A make ready engineer designs the changes needed to fit a new cable or antenna onto an existing utility pole safely. On fiber and telecom builds, they survey each pole, run pole loading and clearance checks, and produce the make ready design that the pole owner must approve before anyone can attach. Without that approval, the build does not move.
Key takeaways
- Federal rules define make ready as modifying or replacing a utility pole, or the lines and equipment on it, to make room for new facilities.
- A make ready engineer collects pole data, runs pole loading analysis, checks clearances against the NESC and the pole owner’s standards, and designs the transfers, rearrangements or pole replacements needed.
- Under FCC one touch make ready (OTMR) rules, a new attacher can use its own contractor to do simple make ready in the communications space, following strict notice and timeline requirements.
- “Approved” usually means the engineering firm or contractor is on a pole owner’s list of authorized contractors. FCC rules require these lists for certain work and set minimum qualifications.
- Common tools include O-Calc Pro, Katapult Pro and IKE for field data collection and pole loading analysis.
What is a make ready engineer and why does every fiber build need one?
Under the FCC’s pole attachment definitions, make ready means the modification or replacement of a utility pole, or of the lines or equipment on it, to accommodate additional facilities. A make ready engineer is the person who figures out exactly what that modification should be.
Most utility poles already carry electric lines at the top and one or more communications cables lower down. Adding a new fiber line means there has to be enough space, enough clearance from other wires and enough structural strength left in the pole. The make ready engineer checks all three and produces a design showing what must move, what must be added and whether the pole must be replaced.
With broadband programs driving large fiber builds, make ready engineering has become one of the main bottlenecks in getting networks built. The engineering package is what the pole owner reviews, and a sloppy package means rejections and months of delay.
Recruiter tip: When we recruit make ready engineers for telecom clients, the most valuable experience is a track record of packages that get approved the first time. If you are a candidate, be ready to talk about the specific utilities and pole owners you have submitted to and how you handled rejections.
What does make ready engineering involve on a telecom build?
The work follows a fairly consistent sequence, whether the client is a fiber provider, a cable company or a wireless carrier.
- Field data collection: visiting each pole, often with measurement photos, to record pole height and class, existing attachments, heights, spans, guys, anchors and equipment.
- Pole loading analysis: modeling the pole with the new attachment added to confirm it can handle wind, ice and tension loads.
- Clearance checks: confirming vertical and horizontal separations between power, communications and the ground meet the NESC and the pole owner’s standards.
- Make ready design: specifying the transfers, rearrangements, new guys or anchors, or full pole replacements needed.
- Application and approval: packaging the design into the pole owner’s required format, submitting it and responding to review comments.
- Post construction inspection: in many programs, confirming the finished work matches the approved design.
Make ready engineers work closely with outside plant (OSP) designers, permitting coordinators, joint use staff at the utility and construction crews. Strong communication with the pole owner’s joint use team is often what separates fast projects from stalled ones.
What are pole loading analysis and NESC clearances?
Pole loading analysis
Every attachment adds weight and wind area to a pole, and every cable adds tension. Pole loading analysis uses structural software to model the pole, its attachments and the expected weather loads and to confirm the pole stays within its strength limits. If it does not, the design may call for guying, a stronger pole or a replacement.
This is structural engineering at its core, which is why many make ready engineers come from civil or structural backgrounds. Our look at whether structural engineering is a good career covers that path in more detail.
NESC clearances
The National Electrical Safety Code, published by IEEE and updated every five years, sets guidelines for safeguarding utility workers and the public during the installation, operation and maintenance of electric supply and communication lines. Make ready engineers apply its clearance rules, along with the pole owner’s own construction standards, which are often stricter.
In practice, that means checking the separation between the lowest power conductor and the highest communications cable, the spacing between communications attachments, and the ground clearance of each cable at its lowest point in the span, including over roads and driveways.
How does one touch make ready work under FCC rules?
One touch make ready (OTMR) lets a new attacher hire a single qualified contractor to do all the simple make ready in the communications space, instead of waiting for each existing attacher to move its own cable in turn. The rules sit in 47 CFR 1.1411.
The key distinction is between simple and complex make ready, both defined by the FCC.
| Simple make ready | Complex make ready | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Existing communications attachments can be transferred without a reasonable expectation of a service outage or facility damage | Transfers and work in the communications space reasonably likely to cause an outage or facility damage |
| Examples | Moving an existing cable up or down on the pole | Splicing any communications attachment or relocating existing wireless attachments |
| Wireless work | Not included | All wireless activities are considered complex |
| OTMR eligible? | Yes, the new attacher may elect OTMR | No, follows the standard utility led process |
Under OTMR, the new attacher must elect the process in writing in its application and identify the simple make ready it will perform. It is the new attacher’s responsibility to make sure its contractor correctly determines that the work is simple. The utility can object in writing within its review period, and if it does, the work is treated as complex.
Key timelines under the FCC rules
| Step | Standard process | One touch make ready |
|---|---|---|
| Utility decides if application is complete | 10 business days | 10 business days |
| Utility grants or denies on the merits | 45 days | 15 days |
| Survey | Utility completes within 45 days | New attacher does the survey with its contractor |
| Estimate of make ready charges | Within 14 days of the survey | Not a separate step in the OTMR process |
| Make ready in communications space | No later than 30 days after notice | New attacher proceeds after 15 days written notice |
| Make ready above communications space | No later than 90 days after notice | Not part of OTMR |
After OTMR work is done, the new attacher must notify the utility and existing attachers within 15 days of finishing each pole. They then have at least 90 days to inspect the work and report any damage or code violations.
One important limit: these federal rules do not cover every pole. The FCC definition of a utility excludes cooperatives and poles owned by federal or state governments, and some states regulate pole attachments themselves. Always check which rules apply to the pole owner on your route.
What does “approved make ready engineer” mean?
There is no national license or certification called “approved make ready engineer.” In practice, the phrase almost always refers to an engineering firm or contractor that a pole owner has placed on its list of authorized or approved contractors.
The FCC rules in 47 CFR 1.1412 create these lists. A utility must keep an up to date, reasonably sufficient list of contractors it authorizes to perform self help surveys and make ready that is complex or above the communications space, and new attachers must use a contractor from that list for that work. For surveys, estimates and simple make ready, a utility may keep a list but is not required to. If it does, new attachers must choose from it.
Minimum qualifications for approved contractors
The same rule sets minimum requirements. A contractor must agree to follow the utility’s published safety and operational guidelines (or the NESC if none are published), acknowledge it can read and follow pole designs engineered by a licensed engineer where the utility requires them, follow all applicable laws including OSHA rules on qualified and competent persons, meet the utility’s reasonable safety and reliability thresholds, and carry adequate insurance or a performance bond.
Attachers can ask a utility to add a contractor that meets these qualifications, and the utility may not unreasonably withhold consent. Under the current rules, the utility must respond to that request within 30 days, and if it does not, the contractor is deemed approved.
What an approved contractor list looks like
Utilities publish these lists in different ways. For example, Nolin RECC, a Kentucky electric cooperative, posts its approved contractors by scope of work, with separate lists for engineering firms approved for surveys and construction contractors approved for simple and complex make ready. Other utilities keep lists private and share them only with licensed attachers.
For an engineer, working for a firm that is on the approved list of the major pole owners in a region is a real career advantage. For an employer, hiring engineers who already know those utilities’ standards and submission formats saves months.
What software do make ready engineers use?
Make ready engineering is increasingly software driven. The main tools cover field data collection, pole loading analysis and managing the application workflow with the pole owner.
- O-Calc Pro: Osmose describes it as structural analysis software that uses nonlinear finite element processing to run pole loading analyses for joint use, upgrades, system hardening and pole replacement.
- Katapult Pro: a pole attachment platform that combines field data collection, make ready design, pole loading and joint use workflow tracking, including FCC timeline tracking.
- IKE: a suite for pole data capture and structural analysis, including IKE Office Pro and the PoleForeman analysis tool, used for pole loading, make ready engineering and joint use management.
- GIS and CAD: tools such as ArcGIS, AutoCAD and utility specific design software for mapping routes and producing drawings.
Many pole owners specify which analysis software they accept. Knowing more than one platform makes an engineer far more flexible when moving between projects and utilities. If you come from the drafting side, our guide to what an electrical designer does shows how design skills carry over.
How do you become a make ready engineer, and what does it pay?
There is no single required degree. Make ready teams usually include a mix of backgrounds:
- Field technicians and data collectors who learn pole measurement and data standards on the job
- OSP and telecom designers who move into pole loading and make ready design
- Civil, structural and electrical engineers who review and stamp designs
- Former utility line workers and joint use staff who know how pole owners think
Some pole owners require designs to be engineered or reviewed by a licensed engineer, which is why a PE license can be valuable for senior make ready roles. Our guide to PE vs EIT vs no license explains how hiring managers weigh licensure.
On pay, we have to be honest: the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track make ready engineering as its own occupation, and the title covers everyone from entry level field data collectors to licensed engineers. We have not found a credible public salary source specific to this role, so we are not quoting a number here. Pay depends heavily on licensure, software skills, travel and whether the role is full time or contract.
Much make ready work is project based and runs through engineering firms and contractors, so contract roles are common. If that is new to you, read our take on why you should consider a contract job.
Recruiter tip: If you want to break into make ready engineering, learn one pole loading platform well and study the construction standards of the largest pole owner in your area. Hiring managers value someone who can produce a clean, compliant package for a specific utility more than someone with general telecom experience.
Frequently asked questions
Is make ready engineering the same as OSP engineering?
Make ready engineering is a specialty within outside plant (OSP) engineering. OSP engineering covers the whole physical network outside buildings, including underground routes, while make ready focuses on the aerial side: preparing existing poles for new attachments.
Do you need a PE license to be a make ready engineer?
Not for most roles. Field data collection and much of the design work can be done without a license. Some pole owners, however, require designs or pole loading results to be engineered or approved by a licensed engineer, so firms often need at least one PE to review work.
Who pays for make ready work?
Generally the new attacher, since the work is done to accommodate its facilities. The FCC rules also say a utility may not charge a new attacher to fix poles or attachments that were already out of compliance because of work done by someone else before the new attachment.
Can a wireless attachment use one touch make ready?
No. The FCC treats any and all wireless activities as complex make ready, and OTMR applies only to simple make ready. Wireless attachments follow the standard utility led process.
How do I get my engineering firm on a utility approved contractor list?
Start with the pole owner’s pole attachment or joint use page, which often has a contractor application form. Be prepared to show you meet the qualifications in the FCC rules, plus the utility’s own safety, insurance and onboarding requirements.
Building a make ready team for a fiber or wireless build, or looking for your next make ready engineering role? Our wireless and telecommunications recruiters place make ready engineers, OSP designers and field data collectors on telecom projects nationwide. Job seekers can also browse our open engineering jobs.
