September 2023

Sections

Features

Newsletter Sections

FOA Certified Techs: 

See FOA Jobs Web Page and FOA on 

The FOA Jobs Web Page has been updated and a new page added on Using your FOA Training/Certification to Find the Right Job in Fiber Optics

 

  

Fiber Optic Safety Poster to download and print

FOA Videos on

• 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. 
• FOA OJT To Cert Program. 
• Building Rural FTTH - Learning From The History Of Rural Electrification. 
• Warning For Techs Doing Restoration (Fiber Amplification). 
• Timeline Of Fiber Optics - History Of Fiber Optic Technology - See below

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.

Highlights from the FOA Newsletter in 2022  

New Fiber U Self Study Programs

Time To Renew Your FOA Certifications?

Renew online with a credit card or PayPal

 

   

 

August may be vacation month but it was busy in fiber optics!

The New BLS "Telecommunications Technicians" Web Page Is Live. 

FOA's Role In Education

CFOT®, the FOA Certified Fiber Optic Technician certification and recognize FOA as a certifying body. CFOT is a certification that has been achieved by over 92,000 fiber optic techs worldwide, making FOA the most recognized certifying body for fiber optics. But FOA is more than a certifying body, we are also the world's largest source of independent, dependable fiber optic information. And it is always free to everyone.

The charter of the FOA has always been "To promote professionalism in fiber optics through education, certification and standards."

Building A Fiber Optic Knowledge Base 
When we began working on the CFOT certification, we noted the lack of information written for fiber optic  technicians; every book available at the time was written for university researchers (and nothing was online; there were not many websites in 1995 - the FOA website was one of the first 30,000 or so!) Our first project at FOA was to gather up information on installation from the FOA founders who were subject matter experts and create our own textbook for training techs.

 

FOA published its first textbook for fiber techs, The Fiber Optic Technicians Manual, in 1997. The book on premises cabling that covered copper and fiber cabling plus wireless, Data, Voice and Video Cabling, came out 4 years later.

Fiber U offers 3 dozen free online courses, some aimed to prepare for FOA certifications and the rest on topics of interest in fiber optics. 



In 2009, FOA began self-publishing its own textbooks. FOA wanted to be able to update material on a faster schedule than a commercial publisher would allow and

The Types of Work Done By Fiber Techs

What's Weather Got To Do With Fiber Optics? Part 2

It's now late summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It's still setting records for hottest days and nights everywhere. News stories are warning everyone about the dangers of hot weather since some parts of the world are getting as hot as humans can tolerate. Last month, we said that hot weather almost always means wildfires, and wildfires are still burning in areas not generally associated with wildfires. We have had wildfires burning for months in Canada and this week wildfires were burning even in Hawaii, Spain, Portugal, Tunisia, Turkey and the Canary Islands and the Greek Isles.

Last month we mentioned it's time for the hurricane season to start in the mid-Atlantic and they are extremely disruptive to communications, likely to damage infrastructure in areas with lots of aerial cables. Below is a graphic example of how storms can be disruptive.

 
Besides disrupting electric service and communications south of Baltimore, there were over 30 cars trapped by these fallen poles and wires along this section of highway. Power was out for several days following this storm.

Come winter, northern areas will get cold; blizzards and ice storms become a hazard for infrastructure. Even artists like Sandow Birk recognize the problems with aerial cables in the winter.



It's not just aerial cables that are at risk. We've seen flooding in many areas during this very wet winter/spring and sea rise is threatening many coastal cities. That can cause problems with underground infrastructure if flooding has not been part of the design. And winter can bring a special set of problems to underground cables.



FOA has been sent several photos of splice closures like this one that filled with water and frozen solid, disrupting the network. FOA was even sent a photo of a flooded manhole that froze solid in a very cold winter. The question was how do you thaw up a frozen manhole; the answer was wait for springtime.

The FOA has always had technical information on preparing for and restoring network outages caused by the cable plant (FOA Guide on Restoration and Fiber U MiniCourse on Restoration), but with all the disruptive weather we have been having, several groups have contacted FOA to ask for advice on planning and designing networks to survive disasters. It's not a simple subject and there will be a wide variety of conditions to plan for, but it has become a very important topic.

More Disasters To Worry About:

Slashed fiber-optic cables blamed for phone, internet outages in SoCal’s high desert

Airborne fish sparks New Jersey power outage, electricity company says

An incident involving a bird gave new meaning to the term “fish fry” after an electric company suspected an osprey of dropping its meal onto power lines – triggering an outage in a New Jersey neighborhood.

A fish that fell from a bird’s grip landed on a transponder in Sayreville, located just southwest of New York’s Staten Island, according to Jersey Central Power and Light Company spokesperson Chris Hoenig.

“Animal contact is a common cause of power outages; however, fish are not on the list of frequent offenders,” Hoenig told CNN.

Read more on CNN.

The Importance of  Preparation For Disaster Recovery

Good Lessons About Restoration For Managers Of Infrastructure Projects

1. Empower strong leadership
2. Speed up the bureaucracy
3. Encourage creativity
4. Work together

Safety While Working In Extreme Heat 

New Fiber U MiniCourse - Fiber Optic Jargon

FOA's World Map Of Approved Training Schools Updated  

FOA's School Map 

Latest FOA Book: Fiber Broadband (Paperback and Kindle)

FOA Newsletter Sections

News

Lots more news in Worth Reading below

FOA Instructors Are Interesting People

Over the years, we have written many stories about FOA instructors and their hobbies: scuba divers, treasure hunters, builders and pilots of homebuilt aircraft and of course car enthusiasts. The instructor at one of our new schools, Buckeye Hills Career Center in Rio Grande, Ohio, is Tim Henderson. Besides teaching FOA certification courses at Buckeye, Tim is assisting FOA in training new instructors in the Ohio schools being added to the FOA network.

Here is Tim, his wife Mary and 3 of their 6 grandchildren.

In his spare time, Tim is an antique enthusiast and part-time auctioneer. Tim is also a big fan of antique Ford Model A cars which he restores and shows. He has been an enthusiast for many years but became very active in the Model A field about ten years ago.Tim is president of the local Model A car club and trades parts - and cars - in local swap meets.

Meet "Penelope," Tim's 1929 Model A Ford "Leather Back" touring car.  Penelope won first prize in the Touring Class at this year's Model A Restorers' Club National Meet in West Chester, Ohio.

FOA CFOT Course For The Spanish-Speaking Community in Raleigh, NC

FOA Featured In International Business Magazine

Insider Info

Autonomous Vehicles in San Francisco Disabled By 5G Congestion

Autotour.net 

Another Cruise robotaxi collided with a fire truck at an intersection in San Francisco. The robotaxi had a green light but failed to yield a fire truck on an emergency call with lights flashing coming into the intersection. The fire truck struck the robotaxi, injuring the passenger who had injuries that required an ambulance to a hospital. (The Verge)

But this is not about robotaxis, it's about 5G. San Francisco’s North Beach streets were blocked as a long line of approximately 10 Cruise robotaxis come to a standstill together for no apparent reason. The cars sat there motionless blocking the intersection for about 15 minutes before driving off. (Autotour)



Cruise blamed cellphone carriers for the problem. "A large festival posed wireless bandwidth constraints causing delayed connectivity to our vehicles. We are actively investigating and working on solutions to prevent this from happening again. We apologize to those who were impacted," said a statement put out by Cruise on social media.

Remember the hype about 5G? It has so much bandwidth it would make autonomous vehicles be able to talk to the infrastructure and to each other. In fact 5G can become congested in a city easily. The blame for this incident was said to be a large crowd attending an event at Golden Gate park.

When large crowds gather and attendees use phones to share or watch video, it can require massive bandwidth to accommodate the thousands - or tens of thousands - of simultaneous connections. Typical wireless systems are designed for about a hundred users or less. In large stadiums or buildings used for events, large numbers of DAS nodes (distributed antenna system) are used to provide sufficient bandwidth. City parks generally are served by only a few small cells that can be easily overwhelmed by large numbers of users.

If autonomous vehicles must depend on 5G networks, a more extensive 5G network with the ability to assign priority to critical users (as is done with fire and safety services) is probably required.

(More information on how networks share networks and can become congested.)

You Will Now Be Recognized As A Telecom Tech

The New BLS "Telecommunications Technician" Website Will Be Available September 6

Fiber Optic Sensors Integrated Into Fabrics Track Movement

Researchers from the Federal University of Espirito Santo (Brazil) have developed a completely noninvasive way to track a person’s physical activity—fiber-optic smart pants. Fiber-optic sensors provide information about its wearer’s types of movement and how it’s impacting their health.

The development is “part of a larger project related to the development of photonic textiles for low-cost wearable sensors,” says Arnaldo Leal-Junior, a professor with the University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, who leads the work. The fabric is equipped with transparent 1-mm-diameter polymer optical fiber (POF) sensors based on the multiplexed intensity variation technique, which involves side coupling between the POF and light sources with controlled modulation. This sensor system is integrated into the pants, which look much like athletic tights.


 
Read more in Laser Focus Magazine  

It's Finally Illegal To Sell Counterfeit Cables (And Anything Else) Online

Scouts send Morse Code messages using light through plastic optical fiber (POF) cable

POF (Plastic Optical Fiber) Conference In Cork City, Ireland 17-20 September 2023

The 31st annual Conference on Plastic Optical Fibers is coming this month. The International Cooperative of Plastic Optical Fibers (ICPOF) and the IONS Student Chapter (International OPTICA Network of Students) will be holding POF2023 from the 17th through 20th of September at Tyndall National Institute in Cork City, Ireland.

For more information www.pof2023.org. 

Infrastructure Resources Is Now "Excavation Safety Alliance"

Infrastructure Resources has changed its name to Excavation Safety Alliance (ESA) to better reflect their role in the industry. ESA believes that a focus on safe excavation education initiatives helps prevent damage to buried facilities. Focusing on safe excavation spotlights the importance of safety for the people doing the digging, and helping keep people safe is the top priority of both damage prevention and safe excavation efforts.



ESA sponsors the annual Global Excavation Safety Conference which will be held in New Orleans in 2024.

Global Excavation Safety Conference will be held in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, from March 19-21, 2024. This is an opportunity for damage prevention & excavation safety professionals from all over the world to come together and learn, network, and share their knowledge and expertise in this vitally important field.

More info on Global ESC 2024

Looking for a good online fiber optic course? The FiberWizards Essentials - CFOT Prep Course could be a solution

How do you get new hires up to speed quickly? Continue training current employees and prepare them for the certification your customers are requiring? OJT - On-The-Job-Training. - is the usual answer, but an OJT program like the FOA's OJT-To-Cert program - requires a commitment from experienced techs and supervisors to ensure the techs stay on course.



FOA Master Instructor and Director Jerry Morla has a solution that can work for most companies, the "FiberWizards Essentials - CFOT Prep Course."  Students will get lots of flexibility to learn on their own terms with a very tailored and personalized experience including one-on-one coaching, virtual presentations, online modules, and access to a private Slack channel for support.

Students will get a lab kit when they join, to explore behaviors of light in fiber on their own. If the students need equipment to complete the hands-on part of the course, FiberWizards  offers rentals of equipment and consumables kits for students within the Continental US.

For companies who need to train their fiber techs but lack the time commitment needed from their top techs, which is practically all of them, the FiberWizards course could be a very good - and cost effective - solution.

FiberWizards Essentials - CFOT Prep Course 

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

Sponsored Content OptConn is a value-add re-seller of optical connectivity products, services and solutions. With over 30 years of experience in the fiber optics industry we are here to serve your requirements from fiber optic training with FOA certification to products, materials and supplies. We have partnerships with industry leading manufacturers to support your installation, splicing and testing needs. Our goal is to guide, support and recognized our client’s requirements. Learn more about OptConn

Insider Info

Proposal For "Modernizing" the National Electrical Code Is Creating Controversy

The National FIre Protection Association, the organization that produces the National Electrical Code (NEC), is proposing modernizing the NEC. The NEC is the foundation of the electrical installation regulatory infrastructure for the US and numerous other jurisdictions around the world. Beside electrical transmission, distribution and premises wiring, the NEC also includes information on fiber optics and communications cabling, but currently only limited coverage of POE uses like lighting.

Here are some what NFPA says that applies to fiber optics and cabling:

"The structure of the NEC plays a critical role for personnel in learning, understanding, applying, and enforcing the requirements established within this regulatory code. While the current structure, first introduced in 1937, has provided tremendous success and stability and continues to be used by engineers, contractors, electricians and training programs, the ability to efficiently learn and quickly apply and inspect advancing technologies and uniquely configured electrical systems is a challenge for all electrical professionals."

"Historically, the NEC was written based on a serving utility providing electricity to a premises with conductors, overcurrent devices, and loads. While this theme has held true for a majority of the NEC’s lifespan, technology changes over the past two decades have challenged this theme. New and evolving technologies along with novel concepts have been “force fit” into the existing structure due to the structural constraints that impact overall usability."

"Limited Energy
The installation of communications systems is no longer limited to traditional telephone and cable utilities. Telecom utilities have been replaced with the term service provider and the installing contractor can be anyone. What was once separate and distinct data systems in Chapter 7 and communication systems in Chapter 8 are being morphed into one overall electrical system complete with communication, signaling, and power, all wrapped into one cable. NEC users can be confused when trying to determine the applicability of requirements. It is important that NEC users be able to easily understand and apply the provisions for limited energy circuits.
The usability of the NEC will be enhanced by moving limited energy and communication code requirements in order to recognize these systems as general installations instead of unique or special systems."

This proposal is causing much discussion. There are many people who depend on the NEC, not just designers and contractors, but those who help them understand and interpret it. If you want to join the discussion, here are some links.

NFPA announcement of project to modernize NEC  

Comments submitted by the National Electrical Contractors Association which discuss the issues with making substantial changes to the NEC rather than the current 3 year revisions.

Fiber Optic Sensors Monitor Water And Sewer Pipes

Drop Cables For Customer Premises FTTH Installation

Learning Important Information From A Found Cable Scrap

While walking down the street near the FOA office, we found this cable laying in the gutter. What a find! A short length of Corning Rocket Ribbon 864 fiber cable left over from an installation by a contractor.



We brought the cable back to our office with the intention of opening it up and creating a video about the construction of this modern high fiber count cable, but something got our attention first. The cable had a very long line of printing on it with lots of interesting and useful information. So before we started deconstructing it, we decided to photograph the printed information and interpret it. That turned out to be an important part of the information we learned from the cable. Then, as you will see below, we dissected the cable and learned even more.



Click on the photo above for a bigger photo. Or read on.



The text on the cable starts with the Corning product name "Corning Rocket Ribbon (TM) Optical Cable," date of manufacture "01/2022" and a serial or build number. The phone handset graphic denotes this as a telecom cable.

• 864F means the cable contains 864 fibers
• SM means singlemode fiber
• 250 means the fiber has a 250 micron buffer coating
• 0.89IN means the cable has a diameter of 0.89 inches (metric would be in mm)
  
• 206 LB/KFT means the cable weighs 206 pounds per 1000 feet (metric would be kg/km)
  
• MBD 27IN means the minimum bend diameter is 27 inches (metric would be in mm or cm)
• 600LBF means the maximum pulling tension is rated at 600 pounds (metric would be in Newtons)
  

minimum bend diameter is important if the cable is being coiled or pulled over a capstan, sheaves or blocks. And the pulling tension applies if the cable is pulled, not in the case of aerial installation like this one.



The next text is the cable model number and the length.

Note: This is an outside plant cable. Indoor cables should have similar information but also include some note of being tested for flammability such as a UL registration.



Next we continued examining and dissecting this cable.

When you look at the end of the cable, you understand how dense it is. There is no internal strength member; the arrow on the right points to a foam plastic filler that spaces the 6 bundles of ribbons. The arrows on the right point to the strength members - 2 on each side of the cable embedded in the jacket.

The cable is only 0.89 inches (22 mm) diameter but was too large for our cable jacket cutter so we used a knife to split the jacket to expose the 6 color-coded bundles of ribbons on the inside.



The directions on the Corning website said to use a fingernail to strip the coating on the ribbon bundles and it works since the coating was soft plastic. Below you can see the 12 ribbons from the white bundle.



Here is a close-up of the ribbons and you can see each ribbon is marked for identification. That is a feature of these hard ribbons lost when you convert to the flexible ribbons now being widely used.



As we note above (Insider Info) this cable is likely to disappear in favor of flexible ribbons inside regular buffer tubes. And identification will be using some sort of codes marked on one of the fibers.

New Tool For Wet/Dry Cleaning

Optix QuickCleans clean fiber  faster and also avoids skin exposure to repeated use of cleaning solutions
The QuickClean tweezer design includes lint free pads for superior cleaning and a loop tie down on end to prevent from getting lost. They can be used wet or dry and are made of non-woven, high density, hydro-entangled, 45/55 cellulose/polyester blend for optimum purity. High strength with excellent absorbency, these QuickCleans are tested to over 100 uses each before they can be discarded. Ten QuickCleans per pack plus one fluid bottle (1 ounce).

More information and a datasheet.

Problems With Old Cables And New High Fiber Count Cables?

A FOA CFOT reported that they have been doing fiber characterization testing on cable plants that include both old and new fibers, a common result from building out from a legacy cable plant. One surprising result was that some relatively short links are showing CD and PMD problems even when only short segments of the cable plant are older fibers. PMD has become an issue as speeds increase but earlier fibers we not optimized to prevent PMD. This is just another reason to do fiber characterization before trying to upgrade network speeds. (There is more information on Fiber Characterization in the FOA Guide and a fiber characterization course on Fiber U.

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:

More 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"

Worth Reading (And Watching):

August 2023

Content Providers Are Still Hungry For Bandwidth, Telegeography

The Hottest CommsUpdate Stories of 2023 (So Far), Telegeography

Tempo Communications Acquires Kingfisher International, Tempo Press Release

U.S. Department of Labor to recognize Telecommunications Technician job category, Cabling Installation & Maintenance

State of California Five-Year Action Plan (BEAD Program) - good reading if you state has not finished your five-year plan.

NTIA Public Notice Posting of State and Territory BEAD and Digital Equity Plans/Proposals For all States.

Kansas builds middle mile with cost effective program - $63,000/mile.  Governor's office.

Developing a Fiber Workforce Really Does Take A Village - FOA President Jim Hayes' May/June column in ISE magazine looks at the role of manufacturers' training in developing the fiber workforce.

We need more people learning trades. Something is finally being done about it. If you’re able to work with your hands, you’ll never be out of work. Washington Post Editorial. Statistics show that for every five baby boomers retiring, there’s only one person to take their position.

Watch cable installers use a train to place duct underground - CIM Magazine 

July 2023

Bringing FTTH Broadband to Remote and Rugged Areas - Broadband Properties - By Michael A. Solitro, CEO of Sertex Broadband Solutions.

NTIA Says State Muni-Bans Won’t Delay BEAD Funding - ILSR says "Maybe"

AT&T claims satellite-direct-to-phone deal with AST SpaceMobile in FCC waiver filing - Urgentcomm.com

AFL Creates Video Classroom Online The AFL Classroom showcases products, solutions and AFL value propositions

Treasury Department Announces Approval of Federal Funding to Connect 127,000 California Homes and Businesses to Affordable, High-Speed Internet 

US Proposes Designating Portion of Radio Spectrum for 5G in the Americas Nextgov.com If approved, the proposal could enable countries in the Americas to use the band to deploy 5G mobile services.

Significant progress reported on California middle-mile network - CA Dept of Technology

Recent Case of Severe Microwave Syndrome Reveals Problems With 5G - Epoch Health -
One woman's recent illness highlights the issue of only considering radiofrequency radiation's thermal effects

May 2923

Do You Believe In Magic? Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Jim Hayes's column in March/April 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.

Fiber optics take the pulse of the planet It’s like radar, but with light. Distributed acoustic sensing — DAS — picks up tremors from volcanoes, quaking ice and deep-sea faults, as well as traffic rumbles and whale calls. Knowable Magazine++++++

Fiber Optics Installed By The Lowest Bidder  - ISE Magazine - by Jim Hayes, FOA President.

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 - by Jim Hayes, FOA President.

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.

New Fiber Optic Magazine In Spanish

Todo Fibra Optic magazine has many years experience in the fiber optic industry so he knows the industry well. FOA will be working with him to share our extensive technical materials in Spanish.

Read their newsletter here. It is now available online in English and Spanish.



 

1995-2020 - FOA's 25th Anniversary!

Worth Reading - News Summary - More Past Links Worth Repeating

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 Requies 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.

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

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.

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

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

The job market is hot. So why are half of U.S. grads missing out?  

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  

• Single fiber or ribbon splicing?
• Type of splice closure
• Type of cable (loose tube, ribbon, flexible ribbon, high density, armored, ADSS, etc.)
• Installation: aerial or underground
• Location: urban or rural
• Set up time (same for low fiber count cable as high fiber count cable)

More Q&A in the FOA FAQs Page  

ANSI/NECA/FOA-301 is available free from FOA.



Download your free copy of

FOA School News

 FOA's roster of approved schools is growing as more organizations recognize our expertise in workforce development and our comprehensive support for getting new schools started. FOA has over 25 years experience and nearly 90,000 certified fiber techs (with ~120,000 certifications). As a non-profit organization founded by the industry specifically to develop a competent workforce, FOA provides the consultation, curriculum and contacts to get schools started as a free service to new schools.

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 Guide "Basics Of Fiber Optics" Now Available Online in Portuguese (6/2020)

Here is the FOA Guide in Portuguese, Spanish and French translations.

Time To Learn - Online

And Fiber U has the new Fiber U DIY Basic Skills Lab lesson with directions on how to purchase inexpensive tools online and use them to learn basic fiber optic skills. Videoconferencing allows the instructor to remotely monitor their work and provide help as needed. Contact the FOA for more information.


FOA Zoom Exam Proctoring

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 "Work-to-Cert" 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.

FOA School Offers Toolkit With Online Training

Slayton Solutions (FOA Approved School #156) is offering a simple fiber optic tool kit that includes a 29-piece set of fiber optic tools and a power meter along with training videos and online instruction for only $499. 29 Piece Kit includes all tools and devices a technician needs to install fiber optic connectors and test optical power. You can contact them for more information at  slaytonsolutions@sbcglobal.net or https://www.fiberopticsinstitute.com

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.

Latest FOA Book: 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?

More New FOA Video Lectures On YouTube

Did you know YouTube will close caption videos in many languages? Here are directions.

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 .

Recent updates:

FOA's FTTH Handbook: We've gathered all our information on FTTH from the FOA Guide and past issues of the FOA Newsletter and edited it into a 112 page "FTTH Handbook." We even added a section on planning and managing FTTH Projects.
The Fiber Optic Association Fiber To The Home Handbook is available from Amazon in print and Kindle editions.

Sitio web y manual de FTTH ahora en español

Sitio web y manual de FTTH ahora en español - FTTH Website And Handbook Now In Spanish

     

 
Fiber Optics (4 languages), Premises Cabling, OSP fiber and construction, Network Design, Testing and FTTH

   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

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

Global Excavation Safety Conference

GlobalExcavationSafetyConference.com:

 


The magazine, dp-Pro, sponsor of the conference, has also published it's latest issue with an article by FOA on "New Construction Techniques in Fiber Optics" and a overview of the FOA. You can read the magazine here.

When You Bury Marker Tape, Bury One That Will Work (July 2021)

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

Contact Us
The Fiber Optic Association Inc.
       

 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.