If you've looked into pole-attachment software, you've probably come across names like Katapult Pro, Alden One, Joint Use 365, or NJUNS. They're real, established tools — and every one of them is built primarily for the utility's side of the transaction: permitting workflows, engineering surveys, and joint-use asset management that the pole owner runs internally, sometimes with a portal or dashboard extended to attachers for visibility.
That's a fundamentally different product than what an ISP or fiber overbuilder needs when it's attaching to poles across several different utilities at once. Rather than compare PoleDocket point-by-point against any one named product — which changes features and pricing on its own schedule, not this page's — the comparison below is against the category those tools represent: the typical utility-side portal.
This page describes general characteristics of the utility-side pole-attachment software category as a whole, not the specific features, pricing, or claims of any named vendor. If you're evaluating a specific product, verify its current capabilities directly with that vendor.
The core difference: who owns the pipeline
A utility-side portal exists to run the utility's own permitting and engineering process. When it extends visibility to attachers, that visibility is a view into their system — scoped to one utility, governed by their data model, available for as long as they choose to offer it.
An attacher-side tool exists to run your pipeline — every utility you deal with, in one place you control, exportable on your own terms.
| Dimension | Typical utility-side portal | PoleDocket |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the data | The utility — you get a view into their system | You — exportable anytime, PDF/XLSX included |
| Multi-utility visibility | One utility per login, one workflow each | Every utility you attach to, one pipeline |
| FCC shot-clock tracking | Rarely automated to the order-size-specific rule text | Automated per 47 CFR §1.1411, by order size |
| Make-ready cost tracking | Typically internal to the utility, not exposed to you | Per-pole estimate-vs-invoice ledger, visible to you |
| Who it's built for | The pole owner's permitting/engineering team | The attacher's pipeline manager |
| Pricing model | Enterprise, utility-funded — not typically sold to attachers directly | $149–$399/month, self-serve, 14-day trial |
"Typical utility-side portal" describes the category, not any single product. Verify current features and pricing directly with any vendor you're evaluating.
When a utility-side portal is actually enough
If you only attach to a single utility, and that utility already runs a modern portal with attacher-facing visibility, a category tool like that may cover what you need for that one relationship. The gap shows up the moment you're managing two, three, or a dozen utilities at once — each with its own portal, its own login, its own partial view — and nothing rolls them up into one pipeline you can actually run a business on.
What to ask, either way
- Can I export my own data, in full, at any time?
- Does it track FCC deadlines by order-size class, or just a generic countdown?
- Can I see make-ready cost variance per pole, not just a project total?
- Does it work the same way across every utility I deal with — FCC-regulated, co-op, or municipal?
- If I stop paying, do I keep my historical data?
PoleDocket answers yes to all five by design — it's the reason the product exists. That's a genuine difference of category, not a marketing claim about any specific competitor's product.