ALBANY – The NYS Public Service Commission (PSC) has reached two joint settlement agreements valued at $10 million that resolve penalty amounts for alleged violations against Rochester Gas & Electric Corp. (RG&E) and Frontier Telephone of Rochester, Inc. (Frontier). The settlements reached on August 12, 2021, come after a PSC investigation found that Frontier and RG&E allowed non-conforming pole attachments to remain in place on their respective utility poles without remediation, which is in violation of state safety standards.
The settlement will help fund wired broadband service to underserved communities in NY through the NYS Broadband Program Office (BPO). In its decision, the Commission accepted a negotiated settlement of $5 million against RG&E to resolve the dispute, with $2.5 million suspended pending compliance with remediation guidelines, and it accepted a negotiated settlement of $5 million with Frontier. The $7.5 million in immediate funds will go into an escrow account to be used by the New York State Broadband Program Office (BPO). The BPO will disperse the funds.