June 2025

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Features

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Jobs

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The FOA Jobs

Using your FOA Training/Certification to Find the Right Job in Fiber Optics

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Trademarks: The FOA logo and name, CFOT® (Certified Fiber Optic Technician) and Fiber U® (the FOA online learning site) are registered trademarks of the FOA.

Want to know more about fiber optics? Looking for specific information? Here's the largest technical reference on the web: The FOA Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide.

Free online self-study programs on many fiber optics and cabling topics are available at Fiber U, FOA's online web-based training website.

 FOA Reference Books

Available Printed or eBooks

The fiber book is available in Spanish and French

Click on any of the books to learn more.

Fiber Optic Safety Poster to download and print

FOA Videos on

FOA is a member of:

The FOA Newsletter is edited by Jim Hayes - send your stories, leads, ideas, comments to <jim @ foa.org>

The Archives: Past Issues.

Use these links to read past issues or use FOA's  Custom Search to look for specific topics on our website.

1/25, 2/25, 3/25, 4/25, 5/25, 6/25, 

1/24, 2/24, 3/24, 4/24.5/24, 6/24, 7/24, 8/24, 9/24, 10/24, 11/24, 12/24   

Time To Renew Your FOA Certifications?

Renew online with a credit card or PayPal

 

   

 

Monthly "1 Minute Survey"

The History Of Fiber Optics:

The Most Important Developments In Fiber Optics

FOA was contacted by a historian researching a book on the development of fiber optic communications from a geopolitical, not technological, viewpoint. We created for him a listing of the technological developments that we thought were highly, if not most, important to the continuing development of fiber optic communications. We thought everyone might find it interesting.

The list will be almost chronological, so let’s start with the fiber. The major developments will be in bold type.

Optical fiber had a history before communications transmitting light and images, but It was Dr. Charles Kao who in 1966 proposed the way to make low loss fiber suitable for communications. It won him a Nobel Prize but not until 2009. It took 6 more years for Corning to devise a way to make low loss fibers and another decade for the manufacturing processes to be refined so that the ultimate goal of singlemode fiber became readily available. That singlemode fiber of 40 years ago is practically the same as the fiber used today.

Shrinking the core size to create singlemode fiber

During the 1970s, parallel developments led to the solid-state lasers needed for transmitting signals through the fiber and integrated circuits to convert analog phone signals on copper wires to digital signals on fiber optics. Tools needed for installation like fusion splicers and OTDRs for testing were also developed.

Another seemingly simple invention proved to be a crucial part of the fiber optic cable plant puzzle, the connector needed to make reliable connections for singlemode fiber. The precision needed was too high for most connectors, until the molded ceramic connector ferrule was developed. The connectors that became available in the mid-1980s proved to be perfect for connecting singlemode fibers. And they still are.

The FC and ST connectors with ceramic ferrules

The real commercial applications of fiber optics began around 1984 when the proper components became available, and telcos began converting copper wires, microwave radio links and satellite communications to fiber optics. They had a big incentive, the superior economics of fiber optic transmission.

Transmitting data on fiber cost only about 5% as much as copper and microwave alternatives because fiber had hundreds of times as much bandwidth and more than ten times the distance capability. At the time, copper wires were limited to 1.5 megabits per second over links about 1.5 miles long. The very first fiber links operated at 145 megabits/second and more than 15 miles between repeaters. That is a distance-bandwidth advantage of 1000 times!

Telcos began converting long distance links first then moved to metropolitan networks.  Submarine fiber optic cables started connecting the continents and replacing satellites in the late 1980s. Fiber to the home was tested but proved to be too expensive for another decade or more.

Fiber found other applications in computer networks, utility grids and even sensors. Fiber optic gyros guided airplanes and missiles. Fiber sensors measured high voltages and currents for controlling electrical grids. Networks of super-sensitive fiber optic microphones were installed along the coasts to listen for enemy ships and submarines.

Multiple wavelengths on a fiber

Several related developments in the early 1990s had big impacts of the applications of fiber optics. Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) allowed sending multiple signals on a single fiber and fiber amplifiers replaced electronic amplifiers, increasing the reach of fibers, especially in transcontinental submarine cables. The distributed feedback laser (DFB laser) provided more precise wavelengths for WDM, making dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) feasible, expanding the bandwidth of fiber networks already installed.

The DFB laser had another characteristic that had an enormous impact on commercial usage. The DFB laser was capable of transmitting analog signals as well as digital signals. The CATV industry was using high frequency electrical signals in coax cable, but the DFB laser allowed simple conversion to fiber optics with a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) architecture. That allowed CATV to expand their networks and enhance reliability. Soon they also discovered how to send digital data over their system using the cable modem creating the broadband network for the Internet. That was excellent timing because it allowed them to be the first to offer high speed Internet access – broadband – long before the telcos.

The hybrid fiber coax (HFC) CATV network

These developments set the stage for the Internet. Many of us had been using the Internet since the late 80s for email and file sharing, relying on slow dial-up modems on vice phone lines. The development of Mosaic, the first web browser, and HTML (hypertext markup language) introduced the world to the Internet and the World Wide Web. The US government provided seed money to commercialize the Internet. That helped inform the public about the potential uses of the Internet and created an immense demand for connections.

Commercialization of the Internet required more telecommunications bandwidth which only fiber could deliver. Thus began the spectacular growth in fiber optic construction we now refer to as the “Dot-Com Boom.”

The big winners in the early days of the Internet were the cable TV companies. They were already building their hybrid-fiber coax (HFC) networks when a small company in Boston developed the cable modem which allowed CATV networks to transmit data as well as TV. The cable modem gave CATV service providers the ability to offer high speed internet that was always on, while the telcos were still trying to use their ancient copper wires with slow dial-up modems or digital subscriber lines (DSL.) Because of this technical advantage, CATV completely dominated the broadband industry for more than two decades before FTTH became more widespread.

During the years 1995-2000 perhaps as much as $2 trillion dollars were spent building 80-90 million miles of fiber optic networks. But what was missing then was the “killer app,” the applications that made the Internet irresistible to everyone like social media, streaming video and smartphones. In 2001 the Dot-Com Boom was revealed to be a bubble and burst. It was estimated that 95% of the fiber was dark fiber; there never was  enough Internet traffic or revenue being produced to justify the investment. The Internet boom was exposed as a bubble and burst almost overnight.

Fiber optic companies had expanded to fill orders from network builders and service providers rushing to build new fiber optic networks for the Internet. The sales of fiber optic products dropped by 60-80% as many projects came to an abrupt halt. The industry suddenly had extreme overcapacity. Companies that had invested heavily in expansion closed or contracted to try to survive; many did not.

Two important things were lost when the bubble burst - technology and wisdom. Many companies had expected massive sales growth, so they started what was popular at the time, outsourcing, mostly to China. When these companies failed, the technology stayed with the Chinese partners; that’s the reason why most fiber optic components and much equipment is now made in China.

The second thing lost was wisdom, the knowledge and experience of many of the pioneers of fiber optics. They were laid off in droves and many were at an age that retirement was an option. The collective wisdom about fiber optics lost probably matches the loss in stock prices, but unlike stock prices it is harder if not impossible to recover.

It took years for the fiber optic industry to recover. The world's telecom networks continued getting built, along the way converting from legacy telecom standards to Internet protocols. Eventually all the dark fiber installed during the boom years was used and steady growth has continued since.

One technology arose from the Dot-Com Bust, the passive optical network (PON) we use today for fiber to the home (FTTH) and optical local area networks (LANs.) Passive optical splitters and fiber became cheaper from the overcapacity of the industry and FTTH finally became an economic reality.

Passive optical network with splitter

The PON concept was not new; it was used in the first networks for Ethernet LANs in the late 1980s, replacing electronic switches. But LANs based on switched networks and copper wire became the standard and optical PONs never caught on, until FTTH used the concept in the early 2000s.  Today hundreds of millions of users connect to the Internet on FTTH with gigabit PONs, but CATV cable modem service is still more widely used.

Sometime around 2000, digital data transmission exceeded voice transmission and has never stopped growing. Now voice is a minor application, and digital systems accommodate voice not the reverse. Since then, cloud computing, mobile devices, streaming video, social media, gaming, and other high bandwidth applications like AI dominate Internet traffic.

Recent years have been focused on providing more bandwidth. Base speeds for fiber optic links increased as faster components were developed, so today speeds are approaching terabits per second on a dozen or more wavelengths.  The development of DWDM helped put more signals on a single fiber and coherent transmission, perhaps the most significant development of recent history, allowed faster speeds per channel and longer links between repeaters.

We have not mentioned fiber optic cable technology yet, but early cables were mostly derived from copper cable designs with plastic tubes used to protect fibers. Cables have recently become much smaller and filled with many more fibers, thanks to two recent fiber developments, bend insensitive fibers and fibers with smaller buffer coatings, Both allowed more fibers to be squeezed into the same cable size or reduce the outside diameter of a cable. Smaller cables with more fibers provide the bandwidth needed for connecting more users at gigabit speeds and transmitting data from data centers.

144 fiber microcable the size of a pencil

Where do we go from here? I remember a lecture many years ago where the speaker said “all forecasts are wrong from the moment they are made.” However, I think we can safely say that technology will advance. Electronics have actually exceeded the predictions of Moore’s Law, but can fiber optics break past Shannon’s Limit?

Do you have other developments you think should be added to this history? Let FOA know.

FOA has created a timeline of the history of fiber optics that covers the development history in more detail.

Dominick Tambone

Seen On The Street - This Month's Photos

Classroom Resources For STEM Teachers In K-12 And Technical Schools
Here is the POF kit sent to teachers for demonstration.

Teachers in all grades can introduce their students to fiber optic technology with some simple demonstrations. FOA has created a page for STEM or STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) teachers with materials appropriate to their classes. Fiber Optic Resources For STEM Teachers.

FOA also has a YouTube Video on "Careers in Fiber Optics" and a "Careers In Fiber Optics" Website.

What Is An FOA Credential?

And now, introducing a new FOA credential: The "FOA Badge In Fiber Optics"

New Fiber U Course: Fiber Optic Safety Covers Construction And Installation

This new Fiber U course focuses on safety in fiber optic installation. There are two lessons in this course, fiber optic construction and fiber optic installation. The dividing line between the two courses is the installation of the fiber optic cables. Construction leads up to and/or is completed when the cables are installed. Installation begins when the fiber tech installs the cable, then completes the splicing, termination testing and documentation. The overlap between the two is the installation of the cables where both construction personnel and fiber optic techs are involved. 

Here is the new Fiber U "Fiber Optic Safety" self-study program. Take the course and get your certificate of completion.

Enhance your safety with the FOA Safety Vest.

 

We bought one ourselves - it's well made and distinctive.

New Edition of FOA's Basic Fiber Optics Textbook

It has been 5 years since we have updated the FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics, so it is certainly time for an update. The latest version is different enough we call it a new edition. Many of the updates are for new technologies which are reshaping the fiber optic industry like coherent transmission, BI fibers, etc. We've also added a section on the fiber optic workforce which has much relevance because this book is used to train those entering the workforce. We've also worked on making the book more readable, adding formatting that eases reading and a new comprehensive index.

Inflation was an issue, but the price only goes up $2 to $29.95 for the paperback and $12.95 for the Kindle version.

The new edition of the FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics is available  from Amazon and booksellers worldwide.

New/Updated Web Pages

FOA Newsletter Sections

News

Lots more news in Worth Reading below

Updating A Century-Old Subway Signal System

The NYTimes ran an article recently on the updating of the signalling system for the city subway network. About 85% of the NYC subway system still uses a manual analog signalling system installed nearly a century ago. The system installed nearly a century ago still requires manual operation around the clock. Workers like the one below pushed and pulls levers to control signals and moves tracks to allow movement of the subway trains. Many of the controls are still connected with copper wires with fabric and pitch insulation, terminated on screw terminals.

NYTimes

The old signals are gradually being replaced by an electronic computerized signalling system that allows trains to be run closer together, making service faster. The new control center in Midtown Manhattan covers over 2,000 square meters (~20,000 square feet). Here 75-90 workers surrounded by 432 computer screens monitor and control train movements.

NYTimes

The NYTimes article covers the basics of how the system works and how conversion to automation is not simple, nor cheap.

As you might guess, the communications links for the subway system are being upgraded to fiber optics. This has been going on for a long time.

Training workers for the fiber optic work has been ongoing too. In 2012, NYTransit became an FOA Approved training organization to use FOA curriculum and certification in their training programs. That year, FOA visited the NYTransit training center in Manhattan. It was under a subway stop behind an unmarked door. It was amazing and unique.



Peter Giannino, the Senior Director of Electrical/Electronics Training at the time gave FOA a tour of the facility. Here he's standing in front of new electronics being used with the old mechanical systems described above. You can see the fiber optic cables in the lower right corner of the photo.



In the NYTransit training lab, they actually created a length of subway track with signals and track controls to train workers in the new and old systems. Note the miniature train and tracks near the "S1" sign.

Today, NYTransit still uses FOA training organizations to help train their personnel on fiber optics as they upgrade their systems.

Read the complete article about the NYTransit modernization program in the NY Times.

Enter the Clearfield® Smart Tech Challenge (Entry closes June 6!)

Fiber optic technicians are invited to enter the Clearfield® Smart Tech Challenge - exclusively for fiber technicians. After completing and submitting a short questionnaire and quiz you will be entered into a drawing where three (3) contestants will be selected at random. The selected contestants will then advance to stage two of the contest and will be flown to Clearfield’s fiber test lab in Cincinnati, OH for the final hands-on fiber product assembly contest, taking place on October 8th, 2025. Utilizing Clearfield’s installation manuals on the BILT® app, the contestants will take part in a timed product assembly challenge.

There are three (3) valuable  prizes to be divided among the first, second and third place winners.

Click on this link for more information and the contest entry.

Clearfield is FOA Approved School #375 and a major manufacturer of fiber optic products for communications networks.

Starlink Competitor Launches First Satellites

Amazon Project Kuiper plans to complete with SpaceX Starlink with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites - yes, Bezos vs. Musk. After long delays and under secrecy usually reserved for classified military launches, the first launch and orbiting of 27 Kuiper satellites was successfully completed Monday April 28 from Cape Canaveral.

Project Kuiper launch from Cape Canaveral (Space News)

These 27 Kuiper LEO satellites are the first of a network of 3,232 satellites which will be orbited in the next few years. Internet services are planned to be available to customers later in 2025. They will create a communications network to compete with Starlink which already has about 7,000 satellites in orbit now.

While Project Kuiper will have fewer satellites than Starlink, it has one major advantage, Amazon Web Services (AWS.) While Starlink can connect you to the Internet only, AWS will offer a higher level of connectivity and cloud services which are very popular with large corporations and governments around the world.

At least half of BEAD locations no longer eligible for funding, report claims

Minnesota To Require Underground Telecom Installer Certification

Quote Of The Month/Year (maybe Century!) (this is worth repeating)

Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, AT&T’s CEO John Stankey said, “There’s a fallacy to say there’s fixed networks and wireless networks. There are only fiber networks with different access technologies on the end of them. That’s where this is all going.”

Technical

Fiber optic technology, standards, equipment, installation, etc.

Cross Reference To FOA Technical Reference Materials

The FOA has almost 1,000 pages of technical information on the FOA Guide, 100+ videos and two dozen online courses at Fiber U, all this can make it difficult to find the right information.

Cross Reference To FOA Tech Materials
To help this, we have created a cross reference guide to the textbooks, Online Guide and Fiber U courses, all the FOA technical information. Besides the textbooks, online Guide and Fiber U, each section of the Guide also includes links to the 100+ FOA videos available.
Cross Reference Guide to Textbooks, Online Guide and Fiber U

Tech Trivia: Who Invented The OTDR?

Read more about him.

Microtrenching Construction

Traditional trench digging is slow, costly, and can cause major traffic problems. Microtrenching — a method that cuts narrow trenches in asphalt or concrete — is often a faster, more efficient, and cheaper way to work, both  in cities and on suburban or rural roads.

Microtrenching uses special machines with diamond blades that dig shallow, narrow trenches and capture the roadway material to be used for refilling the trench. Microtrenching can create hundreds of meters of trench per day, typically needs fewer permits, less digging, and causes less traffic disruption - vehicles can often drive over the trench during the work. It also requires fewer workers and less equipment. After finishing, the surface looks almost untouched.

Microtrenching isn’t perfect nor works everywhere. Some downsides are the high price of the machines and tools, difficulty making sharp turns, limited trench depth, and the need for special materials to fill the trench.

FOA contributor Vladimir Grozdanovic has written a short article on the Construction Methods For Microtrenching, a companion piece to his recent article on Ducts and Microducts.

Polywater Creates Solution For Repairing Cable Jackets

Polywater has introduced Polywater Cable Jacket Repair (CJR), an innovative solution to damaged communications cable jackets. Polywater CJR offers a permanent, water-proof solution to lacerations in both aerial and underground cable jackets. CJR is packaged in a 25-ml syringe for a simple, tool-less application. Whether it's a squirrel chew, a tree scuff, or even a locator nicking your cable. Polywater CJR is the most effective and efficient solution on the market.

For more information visit Polywater CJR Cable Jacket Repair. 

• Typical OSA technologies and their characteristics
• Methodologies for both manual and automated OSNR measurements
• How to properly measure OSNR in modulated and non-modulated DWDM signals
• Strengthen your OSNR measurement knowledge to support high-speed optical networks and ensure the best possible signal integrity

View the on-demand Yokogawa webinar here anytime.

Good Question

Are Splices Too Close Together A Problem?
Q: When installing fiber in an plant. Is there a minimum distance that two splices should be apart? ;
A: The recommendation in the past was to not have splices close together since slight reflectances at the splices could cause an interference problem with laser systems. The recommendation was to keep splices 30-100m apart. IT was especially noted if you had to splice in a section of cable to repair a cable break. However we have not heard this in recent history, perhaps because fusion splices are so good. We asked a number of FOA's technical advisors for their opinions. Their feedback is the problem of reflectance causing problems at closely spaced splices seems to have disappeared. It’s a matter of better splicing machines and more consistent fibers, and also a matter of lasers being engineered to work better in links.

Fiber Optic Ducts and Microducts

What FOA's Instructors And Technical Advisors Are Telling Us

In the October 2024 FOA  Newsletter we ran a long illustrated feature article offering guidelines for aerial cable plant installation, illustrated by some "excellent" bad examples. That article elicited quite a few comments, especially from the instructors at some of our FOA schools around the world, and led to some discussions with others in our field, including manufacturers. Several topics seem to warrant further discussion, so we thought it would be interesting to share some of our notes and encourage more inputs before we cover the topics in detail in future issues of the newsletter.

Here are some of the topics of the comments published in the November 2024 Newsletter. Some, we promise, are controversial! Feel free to comment.

Aerial Cable Plant Workmanship

Is It Just The OTDR Or Is Singlemode Loss Really Directional?

A Quiet But Important Change In The Fiber Optic Cable You Buy

Updated FOA OTDR Trainer

FOA has rewritten the FOA OTDR Trainer around Fiberizer. The Fiberizer PC software was the version we used for creating the Trainer, but the basic techniques apply to all versions of Fiberizer. FOA provides a folder of sample traces in 3 categories - Parameter Traces, Sample Traces and PON Traces - around which we build the trainer. If you set up Fiberizer, you can complete the FOA OTDR Trainer lessons and then use the same software to analyze other traces you may have, even from other brands of OTDRs, as long as they are .sor files.

The FOA OTDR Trainer is ready to help you learn about OTDRs. Go to the OTDR Trainer page,
tech/ref/testing/OTDR/OTDRsimulator.html, choose your version of Fiberizer, download the FOA Traces and you are ready to go.

FOA wishes to thank VeEX for permission to use their Fiberizer® software in our OTDR trainer. And our compliments to them for making the ap available on multiple platforms that ensure anybody can use it.

How Good Are Your OTDR Launch/Receive Cables?

NECA/FOA 301 fiber optic installation standard withdrawn

FTTH Technical Papers

FOA contributor Vladimir Grozdanovic has created these technical papers based on his field experiences.

Construction Methods For Microtrenching

Fiber Optic Ducts And Microducts

Fiber Optic Tools  

Testing The FTTH PON Network (new) 

Recycling Fiber Optic Cables?  Contact LD4 Recycle  

Learning Important Information From A Found Cable Scrap

Managing Fiber Optic Projects - The Gantt Chart

(With An Excel File To Make Your Own)

The most common way to track projects is the Gantt Chart, a chart of activities that tracks the progress of projects along a timeline. each activity is represented by a bar and the position and length of the bar represents the starting date and duration of the activity. This allows you to see what activities are needed for the project, when the activities start and end so it can be used to track the progress of the project visually. Here is what a Gantt Chart for a fiber project might look like:

Help On Color Codes (Including Copper Cabling And Fiber Optics)

The FOA has created a print-your-own pocket guide to fiber optic color codes. It has color codes for fibers and buffer tubes, connectors and premises cables inside and on the back, QR codes to take you directly to the FOA Guide and Fiber U. The FOA Guide page on Fiber Optic Color Codes is one of the most read pages on the FOA website and the Fiber Optic Color Codes minicourse on Fiber U very popular also.

Warning For Techs Doing OSP Restoration

Try The FOA's Online Loss Budget Calculator

Worth Reading

Each month we read hundreds of newsletters and online articles. These are the ones we think you will find "worth reading."

FOA  has a web page with resources on fiber broadband networks and the IIJA/BEAD funding programs.

Cross Reference Guide to FOA Textbooks, Online Guide and Fiber U

FOA Timeline of Fiber Optic History  and the new FOA video "The History Of Fiber Optics"

• Last Gasp For Multimode Fiber?  
• Who Lost Lucent? The Decline of America's Telecom Industry.
  
• How Many Fibers? Optimal cable Size. 
• Women Installers In Alaska. . 
• Building Rural FTTH - Learning From The History Of Rural Electrification. 
• Warning For Techs Doing Restoration (Fiber Amplification).
  
• The Future Of Work Is Skills - So Stop Worrying About Degrees - The reality is the future of work is about skills, not just degrees. (FOA Newsletter Feb 2020)

Recent articles from The FOA Newsletter
Fake OTDR Traces Submitted For Testing Documentation  January 2023 Tech  
Using OTDRs To Test Transoceanic Cables And PONs February 2023 
POF - the Other Fiber March 2023 
What Do Employers Expect From A Fiber Optic Tech?  April 2023  
Are Standards Ignoring The OSP? May 2023 
FOA Has Proven Results In Fiber Optic Workforce Development June 2023 
BEAD Funding For States Announced And Analyzed  July 2023  
Wisdom From The Street (Analyzing the printing on a fiber optic cable) July 2023 
Focus On Disasters August 2023  
FOA's Role In Education and Work Done By Fiber Techs  September 2023  
The Workforce: New US DoL Bureau of Labor Statistics Telecom Tech Category  October 2023  
How Many Telecom Techs Do We Need and How Big Is The Fiber Optic Market  November 2023 
Guidelines For Fiber Optic Project Planners December 2023 
2023 Year In Review. Kentucky Shows The Value Of Fiber  January 2024.
What is Broadband? History of the Cable Modem  February 2024 
It's Just Economics. Things you need to know. March 2024.

Fiber To The Shore - Undersea cables along the coast April, 2024.
The Future Of The Fiber Tech May 2024.

Worth Reading (And Watching Or Listening):

The State Of Fiber Optics In The Utility Industry - Utility Expo

Recent Articles

Responsible Fiber Deployment: Strategies for Protection and Damage Prevention - Excavation Safety Alliance - YouTube video, 1hr.

Can Our Industry Develop Fiber Talent? ISE Magazine. Learn how states, schools and training organizations must work together to develop fiber field talent.

Landlines are dying out. But to some, they’re a lifeline. Washington Post Providers want to scale back landline service, but people with poor cell reception still rely on it for emergencies.

Pre-Excavation Safety Checklist (PDF) - Excavation Safety Alliance - essential steps before breaking ground for underground construction.

Developing a Fiber Workforce Really Does Take A Village - ISE magazine looks at the role of manufacturers' training in developing the fiber workforce.

How Many More Fiber Techs Do We Really Need?  - ISE Magazine

You can also buy copies - Telegeography




CABL® (cabl.com) serves the business needs of the Broadband industry (including traditional cable TV, fiber, telecom and satellite providers) with employment listings, classified ads, discussion forums, and more. A contractor told us it's where they find lots of opportunities for subcontracting.

Do You Believe In Magic? Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.  ISE Magazine.

Fiber Optics Installed By The Lowest Bidder  - ISE Magazine

Building Broadband During Component and Worker Shortages - Broadband Communities - Completing broadband builds requires competent fiber optic techs, but training them requires understanding how they learn.

Worth Reading - Magazines, Websites and Newsletters

CABL® (cabl.com) serves the business needs of the Broadband industry (including traditional cable TV, fiber, telecom and satellite providers) with employment listings, classified ads, discussion forums, and more. A contractor told us it's where they find lots of opportunities for subcontracting.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance weekly newsletter has lots of interesting articles and links.

Next Century Cities Newsletter - News from cities around the US including Detroit and New York plus small

Worth Reading - History & Technical

FOA was founded in 1995 - FOA's History

Restoration: If you are interested in restoration - aren't we all? - you should also read this article in dpPro magazine by FOA President Jim Hayes: Damage Protection Requires Looking Overhead As Well As Underground - dpPRO Magazine - about the problems with aerial cables. His previous article for the magazine was New Techniques for Fiber Optic Installation.

Universal access to broadband is a cornerstone to a strong economy, Achieving universal access will require community partnerships. by Alfreda B. Norman, Sr. VP,  Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

FIBER TO THE FARM: The co-ops that electrified Depression-era farms are now building rural internet. Be sure to check out the high-tech equine installation equipment.

Infrastructure Get Some Respect, NY TImes "On Tech"   "The magic of the internet requires a lot of very boring stuff behind the scenes. "

VIAVI Books On Fiber Optic Testing (2 volumes) - They're back!

Q&A

When readers ask us questions, we genrally refer them to FOA resources where they can find the answer to their question and many more. We first send them to the FOA Guide which is the table of contents for the FOA technical resources. There they can find pages indexed by topic and a search engine for the FOA website. It also links them to FOA videos and courses on our free online learning site Fiber U.

The FOA Fiber FAQs Page (FAQs = frequently asked questions) gathers up questions readers have asked us (which first ran in this newsletter) and adds tech topics of general interest.

Good Question!

Tech Questions/Comments From FOA Newsletter Readers 

More Q&A in the FOA FAQs Page  

Bend Insensitive Fibers
Q: Bend Insensitive Fibres are widely used today, do they have any technological limitations or trade-offs when compared to traditional optical fibers?
A: When BI fibers were first introduced 15 years ago, the only drawback was the slight differences in the geometries of BI multimode fibers compared to conventional fibers which could cause variations in loss when the fibers were mated in connections or splices. Fiber manufacturers addressed this issue with subtle redesign of the fibers to remove the differences.
Singlemode fiber continued as non-BI G.652 and BI G.657 for longer again with differences in mode field diameter that caused directional loss differences. When microcables and high fiber count cables became available, they required so much BI fiber that the G.652 fibers were redesigned to also be BI fibers. Now the majority of singlemode fibers are also BI and the directional loss differences don’t exist anymore.


Testing Cables With APC Connectors
Q: I am in need of direction on OTDR source with APC 8 degree angled connection compatibility.
A: You need launch and receive cables matching the fiber being tested terminated with a connector compatible with the OTDR on one end and the APC connector on the other. Be sure you know the length of the launch cable because APC connectors have a very low reflectance and may not have a reflectance peak to make the end of the launch cable easy to find.

Testing 100/140 Multimode Fibre
Q: I am required to test the insertion loss (IL) of 100/140 µm ST-to-ST multimode patch cords at 1300 nm. However, I currently have access only to a 62.5/125 µm light source. Could you please advise if there is a suitable method or workaround to perform accurate IL testing on 100/140 µm cables using this source?
A: We assume the light source is a LED, so all you need is launch and receive cables made with 100/140 fiber and connectors compatible to the cables you need to test. Those cables are available from many suppliers.

Are Splices Too Close Together A Problem?
Q: When installing fiber in an plant. Is there a minimum distance that two splices should be apart? ;
A: The recommendation in the past was to bot have splices close together since slight reflectances at the splices could cause an interference problem with laser systems. The recommendation was to keep splices 30-100m apart. IT was especially noted if you had to splice in a section of cable to repair a cable break. However we have not heard this in recent history, perhaps because fusion splices are so good. We asked a number of FOA's technical advisors for their opinions. Their feedback is the problem of reflectance causing problems at closely spaced splices seems to have disappeared. It’s a matter of better splicing machines and more consistent fibers, and also a matter of lasers being engineered to work better in links.

Copper Tech Wants To Learn Fiber Optics
Q: I am originally from copper installations and faults finding. I would like to get involved in Optic fibre faults and finding, how do I go if there is a possible training it will be highly appreciated,
A: Just learn about fiber, especially fiber testing and troubleshooting. Fiber U has courses you can take for free.

OSP Installation Standards
Q: I'm looking for standards for fiber optic OSP installation.
A: The whole issue of OSP standards has been one FOA been trying to get standards bodies interested in for years with little success, probably because it is an enormous project. Right now there are two documents that address OSP cable plant:

ITU-T    Technical Report, TR-OFCS Optical fibres, cables and systems, (3 July 2015)
As you can see, the ITU document is almost 10 years old and a lot has changed in that time.

The Other is the Telcordia Blue Book - Expensive but thorough
Telcordia Blue Book - Manual of Construction Procedures
Document Number SR-1421, Issue Number 07, Issue Date Jan 2023

Is The FOA CFOT® A License?
Q: Can you use a CFOT certification to install fiber and charge for it? Or do you need other licenses as well? ;
A: FOA Certification is considered evidence of competence and accepted worldwide by many companies, groups, etc. Licenses are a legal credential required by local authorities to conduct business for anything from a barber to a truck triver to contractors doing fiber or other work. Most locales require a license as a contractor which may require a fiber specialty. You need to investigate this with your local authorities.

Pulling Fiber Optic Cables In Metal Conduit
Q: Often when constructing fibre, it is encased in steel pipes (e.g. when being attached to buildings or bridges.
I am seeking guidance on a case where the encasement has to make a right angle (or less) turn. How is the installation done? Considering possible challenges in duct laying and fibre pushing / blowing
A: The bend radius of the conduit should be kept large to not cause excess friction on the cable that would require high pulling tension. Low friction plastic duct can be pulled into the conduit first or cable lubricant used before the cable is pulled into the duct or conduit.

Radiation  Effects In Fiber Optic Cables
Q: We were asked about fiber optic cables in presents of nuclear radiation in reactors. Will radiation affect the glass fiber?. Is jacket material affected by radiation?
A: This has been a topic of discussion and study since the first optical fiber use, first relative to use in nuclear power plants and nuclear powered subs and ships. Today fiber is used in satellites and the ISS. Fiber can be sensitive to radiation and is therefore used as a sensor for radiation in some experiments. Normal fibers work in most environments - wherever t is safe for humans - and special fibers and cables are used in high-radiation areas.

PC and APC Connectors
Q: Can you confirm whether there is a 1 mm gap in APC and UPC optical connectors?
A: PC, UPC and APC connectors are all physical contact connectors - that’s what “PC” means. If you had a gap between the connectors when making a connection you would have higher loss and reflectance except on the APC.

Broken Fibers
Q: What could be the main reasons for this? A buried fibre cable has broken cores, such that different cores break at different distances (e.g. core 1 and 2 break at 6 km, core 5 and 9 break at 28km, etc) Why would a core break at a point where other cores are not even showing a loss?
A: A likely cause is exceeding the pulling tension or bend radius of the cable during installation. How it affects fibers could be due to the alignment of fibers at different points or how the cable was stressed during installation. Often fiber is pulled using pulleys too small or over a small radius exiting a duct.

Questions On Restoration Repair;
Q: I have been in several debates about fiber restoration, and whether a cable being repaired should have all the fibers spliced through the damage or just the active ones. The people I have the debate with typically use the line "we follow industry standards" I am inquiring about where I may find this issue referenced? I have many of your books (if not all) but it would help me save time if you could tell me where this specific issue is addressed? For the record, I am for splicing all cables through and making the cable whole, to reduce troubleshooting, and the ability to utilize existing fiber to install new customers or roll a customer to a different fiber if their assigned fiber needs to be repaired.
A: Let’s address the standards issue first. OSP standards are almost nonexistent.. When it comes to restoration itself, the goal should be to restore service as quickly as possible- e.g. splice enough fibers for current service - then complete the restoration to return the cable plant to its condition before the damage was done. Considering the time required to locate, have techs drive to the site, prepare the cable for repair and then return the cable plant to a secure situation (aerial or underground), it seems “penny wise and pound foolish” to not complete the jonb by splicing all the fibers. Do those who argue otherwise think saving a few minutes now justifies having to do another major project in the future to restore the other fibers?

Past Questions

OTDR Measures Fiber Length
Q: What property (or defect) of SM G.652D could possibly lead to span length (fiber length determined by OTDR) being shorter than cable length? The cable length is 2.517km vs 2.508km fiber length.*
A: It is not uncommon for the OTDR measured fiber distance to differ from the cable distance read from the cable jacket. OTDR measurements have errors typically greater than the differences you gave. However there is another likely difference. THe OTDR measures time of flight (test pulse out and return) to the end of the cable and calculates the length based on the index of refraction of the fiber. Most cables have a fiber length about 1% longer than the cable length to prevent stress on the fiber when the cable is pulled, so your results showing the fiber length as being shorter indicated the particular fiber in the cable has an index of refraction that is different from the value being used by the OTDR. This is a parameter which can be set if you know the proper value for the fibers used in the cable.

What is Long Haul?
Q: Do we have a characterisation for long haul plant in terms of length? How long should a fibre plant be to be called long haul? How long is a metro and a campus fibre? Apart from length, are there any other features required for a fibre plant to be called "long haul"?
A: There is no standard definition for “long haul,” but most people probably use the following guidelines:
Long haul: >20km
Metro: 2-20km
Campus: <2km
Premises: <500m
Again, there are no standards for the term “long haul,” so while most long haul today is high speed (>10Gb/s) and may include WDM, some long haul systems for special applications like electrical utility grid monitoring may go long distances but at very low bit rates.

What's The Light Path Link
Q: Generally, how much does the distance travelled by the light pulse (one way) differ from the length of the fibre (as measured on the drum)  There are probably differences (how ever small) between the path of the light pulse (as it ping-pongs inside the core) and the length of the strand.
A: In singlemode fiber, the light path length is the fiber length. In multimode fiber it depends on the type of fiber and the individual modes. Cable is generally made with the fiber being about 1% longer than the cable to prevent tension on the cable elongating it and stressing the fiber.

Reducing Attenuation
Q: What is the best way of reducing fiber optic attenuation
A: In any cable plant, the loss comes from the loss of the optical fiber and loss at joints (splices or mated connectors) plus any stress losses caused by bad installation of the cable. For a give cable plant, the options are lower loss fiber or lower loss at joints. If you need lower loss, the fiber loss is a function of the attenuation coefficient (dB/km) times the length (km)., e.g 0.4dB/km X 10 km = 4.0 dB. So if the length is fixed, you can try to find lower loss fiber. The loss at joints is a fucntion of the methods of joining. Splices have very low loss - 0.1 dB or less on singlemode fiber. slightly more on multimode fiber. Connections can have loss from 0.1 dB to more than 0.5 dB, depending on the type of connector chosen. On SM fiber, if connecctors are top quality fusion splice on connectors and are properly cleaned loss can be under 0.2 dB. Some connectors like the MPO multifiber array connector can have losses up to 0.75 dB or more. Replacing connectors with fusion splices is also a way to lower loss at joints. Here is a reference to loss budgets: https://foa.org/tech/lossbudg.htm

Safe handling of fiber optics;
Q: Is there a particular glove recommended for safe handling of FO's? I appreciate dexterity in handling may be important, but glass shards / splinters into the skin is a significant risk as well. There are vague references to using gloves, but looking for the preferred / recommended type of glove.
A: Gloves are hard to use when dealing with bare fiber but thin surgical gloves work for some people. Regular gloves are too clumsy and some cannot stop fiber penetration. When working with cable, especially armored cable or large cables, work gloves are good protection. You can also get kevlar gloves that resist cuts but are flexible and cooler. They are often advertised as kitchen gloves to prevent knife cuts.

Fault Location
Q: How do you detect fault location of fiber optics in the field? How much time it takes to detect geo-location?
A: The simple answer is an OTDR but the physical location depends on cable plant documentation and location data like GIS data. The time depends on the availability of data and equipment. Minutes to days?

"Certified' Cables
Q: we will be using a large number of fiber cables .  We have specific testing and reporting requirements for the cables that are shipped to us.  Each end needs to be tested in accordance with IEC-61300-3-35, IEC 61300-1:2022 with automated analysis microscopy. Instead of purchasing the cables and getting them certified upon receiving them, is there an option out there that allows you to purchase Fiber Optic Cables that have already been certified according to the above listed requirements and come with some sort of clear proof of that?
A: The question is the matter of definition of “certified.” Generally it means testing to a standard as you note. Any reputable manufacturer of these cables will supply documentation with the cables that includes loss testing and connector inspection reports.  If the cable manufacturer does not supply that documentation, I suggest finding another supplier.  At incoming, it may be desirable to do a AQL sampling, but testing these cables is very specialized. Not many contractors are equipped with the special test equipment needed.

Calibrating Multimode Optical Power Meters
Q: Should I be calibrating multimode optical power meters with an LED source or a laser? I know that standards call for testing multimode loss with LEDs not lasers.
A: The reason standards call for testing MM fiber with LEDs is the coherence of lasers leads to modal noise in the fibers and unpredictable variations in loss. But the wide spectral width of LEDs makes calibration less accurate than when using lasers at the correct wavelengths. Calibrate meters with lasers, test fibers with LEDs.

Color Codes On Higher Fiber Count Cables
Q: Why do buffer tubes 13-24 repeat the colors with a black stripe (black will have a yellow stripe)?  Why does it start with black stripe vs starting with blue? And what happens when you get to black tube color again do you skip it?
A: Color codes are an interesting topic. The basic color codes go back to the beginnings of multi-pair phone cables. TIA added color codes for premises cable jackets and connectors in TIA-598 to the 1-12 color codes for fibers and buffer tubes. FOA covers that basic system in the online Guide here: https://foa.org/tech/ColCodes.htm
The question about the second black fiber, fiber 20, is an interesting one. Many cables use black with a yellow stripe but Corning uses a clear buffer with a black stripe. https://www.corning.com/catalog/coc/documents/application-engineering-notes/AEN029.pdf
 It turns out that cable manufacturers don’t all do it the same way for higher fiber counts. Most use the 1-12 colors for fibers and the same for buffer tubes. 12 fibers per colored buffer tube is the tradition, but there are 24 fibers in some tubes, so it’s 1-24 colors.
Ribbon cables are another story. With the older hard ribbon designs, cable manufacturers often printed information on each ribbon. Those are becoming obsolete and you can’t print on the new flexible ribbons the same way, so I’ve seen schemes to print dots and dashes on the fibers in the ribbons!
So what we have is a standard, but standards are voluntary, so not everybody follows them!

Repairing Fiber Optic Connector Ferrules
Q: Can you take an existing fiber optic number connector and polish the end if the end is to dirty or damaged that it cannot be cleaned via dry or wet methods?
A: Yes, using special polishing techniques. We have a page on that in the FOA Guide: Fiber Optic Connector Repair  

Grounding Armored Jumper Cables
Q: Do you need to bond/ground FTTH drop "jumpers" that ise an armored cable?
A: Yes, just like any other cable that has conductive elements.  A manufacturer of the cables Tinifiber seems to agree:  https://tinifiber.com/bonding-and-grounding-armored-fiber-cable/
I do not know of any fiber optic connectors that address this, unlike the RJ-45/modular 8-pin connectors for UTP copper.

Disoposal Of Fiber Optic Cables
Q: How does an organization dispose of unwanted fiber optic cables in an environmentally safe manner?
A: We recommend that users save some reels leftover from an installation for possible use in restoration. If a cable break occurs, getting cable quickly can be a problem. We also have a contact who says he can recycle fiber optic cable:
Contact: Steve Maginnis, LD4Recycle/ CommuniCom Recycling, (Visit website https://ld4recycle.com), sm@LD4Recycle.com, 803.371.5436
Otherwise, it is basically landfill.
 
Finding Buried Fiber Optic Cables
Q: We have a client that needs their private fiber located.  We have been on site and confirmed the lines were installed with no tracer wire or conductive conduit/sheathing.  Want to know if you had any suggestions on how to locate or if there was specialized equipment that I am aware of.
A: Interesting question on an important topic. The answer is a qualified maybe. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) can sometimes spor fiber optic cable, maybe more easily if it is in duct or conduit. It requires someone with a lot of experince in GPR. There are companies around the US with this capability. Then there is a new proposal using the sensing capability of fiber with above ground vibrators. Nothing commercial is available here as far as I know.
https://www.winlab.rutgers.edu/~hansiiii/papers/OECC_2020_Liu.pdf

Fiber Optics For Alarm Systems
Q: Can you please help me with having information about if do you know if someone did use fiber for complete fire alarm systems, sensor, smoke detectors, panels etc.
A: FOA checked with my technical contact at the IBEW, Jim Simpson, for this topic. Here is his answer:
NFPA does indeed have requirements for fiber in fire alarm systems. Keep in mind, the requirements may vary depending on which edition of NFPA 72 the jurisdiction has adopted. The info below is based on the 2022 NFPA 72.

• Chapter 12 covers Circuits and Pathways
• Section 27.4 covers Communications Methods
• Section 27.7 covers Public Cable Plant

Updating FOA Courses And Reference Materials
Q: How often are FOA courses updated? And when they get updated, what happens to those who would have done a previous version?
A: The FOA certifications are updated as needed to stay current with technology and applications. Udates are incremental and we do not require current certification holders to retake courses or exams. Some of our updates are almost humorous. For example, over the last 20 years the definitions of “hybrid” and “composite” cables have flipped twice in several international standards. At the last time, we changed all references to these cable types in all our materials to note the confusion it creates, then purged all questions from our exams that covered this confusing topic.


Older questions can be found on the FAQs page.

More Q&A in the FOA FAQs Page  

Online Credentials For FOA Schools And Certified Instructors

The Types of Work Done By Fiber Techs And How It Affects Training

FOA School News

Need A Fiber Optic Course Onsite? Invite an FOA School To Come To You

Fiber U On-The-Job Training (OJT) Program

Like other FOA programs, the OJT-To-Cert program is free. If you and/or your company is interested in the FOA OJT-To-Cert program, contact FOA.

To explain how OJT works and FOA's OJT-To-Cert program, FOA created a short video: Lecture 62: On The Job Training For Fiber Optics Using Fiber U     

FOA Direct Certification Program For Experienced Fiber Optic Techs

Experience Plus Online Study At Fiber U = FOA Certification

Fiber U "Basic Fiber Optics" Online Self-Study Course Now In Spanish

El curso de autoaprendizaje en línea "Fibra óptica básica" de Fiber U ahora en español

El sitio de aprendizaje en línea de FOA, Fiber U, tiene más de dos docenas de cursos de autoaprendizaje gratuitos sobre fibra óptica y cableado de instalaciones. Como era de esperar, el tema más popular es el curso "Fibra óptica básica", que se utiliza para iniciarse en la fibra óptica y como curso de preparación para realizar el examen de certificación FOA CFOT.

Ahora el curso básico de fibra óptica está disponible en español, utilizando el libro de texto FOA en español, la sección de la Guía en línea en español y la capacidad de YouTube para traducir subtítulos de video al español. El curso funciona exactamente como la versión en inglés con 10 lecciones, cada una con cuestionarios y una opción para tomar un examen de Certificado de finalización.

Para presentar el nuevo curso de español Fiber U, el examen Certificate of Completion es gratuito, así que dígaselo a sus contactos.

Curso Básico de Fibra Óptica de Fibra U en español.

New Fiber U Course: Fiber Characterization 
FOA has added a new course at Fiber U on Fiber Characterization. Fiber characterization is the process for testing long fiber cable plants for its ability for carrying high speed communications. With so many networks now operating at 100, 200, 400 or even 800 Gb/s, fiber characterization is important, especially on older fiber optic cable plants.The free Fiber U Fiber Characterization course is available in two forms, as a standalone Fiber U fiber Characterization Course with its own Fiber U Certificate of Completion and as a separate Lesson in the Fiber U Fiber Optic Testing course. This course is recommended for those studying for the FOA CFOS/FC Fiber Characterization certification.

Fiber U MiniCourses: Got An Hour Or Less? Learn Something New About Fiber Optics.

What Fiber Techs Don't Know -

What We Learn From FOA Certification Tests

FOA offers free online self-study programs at Fiber U. Many users are preparing for FOA certification programs - taking courses at our schools or using the Direct Certification program. Some of our schools are requiring Fiber U programs as prerequisites for their classroom courses so they can spend more time on hands-on activities.

Cross Reference To FOA Tech Materials
FOA has so much technical reference material, we created a cross reference guide to the textbooks, Online Guide and Fiber U courses, all the FOA technical information. Besides the textbooks, online Guide and Fiber U, each section of the Guide also includes links to the 100+ FOA videos available.

Cross Reference Guide to Textbooks, Online Guide and Fiber U

FOA Guide To Fiber Optic Workforce Development

To help those new to fiber optic workforce development, FOA has created a web page we call  "Fiber Optic Workforce Development."  In this page, we share what we have learned about the fiber optic workforce, who they are and how they learn their trade. We discuss what defines a fiber optic tech and how they should be certified.

Read the FOA Guide To Fiber Optic Workforce Development online.

New Edition of FOA's Basic Fiber Optics Textbook

Just like they say in the product ads, it's new and improved!

It has been 5 years since we have updated the FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics, so it is certainly time for an update. The latest version is different enough we call it a new edition. Many of the updates are for new technologies which are reshaping the fiber optic industry like coherent transmission, BI fibers, etc. We've also added a section on the fiber optic workforce which has much relevance because this book is used to train those entering the workforce.

We've also worked on making the book more readable, adding formatting that eases reading and a new comprehensive index.

Inflation was an issue, but the price only goes up $2 to $29.95 for the paperback and $12.95 for the Kindle version.


The new edition of the FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics is available  from Amazon and booksellers worldwide.

New In Spanish - Nuevo en español

FOA Spanish Textbook And Online Guide Updated

Libro de texto en español y guía en línea de FOA actualizados

FOA Adds Fiber Optic Network Design in Spanish

Best Seller: Fiber Broadband (Paperback and Kindle)

More Translations of FOA Textbooks

FOA is a very international organization and it works hard to accommodate the language needs of everyone. We have been translating our books and website into the languages most requested, and this month, we add two more textbook translations. We also want to thank Jerry Morla, FOA CFOS/I instructor and Director who has been doing the recent translations into Spanish, his native language.

Planning A Fiber Optic Project?

FOA Video Lectures On YouTube

Did you know YouTube will close caption videos in many languages?


Sign in with Google to get translations for closed captioning. Click on the settings icon (red arrow.) Choose "Subtitles".  English is the default language. Click on the arrow after "English (auto-generated) >". In the new window click on "Auto-translate" and choose the language you want. 

FOA Loss Budget Calculator On A Web Page 5/2020

FOA has written many articles about loss budgets, something everyone involved in fiber optics needs to know and needs to know how to calculate. We recently discovered how to get a spreadsheet ported to a Web page, so we created this web page that calculates loss budgets. We have an iOS loss budget app, but with this web page, you can calculate loss budgets from any device, smart phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer that has web browsing capability.

 

Bookmark this page (especially on your smartphone): FOA Loss Budget Calculator Online

We are continually updating the Online Reference Guide to keep up with changes in the industry and adding lots of new pages of technical information. When you go to the FOA Guide Table of Contents to see the latest updates - look for .

 
 
 

 

Fiber Optics (4 languages), Premises Cabling, OSP fiber and construction, Network Design, Testing, FTTH Handbook and our latest - FIber Broadband

   The FOA has it's own reference books for everyone working in fiber optics - contractors, installers and end users as well as for use as textbooks in classes at educational institutions. They are available as printed books or Kindle at much lower prices than most textbooks since we self-publish and sell online, cutting out the middlemen. Click on the book images for more information. The Reference Guide To Fiber Optics is also available in Spanish, French and Portuguese. The Design book is available in English and Spanish.

Click on any book for more information about it.

  

Fiber Optic Safety Poster to download and print

On Safety

New Fiber U Course: Fiber Optic Safety

Safety must be the first concern of everyone involved in a fiber optic project, including those planning, designing, managing or supervising and of course those doing the installation.

FOA is often asked about safety for fiber optics. Some inquiries ask where it's covered in the FOA Online Guide or textbooks or if we have a course on safety at Fiber U. Almost all Fiber U Courses have lessons covering safety, because safety is important in every aspect of a fiber optic project.

This new Fiber U course will focus on safety alone. There are two lessons in this course, fiber optic construction and fiber optic installation. The dividing line between the two courses is the installation of the fiber optic cables. Construction leads up to and/or is completed when the cables are installed. Installation begins when the fiber tech installs the cable, then completes the splicing, termination testing and documentation. The overlap between the two is the installation of the cables where both construction personnel and fiber optic techs are involved. 

Here is the new Fiber U "Fiber Optic Safety" self-study program. Take the course and get your certificate of completion.

Enhance your safety with the FOA Safety Vest.

There is a toll-free "call before you dig" number in the USA: Dial 811. See www.call811.com for more information in the US. Here is their map of resources by states.

In Canada, it's "Click Before You Dig.com" They also have a page of resources by US states and Canadian provinces.

The Common Ground Alliance has an excellent "Best Practices Guide" online

The US Department of Transportation has a website called "National Pipeline Mapping System" that allows one to search for buried pipelines.   

Why We Warn You To Be Careful About Fiber Shards


Photo courtesy  Brian Brandstetter,  Mississauga Training Consultantcy

Contact Us:  http://www.foa.org or email <info@foa.org>

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 FOA Logo Merchandise

New FOA Swag! Shirts, Caps, Stickers, Cups, etc.

Your Name, CFOT® - It pays to advertise!

The FOA encourages CFOTs to use the logo on their business cards, letterhead, truck or van, etc. and provides logo files for that purpose. But we are also asked about how to use the CFOT or CFOS certifications. Easy, you can refer to yourself as "Your Name, CFOT" or "Your Name, CFOS/T" for example.

Feel free to use the logo and designations to promote your achievements and professionalism!

Privacy Policy (for the EU GDPR): The FOA does not use cookies or any other web tricks to gather information on visitors to our website, nor do we allow commercial advertising. Our website hosts may gather traffic statistics for the visitors to our website and our online testing service, ClassMarker, maintains statistics of test results. We do not release or misuse any information on any of our members except we will confirm FOA certifications and Fiber U certificates of completion when requested by appropriate persons such as employers or personnel services.
Read the complete FOA Privacy Policy here.