Council presses telecoms on dangerous ‘double poles’; National Grid points to limits in forcing Verizon action

Speaker 2 and other council members pressed National Grid about a series of split or "double" utility poles that residents say are hazardous to pedestrians and maintenance. "We have some double poles that are in the city, and we need some of these to be either removed or replaced sooner than later," Speaker 2 said.

Speaker 1 described the process the utility follows under a joint-use agreement (he cited a 2017 agreement): National Grid can transfer its wires and remove the portion of pole it owns, then notifies the other attacher (he named Verizon) to move or remove their equipment. He said the utility sends paperwork and expects Verizon to assign either its contractor or in-house crew to complete removals, but that he has observed repeated delays.

"In cases of emergency ... there's not much we can do to make Verizon get off their ... to do something about it," Speaker 1 said, adding that the state-set 90-day window for attachers to remove structures after notice appears to lack enforcement: "There's no fine or, there's no consequences associated with it. It's just a deadline. There's no teeth to it."

Council members asked for liaison contacts for Verizon after reporting earlier failed attempts to reach the company. Speaker 1 said he did not have direct Verizon designer contacts and suggested town clerks or his own clerks sometimes coordinate with Verizon's clerks, but that frontline responsiveness varies. Questions about which state agency oversees enforcement yielded a recommendation to contact the state "DP," according to the transcript, which does not spell out the full agency name.

The discussion ended with no immediate enforcement action recorded; council members urged continued follow-up with National Grid and town staff to obtain contacts and escalate if necessary.