Massachusetts Proposes Fines for Utilities That Leave Double Poles Standing

The Healey administration wants to change state law. Towns could fine utility companies $1,000 when double poles remain up past 180 days. Massachusetts has about 22,000 double poles scattered around, and many stand for years despite a current 90-day limit that nobody enforces.

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll wants companies to act, not just pay up. "If you think about a historic district that has a beautiful street façade, except for the fact that it's lined with double poles, it is not only unsightly but also unsafe," said Driscoll, according to NBC10 Boston. "We want to spur action."

Crews create double poles when they install a new one next to a damaged pole. The damaged pole gets lashed to the new one to stop it from falling. Then workers must transfer every wire — power lines sit at the top, then come streetlights, cable wires, town equipment, and phone lines at the bottom.

An NBC10 Boston investigation in 2019 showed removal took 34 months on average. Some poles had been there more than ten years.

State law says companies have 90 days to finish removal. But critics point out the law has no teeth since there's no punishment for missing that deadline.

"If you blew through a stop sign, you'd have to pay a fine," said Brian Keaney, a Dedham resident who has campaigned against the issue. "Without a fine attached to the law, what good is it?"

Eversource and Verizon told NBC10 Boston that many groups must work together. "Because no single company controls all attachments on a pole, timelines often depend on work by other entities, including phone companies, cable TV providers, and municipal streetlight owners, before a pole can be safely removed," an Eversource spokesperson said in a statement.

These structures block paths for people with wheelchairs or walkers. They mar streets in old neighborhoods and historic zones.

Driscoll heard complaints about this when she served as mayor in Salem. "I think part of the reason double poles cause such frustration is because it feels like you can't do anything about it," the lieutenant governor said.

Eversource and Verizon say they're cooperating with lawmakers to speed things up. The new law would give companies 180 days before fines kick in.