Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA) recently developed a “Forced Access Outlook” to categorize where the organization thinks each of the fifty states stands on the issue of forced access—the taking of space by telecom service providers within office buildings for the installation of equipment for free or at low, government-established prices.
The information was gleaned from interviews with lead staffers from each of the fifty states’ Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) as well as BOMA staff knowledge of past legislative and executive branch efforts. States were sorted in three categories based on the following classifications:
- Quiet: Neither the states PUC nor legislature contemplates action at the time of the report. Additionally, no efforts are underway in the states executive branch. States include Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
- Potential Problems: These states bear watching. As the year moves forward, this category will be divided into “active” and “dormant” categories. States include Alabama, Arizona, California, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.
- Problems: States in this category have already established mandatory access in some form. States include Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Ohio, and Texas.
For more information, contact BOMA.
Based on a report from Potomac Currents
