety. Alden has
helped locate and record the assets of
utilities, municipalities and other pole
owners in 49 states. Across the country,
Alden’s highly trained and experienced
field technicians are locating and
assessing poles for a variety of clients.
Each utility pole is located and tagged,
and the condition is assessed according
to each client’s individual needs.
Attachments are noted, making it easy
to identify unauthorized attachments
on your poles. Existing location data is
updated, with new poles and equipment
being added in real time while duplicate
records are eliminated. Once finished,
Alden provides you with access to the
most accurate, easily accessible data
available on the location and condition
of all of your poles.
This accurate accounting of all of
your pole locations makes it easy to
assess costs related to authorized and
unauthorized attachments. Since the FCC
allows for the recovery of out-of-pocket
expenses related to attachments, Alden
provides you with information that is
critical to the recovery of those costs.
Accurate documentation and accounting
by Alden is helping pole owners
recover lost revenue and costs from
these illicit attachments. Unauthorized
attachments cost you leasing fees, can
lead to ownership disputes, and create
a danger to your workers, equipment
and the public at large. Alden provides
our clients with written, photographic,
and GPS evidence of unauthorized
attachments.
Your Assets and Public Safety
Pole integrity is another factor that
impacts worker and equipment safety.
Rotted or damaged poles can fail
without warning, causing injury,
outages, lawsuits and associated
costs. Alden provides a safety and
integrity inspection on every pole we
inventory, sending alerts for poles that
require immediate attention. Getting
a damaged pole into your repair
workflow early allows you to decide
what level of service interruption, if any,
the pole will create. When a pole fails
unexpectedly, the repair timetable and
associated costs are taken out of your
hands. With an inspection report from
Alden, you gain the ability to prioritize
advertisement
poles according to immediate needs,
leaving you in control of the timetable
and costs.
Alden’s Process
Every pole is visually inspected, with
a variety of information provided to
ALDEN SYSTEMS
the client. Strength and rot test can
be performed, attaching company
names are recorded, pole ownership
is noted, GPS location is captured and
digital pictures are taken for each pole
recorded. Alden provides our clients with
a comprehensive overview of the entire
pole network, allowing pole owners to
allocate repair and maintenance services
more effectively, identify owned and
foreign equipment to determine lease
fees and costs, and manage the network
with greater efficiency and lower
expenses.
Nationwide, many pole owners are
scrambling to assess their positions in
relation to the FCC involvement, which
started with the National Broadband
Plan. Without a complete and accurate
accounting of poles and equipment, it is
impossible for a company to definitively
make that assessment. Inaccurate and
out-of-date information leads to excess
costs, unreliable service, and can
weaken your position in the event of
an ownership dispute. This is why jointuse audits and inspections are such
an important part of pole ownership.
Having the best information allows you
to make the best decision and provides
you with the best defense in the event of
a dispute.
For more information or questions
regarding Alden’s Joint Use software and/
or services, visit www.aldensys.com, call
205.978.2400 or email [email protected]
and mention this article to reach our sales
and support team.