Page 8 - MS811

The Changing
Landscape of
Damage
Prevention for
Telecommunications
By Jim Plasynski Chief Revenue Officer KorTerra
The past several years
has brought about
significant change in the telecommunications industry. With the $1.3 trillion Infrastructure Bill and the many other government funding projects focused on the buildout of fiber to the home across the U.S., there has been great
opportunity for many organizations. If you are a telecommunications
company, there has likely NEVER been a time in your history with such
an opportunity for growth. With this growth however, there have been
major implications on the locating and damage prevention efforts that are
a critical pre-requisite for ensuring successful growth. There are many macro-market factors at play that are forcing telecommunications companies to start thinking differently about how they manage and approach locating and the damage prevention process.
There are some major reasons to pay better attention and rethink your strategy.
Historically, many telecommunications providers viewed damage prevention and locating as an out of sight, out of mind activity for their organizations. For years, many organizations have outsourced their locating to third-party locating companies such as USIC. Those third parties would perform their locating work and send them a monthly bill for the performance of those services.
Telecommunications companies often paid those bills and paid very little attention to them as this was viewed
as a cost of doing business. The bill itself has often been the deepest line of sight into the status of their locates and the performance of the third parties that are servicing them. Best case scenario, your third party is offering you a small handful of reports you can view, or you are spending time digging through One Call Center websites
(if you have time). In the last several years however, a few key variables have started to shift in ways that are making telecommunications companies realize that the same historical approach
and limited visibility can prove to be both financially and reputationally challenging, and changes need to be considered. So, what is happening?
6 • Mississippi 811
2024, Issue 2
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8