On June 5, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law HB1221, which took effect on July 1, 2023. The new bill will subject rural electric cooperatives to new pole attachment regulations. According to the new rules, a cooperative that offers broadband service “directly, through an affiliate, or pursuant to an agreement with a third party” or receives state or federal funding to expand service in unserved areas in Florida will be subject to regulation by the Florida Public Service Commission. Namely, the affected electric cooperatives must abide by the FPSC’s pole attachment regulations applicable to investor-owned electric cooperatives.
The HB 1221 bill can be found by following this link: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1221/BillText/er/PDF
