No pole data, no fiber.
Every BEAD aerial build waits on a survey, a load calculation and a make-ready decision for each pole. Alamo Airborne flies the route and delivers engineer-ready pole data.
Request a free proof of concept
Or text BEAD to (210) 972-1818 for your state’s pole count.
- 10,000+ poles captured
- 98% positive identification accuracy
- 50 states W-2 Alamo pilots
- Engineer-ready stops before the PE stamp
The bottleneck moved to the pole.
3.8 millionpoles on BEAD aerial routes
42%of BEAD fiber is expected to go aerial
May 7, 2026new FCC pole attachment clocks took effect
What changed in the FCC rules
- Standard orders: 45 days to survey, 14 days to estimate, 30 days for make-ready in the communications space.
- Orders of 300 to 3,000 poles need 15 days advance notice. Orders of 3,000 to 6,000 need 60 days notice and a meet-and-confer, in exchange for extra survey and make-ready time.
- Utilities can no longer combine size and frequency limits to cap applications.
- Utilities have 30 days to act on an attacher-proposed contractor. No answer means approved.
- Missed deadlines trigger expanded self-help rights for attachers.
Every one of those clocks assumes someone already has accurate data on the pole.
Why co-ops and municipal utilities are now in scope
NTIA’s January 2026 BEAD terms extend FCC pole attachment rules to cooperatives and municipal utilities that take BEAD money, across their whole pole footprint. Many were previously exempt and do not have current, field-verified pole records.
Where the money goes wrong
Make-ready, not fiber, is where cost and schedule risk sits. Records built from old permit files miss attachments that are actually on the pole. A load calculation built on missing attachments is wrong, and so is the estimate built on it.
One flight. Everything the engineer needs.
Pole identification
Pole tag, owner, GPS location, height, class where legible, and lean.
Attachment inventory
Every attachment by owner with measured heights, including attachments missing from permit records.
Clearances
Separations between power and communications at the pole and midspan, and midspan clearance to ground.
Equipment
Transformers, risers, guys, anchors, streetlights and other hardware.
Loading inputs
Structural inputs for pole loading analysis, exported to utility-specific application templates.
Source data
Georeferenced imagery and point cloud for every structure. Your engineer can verify any measurement without a truck roll.
Built for three buyers.
Subgrantees and ISPs
Get make-ready applications in on the award timeline. We collect once and deliver in the format your engineering partner and the pole owner require.
Engineering and make-ready firms
We are a data supplier, not a competitor. Add field and processing capacity for peak BEAD volume without buying aircraft or hiring crews you will not need when volume drops.
Utilities and cooperatives
The FCC timelines assume current records. We verify what is actually on your poles and find attachments your records miss.
How it runs.
- Fit call. Ten minutes. Route, pole owners, deliverable format.
- Free proof of concept. A sample segment, processed to your spec.
- Field collection. Alamo pilots fly the route.
- Processing and QA. Automated extraction, then review of every structure.
- Delivery. Data, imagery and exports to your engineer of record.
Where the poles are.
Every BEAD aerial mile, by state. Select a state.
188,287aerial fiber miles in BEAD plans
3.8 millionpoles to survey
51states and D.C. on the map
- Under 1,000
- 1,000 to 3,000
- 3,000 to 6,000
- 6,000 to 12,000
- 12,000+
How these numbers are built
Aerial fiber miles: Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute (ACLP), BEAD Pole Analysis, May 2026, compiled from each state’s BEAD Final Proposal project data.
Poles to survey: aerial fiber miles × 20 poles per mile, a typical span of about 265 feet. This counts every pole on the route, whoever owns it. ACLP used 30 poles per mile and counted only the 70% it assumed are utility-owned, so its national count differs.
Co-op and municipal share: aerial miles inside co-op and municipal electric service territories, from the same ACLP data.
Allocations and announced awards: state broadband office announcements compiled by Brander Group, October 2025. Awards tagged Final Proposal come from the state’s own Final Proposal and award files. Figures change as grant agreements are signed.
Questions.
Do you stamp make-ready drawings?
No. We deliver engineer-ready data. Your engineer of record runs the final analysis and stamps the package.
What does 98% mean?
Positive identification accuracy: the share of poles, attachments and equipment our process identifies correctly. Imagery and point cloud ship with every pole, so any call can be checked.
Can you work on federally funded projects?
Yes. We match the aircraft to the project’s funding requirements. An NDAA-compliant fleet is available.
Where do you work?
All 50 states and U.S. territories. All Alamo field work is by W-2 pilots only, never contractors.
How is this different from a ground survey?
A ground crew measures pole by pole. We capture the pole, its attachments and the spans in one flight, then extract the measurements. You keep a permanent, verifiable record of every structure.
What does the free proof of concept include?
A sample segment on your route, collected and processed to your deliverable format, so your engineer can compare it against their own standard before any contract.
Can I text instead of email?
Yes. Text BEAD to (210) 972-1818, or scan the code with your phone. Tell us your state and we send back its aerial miles and pole count.
Yoshi answers every text himself.
Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.
Start with one segment.
Send the route or county. We reply with a scope and a proof-of-concept date.
Or text BEAD to (210) 972-1818 for your state’s pole count.
Based in San Antonio. Crews in all 50 states.
Sources: Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute, study of BEAD pole make-ready costs. FCC Wireline Competition Bureau, Public Notice DA 26-446 (Fifth Report and Order effective May 7, 2026). NTIA BEAD General Terms and Conditions, January 2026. State BEAD Final Proposal and award files.