
September 2023
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FOA's Role In Education
Types Of Work Performed by Fiber Techs
Weather And Fiber Optics, Part 2
More Disasters To Worry About
Preparation For Disaster Recovery
Good Lessons About Restoration
Safety When Working In Extreme Heat
New Fiber U MiniCourse - Jargon
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News FOA Instructors Are Interesting People
CFOT Course In Spanish
FOA In International Business Magazine
Insider Info
Autonomous Vehicles Disabled By 5G
Recognized as a Telecom Tech
Fiber Sensors Integrated Into Clothing
Illegal To Sell Counterfeit Cables Online
Scouts Send Morse Code Over Fiber
POF Conference Comes To Ireland
Technical
Insider Info On Cables
Proposal To "Modernize" The NEC
Fiber Sensors For Water/Sewer Pipes
FTTH Drop Cables
Learning From A Cable Scrap
New Tool For Wet/Dry Cleaning
Problems with Old and New Cbles Managing Projects - Gantt Charts
FOA Color Code Guides
FOA Online Loss Budget Calculator
Worth
Reading Lots of interesting
articles
Q&A
Questions from our readers
Always Interesting!
Training/FiberU
New FOA-Approved Schools,
Fiber U
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FOA Certified Techs:

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Jobs
- 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
Where
Are The Jobs In Fiber Optics? FOA talks about
all the applications for fiber optics, what jobs
involve and the qualifications for the workers in
the field in this YouTube video.
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Trademarks:
The FOA 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


Lennie
and Uncle Ted's
Guides are now also available as free iBooks on
iTunes.

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>

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Current Issue of FOA
Newsletter
Highlights from the FOA Newsletter in 2022
Multiple bullets hit Xfinity fiber cable, causing outage in Oakland (February 22)
More Thoughts On Broadband For Rural Areas (March 22) (June 22)
Fiber Optics In The Movies - Star Wars Special Effects (March 22)
Fiber Optics Again Helps Find A Famous Shipwreck (April 22)
Thinking About A Fiber Optic Project? Better Get Started Soon (April 22)
AT&T Says Good-bye To Copper (April 22)
More Pole Stories And Photos (May 22)
Why Stop At Gigabits? Let's Design Fiber Networks For Terabits (July 22)
Understanding The Fiber Optic Workforce (August 22)
Does the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) truly benefit people in rural America? (September 22)
Can Wireless Compete With Fiber? Satellites? (October 22)
What is Certification/How Do you Learn (November 22)
School Special Issue (with photos) (December 22)
New Fiber U Self Study Programs
Fiber Characterization (for long distance, high speed networks)
Minicourses: Attenuators, Reference Cables, Project Management Fiber Optic Jargon
December 2022 Special Feature: A Salute To FOA's Schools And Training Organizations
Time To Renew Your
FOA Certifications?
To
keep your FOA certifications active, you need to
renew them when they expire. Now we have a new more
convenient way to renew - an online store at Paypal
- where you can quickly and conveniently use your
PayPal account or your credit card to renew your
certifications.
- Renew
online with a credit card or PayPal
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Join FOA On
Social Media

FOA
has 3 LinkedIn Groups
FOA
- official page on LinkedIn - covers FOA, technology and jobs in the fiber optic
marketplace
FOA
Fiber Optic Training - open to all, covers
fiber optic technology and training topics
Grupo
de La Asociación de Fibra Óptica FOA (Español)
|
August may be vacation month but it was busy in fiber optics!
Don't miss News and Technical this month!
The New BLS "Telecommunications Technicians" Web Page Is Live.
FOA haws been working with the US Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics for two decades to update the job listings
for fiber optics and telecom and finally we have a new job category! The
new Occupational Outlook web pages for the new category of
"Telecommunications Technician" offer job descriptions
for fiber optic and wireless techs and better
job statistics that put some reality in discussions about how many more
fiber techs the US needs. It also provides a reference for grants
applications.
The New BLS "Telecommunications Technicians" Web Page.
FOA's Role In Education
Not surprisingly, when many people think of FOA, they first think of the 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.
Around the
same time, FOA began using our
large number of technical advisors and subject matter experts around the
world to create an online knowledge base about fiber optics. That
knowledge base has grown to be the largest online
independent source of information on fiber optic communications in the
world. Today, FOA's Online Guide
has almost 1000 pages of technical material and about 3.5 to 4 million page
downloads every year from about a half-million visitors. The FOA Guide
continues to grow, adding new pages and updating older ones on a
continual basis.
With all the information in the FOA Online Guide, FOA started Fiber U
online, our free online learning website that is used by tens of
thousands of techs monthly, studying for FOA certifications, preparing
for classes in fiber optics and learning for OJT. Today, 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 to
keep prices lower than typical textbooks. Using the new technology of
"publish on demand," allowed FOA to create books fast and update the text
as needed to keep up with technology. The FOA textbooks cover
important topics in fiber optics and function as study guides for the
FOA certifications. We hate to brag but they are all highly rated
(>4.5) on Amazon by those who purchase them!
Because FOA is an international organization, we offer many of our books
and web pages in multiple languages: English; Spanish,
French and Portuguese. And we allow our schools to translate materials into their local languages as needed.
Because FOA was created by those in the industry to help build a
workforce for the fiber optic telecommunications industry, we wanted the
information we provided to be free to all, as it is today. The
FOA Online Guide and Fiber U
remain free to everyone and all our books are affordable.
Today, FOA is where
the world goes to get technical information on fiber optics.
The Types of Work Done By Fiber Techs

What is a fiber optic technician? What kinds of work
do they do? Those topics were the center of FOA discussions with the US
Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics that led to the new job
category of "Telecommunications Technician" that will debut on the BLS
website this month. The focus of this job category is primarily the
installation and operation of the fiber optic cable plant, but one
should not forget the cable plant must be designed also as part of a
more extensive communications network.
In our discussion with the BLS analysts, we pointed out the various
stages of a fiber optic communications network project and how techs
with various knowledge and skill sets are needed and involved in every
step. Here is how FOA defines these stages of a project and the skills
of the techs. This is not unique to FOA; it's what has been traditional
at telecom companies forever.
Planning and Design: Once needs for a communications network is
established, project managers will be responsible for all the details of
the project while experienced fiber techs trained and experienced in
fiber optic network design (CFOS/D) will design the cable plant itself. (FOA Guide - Design)
Construction: Aerial cable plants may require installing new poles or
doing make-ready on existing poles and messengers. Underground
construction requires trenching and installation of ducts. In many cases
the actual construction is done by general construction workers, as the
construction work in many cases is not unique to fiber optics. Heavy
machinery is required for much of the construction work and training is
focused on safety as well as operating the machinery. (FOA Guide - Construction)
Fiber Optic Cable Installers: Once the route is prepared, the fiber
optic cable can be installed. Aerial cable installation depends on the
type of cable. Regular OSP cable, figure 8 cable and ADSS cable requires
special hardware and installation techniques so the techs must
understand the process appropriate for each cable. (FOA Guide - Installation)
Splicers: Since the beginning, fiber techs have been called
"splicers"
because that was the original job unique to fiber optics. Construction
and cable installation was not very different from earlier copper
cables, but splicing was very different. Even today, fiber techs are
often called splicers and splicing is a core skill for any fiber tech
whether they are joining cables or terminating them. (FOA Guide - Splicing)
Testers: After the fiber optic cable is installed and spliced,
it must be tested. Testing goes together with splicing since every
splice will be tested, often as soon as it is made so if it needs
redoing, it should be done before the splice closure is sealed. (FOA Guide - Testing)
Network Operators: Once the cable plant is built and the communications
equipment installed, it needs techs who know how to operate the comms
but may only know how to connect new gear or change connections on
current gear. These techs should also know how to troubleshoot systems
in an outage and either do the restoration themselves or call a tech who
can. (FOA Guide - Operation)
These categories merely define the stages of installation of a fiber
optic project. Of course there are subsets of these categories and most
fiber techs are expected to have skills and jobs that cross into
multiple groups, as FOA has defined in the KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities) for a CFOT.
What an individual worker does differs according to their job. An
independent fiber contractor may cover every job except
operation and a FTTH subscriber installation tech may only understand
installing cables, testing and connecting equipment within the scope of
FTTH systems. A construction company may handle the trenching and even
pole setting as well as parts of the traditional fiber work.
The FOA defined its role early on to focus on educating and
certifying techs in the fiber specific skills: cable installation,
splicing, testing and restoration. FOA would like to see more schools
get into the construction phase, especially for newer techniques like
microtrenching and blowing cable, but these require large outdoor areas
for training and large investments in equipment. Most techs who learn
these processes now do it with OJT - on-the-job-training - and hopefully get OSHA
training for safety.
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
Vandals cut fiber optic cables in
the CA desert on Sunday August 13 causing many users to lose Spectrum
Internet and cable TV services as well as Verizon wireless service. The
location of the damage was found and service was restored later in the
day.
Vandalism is always a problem with exposed cables, whether it is caused
by cutting or target practice. Cables cut where they exit underground
and go up poles can sometimes be difficult to repair.
Read more in the LA Times.
and this.....
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
Like every fiber optic network installation project is unique, every
network disaster recovery is unique. When a disaster strikes, the first
concern is the safety of the people and as soon as possible restoring
communications to assist in the recovery process. Paramount is having
power for communications equipment, then setting up local communications
systems. Once a basic network is restored, work can begin on rebuilding
damaged infrastructure.
Disaster planning should be based on the local area. Any location in the world can evaluate the likely disaster
scenarios and incorporate it into their planning, but don't forget about
the unknown disaster that could happen.
Here in California we worry
more about wildfires and earthquakes, although we were recently battered
by a hurricane/tropical storm that dropped up to 10 inches (25cm) of
rain in areas and caused flooding, mudslides and infrastructure damage.
In the midst of the storm, the town of Ojai also suffered a 5.1
earthquake - the first recorded "hurriquake"!
The FOA technical information on preparing for and restoring network outages focuses on the cable plant (FOA Guide on Restoration and Fiber U MiniCourse on Restoration),
but future work will focus on planning and designing networks
to survive disasters.
Watch for future FOA work in this area.
Good Lessons About Restoration For Managers Of Infrastructure Projects

When a section of a major highway in Philadelphia was damaged by a fire caused by a tank truck accident,
estimates of the repair time were several months or more. In actuality,
the road was repaired in 12 days, a fraction of the estimates. How did
this happen?
The story was told in a recent article in the Washingotn Post
written by Josh Shapiro, the Governor of Pennsylvania. The article
tells the whole story well but summarizes how this project was done so
quickly in just 4 points:
- Empower strong leadership
- Speed up the bureaucracy
- Encourage creativity
- Work together
The lessons learned here apply to any public works project including the
typical broadband project. You need knowledgeable leaders who know what
they are doing and how to get things done. You need the bureaucracies
that are involved in permitting, for example, to understand the project
and it's priority. Thinking creatively in a fiber project may involved
installation techniques, component selection or even choosing to use a
different network model, like building a "terabit city"
for the future. Number 4 is obvious - a project involves many workers
with different tasks, but they need to understand each of their roles
and cooperate to get their part done in time for others to do theirs.
All this is always very important, but even more so with all the US
infrastructure funding available that will involve public-private
partnerships.
Safety While Working In Extreme Heat
Temperatures above 100
degrees F (38 deg C) are no longer unusual in the summer. Techs working
on fiber optic installations and their supervisors need to understand
the risks of working in high heat and humidity and signs of worker
health issues.
Heatstroke is a condition caused by your body
overheating, usually as a result of prolonged exposure to or physical
exertion in high temperatures. This most serious form of heat injury,
heatstroke, can occur if your body temperature rises to 104 F (40 C) or
higher. Symptoms of heatstroke may include rapid, shallow breathing,
flushed red skin, headache, nausea and vomiting, racing heart rate,
confusion, agitation, slurred speech, irritability, delirium, seizures
and coma - and death.
Heatstroke requires immediate emergency treatment. Untreated heatstroke
can quickly damage your brain, heart, kidneys and muscles. The damage
worsens the longer treatment is delayed, increasing your risk of serious
complications or death. While waiting for medical personnel, keep the
person into the shade or cool areas indoors and cool the person with
sprays or mists of water or cold ice packs.
Companies need to ensure employees understand the risks of working in
high temperatures, a safety issue just like any other. There are many
good websites like this one from the Mayo Clinic about heatstroke that explain what to look for and how to provide emergency treatment.

For more information on heat illness prevention, go to OSHA.gov/heat.
New Fiber U MiniCourse - Fiber Optic Jargon
There is a new MiniCourse at Fiber U - Fiber Optic Jargon.
Jargon is the most important thing you need to learn when you learn
about a new technology. This short Fiber U MiniCourse is intended to
introduce you to fiber optic jargon and make learning about fiber much
easier. It's aimed at novices but is a good refresher for even
experienced techs.
New Fiber U MiniCourse Fiber Optic Project Management

FOA has updated its online interactive map showing the FOA approved
schools around the world. The new map shows the location of FOA schools,
allows zooming in on a location and now includes a search function that
allows locating a school by name or location. Once you locate a school,
you can click on the school name and link to their website.
Latest FOA Book: Fiber Broadband (Paperback and Kindle)
How does broadband work? Without fiber optics it would not work; even wireless has a fiber backbone.
This book is not the typical FOA technical textbook - it is written for
anyone who wants to understand fiber broadband or fiber optics or the
Internet. It's also aimed at STEM teachers who want to include
communications technology in their classes. This book will try to
explain not only how fiber broadband works, but how
it was developed. It is intended to be an introduction to
communications technology
appropriate for a communications course at almost any level (junior
high, high school or
college,) for managers involved with broadband projects, or for anyone
who just wonders how all this stuff works.
The Fiber Optic Association Guide To Fiber Broadband Paperback ($12.95) and Kindle ($9.95) versions available from Amazon or most booksellers. Kindle version is in color!
Cross Reference Guide to Textbooks, Online Guide and Fiber U FOA Videos Guide.
FOA has a web page with resources on fiber broadband and the IIJA/BEAD funding programs.
FOA Newsletter
Sections
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Technical
Worth
Reading Q&A
Training/FiberU
Resoures
Safety About
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News
Lots more news
in Worth Reading below
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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.

Of course as a real enthusiast, Tim is always looking for another. His
latest acquisition came from one of his friends in the club, a 1931 Ford
Model A Roadster which he just acquired last month. What a beauty!

And think, these cars are nearly a century old!
FOA CFOT Course For The Spanish-Speaking Community in Raleigh, NC
Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh, NC offered a
special FOA CFOT course recently for the local Spanish-speaking
community. The course was taught by their instructor, Gilberto Guitarte
who is from Argentina, using the FOA CFOT course curriculum which is
available in Spanish. Here is Gilberto's report on the course:
"CFOT Spanish" started last week with only 6
students ( and a half) which is great, because you can really follow
each one on their progress and/or "Understand/No understand" stamped on
their facial expressions and body postures. One that had enrolled (for a
total of 7) could not make it due to workload demands... and "where did
the 6 and a 1/2 come from, then?"..... well, see picture below:
Student Yamilet from Cuba , is expecting baby
Isabela ANY TIME NOW!. Partner Oscar (also a student originally from
Cuba) is standing by her side holding hands in the picture.
We are all hoping for a healthy birth and betting for a great " future fiber technician Isabela ! "

From Left ro right:
Adan (Mexico), Giancarlo(Venezuela), Geronimo (Republica Dominicana),Jose (Venezuela) Yamilet (Cuba), Oscar (Cuba)
Sitting down.. Instructor Gilberto Guitarte (Argentina)
FOA Featured In International Business Magazine

FOA President Jim Hayes was interviewed by Business View Magazine,
an international business publication covering all types of businesses
for their July 2023 issue. The large amount of press given to fiber
optics for broadband communications and the discussions of a need for
more trained and certified workers led Business View to the FOA.
The article covers how the FOA was started in 1995 to build a workforce
for fiber optic expansion during the building of the Internet and how it
expanded worldwide to assist service providers in training workers who
have been building the fiber optic networks we depend on for
communications today.

Read the complete article in Business View Magazine
Insider Info
From a reliable source within the industry: Within a couple of years, the old inflexible
hard ribbon cables will be extinct. Everything will be flexible ribbons
and mostly 200 micron fibers and BI (bend insensitive) fibers (G.657). Besides
changing how these cables are handled, one thing will be lost - the
ability to print ID info on the ribbons so matching fibers to splice
will be more difficult.
Autonomous Vehicles in San Francisco Disabled By 5G Congestion
Autonomous vehicles have been having troubles in San Francisco. There
were protests because the state of California approved expansion of
robot taxi service by Cruise (General Motors) and Waymo
(Alphabet/Google) in spite of problems with the autonomous cars
interactions with emergency vehicles.
Almost immediately after the state approved expansion of the robotaxi service, bad things began happening.
A Cruise robotaxi ignored construction signs and cones and drove into a
section of street just repaired by concrete, sinking into the wet
concrete and getting stuck.

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
 
For two decades, the FOA has worked with the US
Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to help define
the job of fiber optic technicians. When we began, the BLS had put fiber
optic technicians in a category with "Lineman," a term from a century
ago that referred to installers of aerial electrical transmission and
distribution cables. When telephone technicians were added, they went
into that category since most cables were installed up in the air on
poles too. Fiber installers just followed the copper telephone techs
since fiber was replacing copper wires.
Around 2000, BLS contacted FOA to help define the job of a fiber optic
tech and we began what became a long term project to define the jobs.
From the beginning, we worked to help identify the differences between
fiber techs and electrical lineman, something we knew well because of
our close relationship with the IBEW, NECA and their apprenticeship
training programs, JATCs. But the combination of these two groups made
getting good statistical data on the different jobs difficult.
Over this long time period, FOA has had many conversations with BLS
personnel and helped to refine the job descriptions, but always quietly
emphasizing the need to separate them. Finally this year, we had a new
analyst contact us and we had new ammunition - the IIJA/BEAD programs -
which was already on their minds. Everybody has been talking about the
shortage of fiber techs needed to build out the broadband networks that
are being funded (see below) so the importance of this job category was
finally being recognized.
FOA submitted proposed revisions to the BLS job definition and had
several long phone conversations. We explained that fiber techs were
involved in several different parts of a project, designing, installing
and operating the network. We explained the dependence of wireless on
fiber and their dominance in modern communications. In these calls, the
conclusion was that a new category would be for communications workers
so we invited the CWA (Communications Workers of America) to
participate. Together we worked out the details for a new category of
Telecommunications Technicians that would include fiber optic and
wireless techs working in a broad spectrum of jobs in communications.
Last month we heard from our BLS contact:
We received approval on the title of
“Telecommunications Technicians” for the new combined profile. My
updates and revisions are going through the review process and the new
profile will be released with our updated employment projections data on
September 6th. I have to give you credit for this. Your comments
prompted BLS to consider the change and to add the additional
occupation.
Going forward, we should be able to point people to the BLS website to
explain what jobs are like in fiber and wireless and soon have better jobs
data from the Department of Labor. Having a unique job category will
also help organizations like the workforce and broadband agencies in
each state to define training programs when applying for broadband
grants.
FOA is proud to have been able to get these changes made. It will make a real difference.
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
FOA has been reporting about counterfeit cable,
mostly "Cat 5" UTP, since 2011* we first showed photos we took of fake
Cat 5 made with copper-clad aluminum wires instead of solid copper
wires. We've taken photos of the counterfeit cable and even did a video showing how it could not meet UL specs due to the way it burned.
Eventually UL responded (the counterfeiters learned to make fake UL
holographic labels) as did some cabling organizations, but that has not
stopped the sale of these products online.
Finally the US Federal Trade Commission has a law to use to prosecute
these online fakes. Congress passed the Integrity, Notification, and
Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act – or the INFORM
Consumers Act – effective as of June 27, 2023. The Federal Trade
Commission and the States have authority to enforce the new statute and
online marketplaces that run afoul of the law could be subject to steep
financial penalties. Violations could result in civil penalties of
$50,120 per violation for online marketplaces.
Read more on the FTC website.
* Contractors Discovers Why "Cat 5E" Cable Has Problems - It's Not Copper!, FOA Newsletter, March 2011.
Scouts send Morse Code messages using light through plastic optical fiber (POF) cable
Tom Scheffelin
I do volunteer STEM education and outreach with the Boy Scouts, SPIE,
Optica, IEEE, NASA, and other organizations, and I wanted to do
something with fiber optic cable.
Sending a Morse Code message is requirement 3a of the “Signs, Signals
and Codes” merit badge. This summer at our Council’s summer camp (Camp
Winton) scouts used plastic fiber optic cables to complete the merit
badge’s Morse Code requirement. Scouts set up a gray electrical pvc
“path” in the woods for the 25 meter plastic fiber optic cable. (I
wanted the cable to be protected.) One end was terminated and connected
to a pvc cap, the other end was “as-is”.



The scouts also had fun experimenting with different colored flashlights
that were provided. One group of scouts decided to send the dots and
dashes using the green flashlight, then flashing the red flashlight to
indicate a new letter was about to begin, then flashing the blue
flashlight to indicate a new word was about to begin. Other scouts
combined two different colored flashlights to make a new color on the
other end of the cable (simulating multiplexing).
I made a YouTube video of the Morse Code fiber optic cable.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=s2caMBjdYGs&feature=share
FOA provides directions on how to use POF for demonstrations
like this and provides free sample kits of fiber and connectors with
directions for STEAM teachers and others interested. Details are here.
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.
The FOA
Update Page covers the new technology
and applications we covered in this newsletter
recently. Now you can review all that new tech at
once.

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
FOA Videos
We have also rearranged the 100+ FOA videos in similar categories on the
Contents Page of the Online Guide, making the videos, especially the
lectures, much it much easier to find a video on a particular
topic.
FOA Videos Guide.
Want to know more about fiber optics? Study
for FOA certifications? Free
Self-Study Programs are on Fiber
U®
|
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
From a reliable source within the industry: Within a couple of years, the old inflexible
hard ribbon cables will be extinct. Everything will be flexible ribbons
and mostly 200 micron fibers and BI (bend insensitive) fibers (G.657). Besides
changing how these cables are handled, one thing will be lost - the
ability to print ID info on the ribbons so matching fibers to splice
will be more difficult.
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

Xylem’s SoundPrint Acoustic Fiber Optic (AFO) monitoring system detects
and locates breaks in Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP). With
this advanced warning system, utilities can take preventive action to
avoid large-scale failures. Globally, Xylem has monitored more than 830
miles (1,340 km) of pipeline and recorded over 85,600 wire breaks. Xylem
offers a dedicated long-term support team with extensive monitoring
experience.
When PCCP water and wastewater transmission mains fail, it is often
catastrophic and expensive for utilities and surrounding communities.
With SoundPrint AFO technology, a fiber optic cable installed inside the
pipeline detects wire breaks, offering real time information on pipe
condition. Xylem analysts review acoustic data collected by the platform
and provide actionable information to clients in near real time through
alerts and a secure online portal.
Read more about XYLEM SoundPrint here. Infographic showing system features here.
Drop Cables For Customer Premises FTTH Installation
The last
optical segment of the FTTH cable plant is the drop segment. The drop
optical cable is located between the optical access point and ONT. The
optical access point is usually an optical splitter in the optical
distribution box. At this point, the drop cable must be connected to the
distribution network with fusion/mechanical splice or optical
connectors. On the other side, near customers, there is ONT, which
requires only an optical connector.
In this tutorial on drop cables, Vladimir Grozdanovic continues his
tutorials on FTTH cabling with a comprehensive article on FTTH drop
cables and how they are installed.
Vladimir Grozdanovic is a graduate electrical engineer for
telecommunications with more than 10 years of experience in access
networks (HFC and FTTH) in large cable operators in Serbia (SBB and
Jotel).
Read the article here.
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.

Here is the most important information:
- 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)
There is a lot of information in those few inches along the cable, information that
every installer needs to know.
Since it is an OSP cable, we assume it is
singlemode fiber, of course.
When you are fusion splicing this cable you need to know the coating
diameter for choosing the proper fixturing for your fusion splicing
machine.
The weight of the cable is important if the cable is being lashed to a
messenger because it is used to calculate loading on the messenger and
can determine the size and tension on the messenger.
The 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. "SR-5B9MR-864" is a Corning SST (Single tube) UltraRibbon Gel-Free Cable with low water peak fiber.
And finally, the cable has distance marked - "00030 FEET" - on this
cable it's updated every 2 feet. knowing how much cable is on the reel
or the distance at the other end of the cable on the reel allows keeping
track of how much cable was used and how much was left.
Here is an excellent example of why you need to learn to
read cables. There is a lot of useful information and some is critical
for proper installation of the cable. On the next job, take a minute and
read the cable you are installing; you might learn something
interesting and useful too.
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.
We're also hearing rumors that the new high fiber
cables are getting fibers broken
during installation with the possible cause(s) being exceeding bend
radius or pulling tension, using improper installation equipment or
maybe even the cable designs. We're investigating this and will report
back in the near future. But please ensure installers follow
manufacturer's recommendations carefully. Check out the information on
cable specs in the article in this issue and the article on Bending Diameter in the FOA Guide.
Special For High Level Techs And Engineers:
Standards and Testing Photonic ICs
Point to Multipoint Networks at Infinera
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:

You might remember an article in the FOA Newsletter in April 2022 or the FOA Guide page on Project Management about the timing of a fiber optic project where we showed the progression of steps in a project like this:
The Gantt Chart above is simply this list converted to a Gantt Chart
using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. You can download a copy of the FOA Gantt Chart spreadsheet (xlsx file - 16kB)
and use it to create your own Gantt Chart for any project. All you have
to do is to input your own data and change the activity names as
necessary. You can also follow the directions from Microsoft to create your own version.
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.

Here's a do-it-yourself FOA Guide To Fiber Optic Color Codes card.
Just download the PDF file, print it on a color printer and fold it up
as shown. Then you have your own pocket guide to color codes. Make a
bunch for your co-workers too.
Then we realized that many of your also do structured cabling
work, so it was a natural to add a Color Code Guide for UTP copper
cabling in printable (below) and electronic (above) versions.
But we did not stop there. We know how many of you use your mobile devices on the job, so we created a version of the Color Code Guide you could download
and use on your smartphone or tablet. It's a PDF file, so you just
download it and save it on your device and it will be with you always.
Here are the links to download your own FOA Guides to Fiber Optic Color Codes
FOA Guide to Fiber Optic Color Codes (print your own version) PDF
FOA Guide to Fiber Optic Color Codes (electronic version for your smartphone, tablet or PC) PDF
And For UTP Cabling
FOA Guide to UTP Cabling Color Codes (print your own version) PDF
FOA Guide to UTP Copper Cabling Color Codes (electronic version) PDF
Warning For Techs Doing OSP Restoration

FOA received an inquiry about whether techs
working on restoring OSP links should be concerned about eye safety if
the link used fiber amplifiers. To answer this question, we had to do some research on fiber amplifiers.
The short answer is YES, you should be concerned. The long answer is
more technical and includes details that every OSP tech needs to know.
See "Fiber Amps And Restoration" in the FOA Newsletter Archives..
Try The FOA's Online
Loss Budget Calculator
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've
created a online Loss Budget Calculator that does
the work for you. Just input your cable plant data
and it calculates the loss budget. It works on any
device, especially smartphones and tablets for field
use and even allows printing the results.

Bookmark
this page (especially on your smartphone): FOA Loss Budget Calculator
Online
|
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
AT&T PR photo from the mid 1970s
The FOA's History
|
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
Can Our Industry Develop Fiber Talent?, FOA President Jim Hayes' May/June column, ISE magazine.
Why the U.S. Electric Grid Isn’t Ready for the Energy Transition NYTimes,
Electric vehicles, heating, etc. are being promoted as climate friendly
alternatives to fossil fuels if the eelctric supply is from renewable
sources, but can the grid handle that?
Tech majors are booming, but rural students stuck in the digital divide,
The Hill. Rural students face two pressing issues: the digital divide
of internet reliability and technology access and education
opportunities.
Skills Based Hiring,
Southland Data Processing, Skills based hiring involves screening job
candidates based on whether or not they possess the necessary skills to
accomplish job requirements.
In U.S. cities, residents are paying $84/mo. for 365 Mbps on average, ALLCONNECT
Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, 2022 ANNUAL REPORT. U.S. Department of Commerce.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Cable Gore REDDIT Will make you groan....
And a number of articles on 5G:
The Tech Friend: 5G is a dud Washington Post
Ericsson Slashes 5G Outlook by 400M Subscribers.
The challenges of 5G monetization: Is enterprise the answer?
June 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

The Summer edition of Excavation Safety Magazine is online
May 2923
Do You Believe In Magic? Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Jim Hayes's column in March/April ISE Magazine.
Special For High Level Techs And Engineers:
Standards and Testing Photonic ICs
Point to Multipoint Networks at Infinera
From Past FOA Newsletters
Telegeography Submarine Cable Map 2023 - 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.
The Secret to Future Proofing, by Jim Hayes, FOA President, ISE Magazine
The 45 Year Old Overnight Sensation - article by FOA President Jim Hayes in ISE Magazine (Read the complete Nov/Dec issue of ISE Magazine here.
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++++++
ESRI has created an ebook on GIS location technology for telecom. Use the link to download the book.
The First Transcontinental Telephone Line
began operation on July 29th in 1915 - 3400 miles between New
York and San Francisco - required over 100,000 telephone poles! Wonders
of World Engineering
Conocimiento Esencial: ¿Por qué la fibra óptica? creado por FiberWizards
Recruiting And Training Today's Fiber Optic Workforce - Learn the fundamentals to recruit and train new fiber optics - by FOA's Jim Hayes in ISE Magazine.
Explosive Fiber Broadband Expansion Drives Need for Fiber Technician Training Programs
- Telecompetitor - As fiber sees record-setting deployment levels, the
demand for fiber optic technicians is stronger than ever.
Google Video On Their Undersea Cables YouTube Slick but interesting video on how undersea cables are designed, built and used.
Construction Without Disruption - FOA President Jim Hayes' column in ISE 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 Optica is
a new digital magazine in Spanish for fiber optics
in Latin America and South America. Jose Enriquez, editor of 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.

All issues and subscriptions.
Contact:
José Manuel Enriquez Mora, Editor
Todo Fibra Optica LLC
https://todofibraoptica.com/revista-ediciones/
+52 222 302 8224
jose.enriquez@todofibraoptica.com
RTI Telecom Magazine from Brazil, in Portuguese. A revista RTI do mês de abril já está disponível online e recomendo a leitura de alguns artigos:
1995-2020
- FOA's 25th Anniversary!
As
part of celebrating 25 years of serving the fiber
optic industry as its primary source of technical
information and independent certifying body, FOA
thought it appropriate to create a short history of
the organization and how it has developed to
help the fiber optic industry. We also wanted to
recognize the contributions many people have made to
the organization over the years that made FOA what
it is today.
The FOA history is now archived on the FOA
website where you can read it anytime or link to
it. Updated
info - dB, total internal reflection and science
projects,
Worth Reading - News
Summary - More Past Links Worth Repeating
1983
Video of AT&T's First Test Of A Submarine
Cable System From the AT&T Tech
Channel archives (worth exploring!)
Richard
Epworth's Optical Fiber History from his work
at STL from 1966 with Charles Kao.
Communications Systems Grounding
Rules: Article 800 provides specific
requirements by
Michael
Johnston, NECA Executive Director of
Standards and Safety in EC Magazine
US Broadband Coverage By Service
Provider from the FCC
How
To Build Rural Broadband, Learning From History
In the August 2021
FOA Newsletter, we published a lengthy article on
rural broadband and compared it to rural
electrification in America in the last century.
Much of the comparison was based on an article
written in 1940 by a USDA economist, Robert Beall,
called "Rural Electrification."
If
you are interested in or involved in rural
broadband, we recommend you read the article "How
To Build Rural Broadband, Learning From History"
in the August 2021 FOA Newsletter and
read the Beall article also.
Recycling Fiber Optic
Cable - Contact:
Steve Maginnis
LD4Recycle/ CommuniCom Recycling
(Visit
website)
sm@LD4Recycle.com
803.371.5436
Sumitomo's Ribbon
Splicing Guide - download from
one of the leaders in splicing.
"Who Lost Lucent?: The
Decline of America's Telecom Equipment Industry"
This is a MUST READ for managers in telecom or any
industry!
This long and
well-researched and annotated article in American
Affairs Journal should be mandatory reading
for every high level manager in a telecom company -
or any other company for that matter. To summarize
the article, today, America has no major telecom
equipment company and fears the major suppliers of
equipment who are all foreign, especially the Huawei
from China. This article explains how America got
into this deplorable state.
OFS also has an excellent
website and blog of tech articles worth browsing.
IEC 60050 - International
Electrotechnical Vocabulary - An
extensive dictionary for fiber optics in English and
French. Highly technical - this is one definition:
"mode - one solution of Maxwell's equations,
representing an electromagnetic field in a certain
space domain and belonging to a family of
independent solutions defined by specified boundary
conditions"
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. "
DIRT
Report On Damage To Utilities Common Ground
Alliance (CGA) annual DIRT report provides a
summary and analysis of the events submitted into
CGA’s Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) for
the year 2018. The complete report is available
for download here. In addition,
there is an interactive dashboard that
allows users to filter the data more by
factors contributing to damages.
Structured Cabling News
- a website and weekly newsletter about cabling.
Fiber Trivia From
Corning.
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)
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!

Besides
the FOA reference materials, two JDSU/VIAVI
textbooks, Reference Guide to Fiber Optic Testing,
Volumes 1 and 2, were used as references for
some of the FOA courses and are recommended for
instructors and students. The books are available
from VIAVI as eBooks and the everyone should
download them and recommend them to others.Download
yours now. Volume 1. Volume 2. Viavi Books
Ciena's Submarine Cable
Handbooks (4 to download)
Guidebook To MPO
Testing OptoTest
offers this complete guide to MTP®/MPO testing. In
this guide, you will learn all there is to know
about the different test methods, equipment
options, troubleshooting, and best maintenance
practices to ensure that you have the best testing
experience. Go here to download the book.
50th Anniversary of The
Development of Low Loss Fibers A history
of the development of low loss fiber, a fascinating
story by Jeff Hecht on the OSA (Optical Society of
America) website.
How OFS Makes Fiber
Interesting YouTube video on how fiber is made.
Perhaps a little too much "show biz" but
fascinating. If you have ever seen fiber
manufacture, look at this video. You will be amazed
at how big preforms have become!
The True Cost of Telco Damages
(what backhoe fade or target practice can
cost)
Rural Electric Cooperatives:
Pole Attachment Policies and Issues, June 2019.
Clearfield-FOA Certification
Training Clearfield is now offering
their customers an FOA
CERTIFICATION course. This course
provides a basic understanding of fiber optic
technology, as well as Clearfield product
knowledge and how Clearfield’s integrated product
systems work together in a fiber network.
Substandard Contractors - Fiber
Optic Knowledge Doesn't Always Trickle
Down (EC Mag)
|
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
August 2023
Maintaining Fusion Splicers
Q: What are the best practices for the preventative maintenance of splicers, cleavers, and thermal strippers.
A: Because of the large number of manufacturers and variety of
models and applications, The FOA generally tells people to follow the
manufacturer’s directions for use and be especially careful about
keeping the splicer unit, cleaver and stripping tools clean, then having
it serviced regularly by the manufacturer or an authorized service
facility.
Differences Between OM4 and OM5 Fiber
Q: What is the main difference between OM4 and OM5 cable in premises cabling??
A: OM5 is wideband multimode fiber optimized for wavelength
division multiplexing with VCSELs in the 850-950nm range. This is a
proposed application that has not become very popular. See: https://foa.org/tech/ref/basic/fiber.html
Rural FTTH
Q: What does A Rural FTTH Connection Cost?
A: That's a very complicated question, because "rural" has a lot
of meanings. Is it a small town where building a FTTH Network is easy or
remote users in Alaska? An interesting set of data was made available
this month from the US Department of Agriculture, announcing $700
million in grants and loans in the 4th round of the ReConnect Program https://lnkd.in/gFe9T4b7.
Splicing Dissimilar FIbers
Q: Recently I came across a new problem while splicing optical fiber
cable. Splicing of 2 Fujikura fibers was done but loss was
observed. Initially, we felt that it is due to splicing but upon
resplicing the loss was still the same i.e. 0.3db at the splice point.
Both the cables were checked again and observed that both cables were
from different manufacturers. My question is that if different
manufacturer's cables are spliced, will it give loss? Note: Both fibers
were Fujikura but had different IOR.
A: The difference in IOR tells the reason. The loss at the joint
between the two fibers when measured by an OTDR depends on the optical
characteristics of the fibers. A difference in the fibers IOR and
backscatter coefficient will cause the loss measurement to be affected.
In one direction it measures too high, in the other direction too low or
even shows a gain. That’s why some measwurements are called gainers. If
you measure it in the opposite direction you should see low loss or a
gain. It’s explained here in the OTDR page on the FOA Guide https://foa.org/tech/ref/testing/OTDR/OTDR.html in the section “OTDR Measurement Uncertainty.”
Testing FTTH Networks
Q: I work on FTTH projects that utilize 1x32 and 1x64 splitters that
do not have any active light on the fibers. Is there a mobile source
that can be used in the field to simulate active light through splitters
and still provide enough power to travel 20km?
A: Any 1310/1490/1550 test source should have adequate power to
test them with a regular power meter. A 64 port splitter has only
18dB+any excess loss- so 20dB or so - and any power meter can measure
that with a ~0dBm to -6dBm source.
July 2023
Transmitting Multiple Data Types
Q: How do you integrate fiber optic digital communications with other sensing and control systems and platforms?
A: Fiber optic networks generally have lots of bandwidth and
sensors and control systems generally do not require much bandwidth. The
mixing of data streams is generally done by multiplexing the data using
electronics on each end, but one can also do it with wavelength
division multiplexing.
OTDR Dead Sone
Q: What is dead zone when using OTDR?
A: The "dead zone" is the length of fiber near the OTDR that is
blanked out by the overload from the test pules. See this page on OTDRs
in the FOA Online Guide: https://foa.org/tech/ref/testing/OTDR/OTDR.html
Using A Visual fault lOcator
Q: What are the best practices for using a VFL to locate fiber faults?
A: See https://foa.org/tech/ref/testing/test/visual.html in the FOA Online Guide
Distances Between Manholes
Q: What is the standard or max distance between manholes and handholes for fiber optic cable?
A: There are no hard rules, but the distances are determined by a
number of factors. In populated areas, the manholes or handholes would
be situated where you need drops line in front of a building or a
splitter pint for FTTH or conversion from underground to aerial or
underwater cables. From a viewpoint of how far you can go, it’s
determined by: 1. The length of cable on the reel (typically ~5km max,
maybe further for smaller cables, shorter for higher fiber count
cables. 2. The type of the duct, cable and method of installation
for underground. That includes the type of duct, lubricant used, the
number of corners passed, pulling equipment (pulled or blown) and
the tupe of cable - most limited to 600 pound tension. Cable
manufacturers and American Polywater (lubricants) are good sources of
information here. 3. Aerial cable can have quite long spans, esp. using
the moving reel method, which can be limited by the length on the spool.
June 2023
PON Testing with a 2Xn Splitter Instead of 1Xn
Q: When testing upstream back to the CO on
a PON, how can we get a good OTDR trace if the primary splitter
(nearest one to ODF) has a 2:8 split ratio rather than the usual 1:8?
A: It's just like looking at a 1X2 downstream - you will see the
combined traces of each fiber. If the second port is for testing, it may
be short and connector, so it will not affect the longer trace very
much. If it's the same length and used as a spare, you need to test each
fiber downstream to the splitter. Nothing is easy with OTDRs and
splitters!
Fiber Splicing Cost
Q: What is the standard of costing for fiber splicing and
terminations? Is it per core / per splice or per each cable end
irrespective of the number of cores?
A: That is a very hard question to answer, other than to say ”it
depends. ” The number of fibers is definitely a factor because each
fiber must be stripped, cleaned, cleaved and spliced then placed in the
splice tray.
It also depends on:
- 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)
Most contracts will be considering the number of
fibers but also these factors, and probably they want to price by the
number of fibers, but the price per splice will vary accordingly. We've
seen quotes in the US for prices varying over a 10X range.
FTTH Network Design Course
Q: I would like some advice on how to develop a responsive curriculum involving FTTH network design.
A: FOA has lots of free resources you can use. Fiber U
offers free online courses in FTTH and Fiber Optic Network Design that
can be used to develop your courses using blended learning - online and
classroom work blended. The courses cover all aspects of these topics
and include lesson quizzes. The Design course includes a dozen case
studies ideal for student assignment, including one on FTTH. You can
also begin with other courses like Basic FIber Optics and Outside Plant
Fiber Optics and Outside Plant Construction. The Fiber U courses draw on
material in the FOA Online Guide where you will find many other pages of useful information.
Teaching a course on FTTH and FTTH Network Design is easy using this
material. The Design labs don’t require equipment; just use the case
studies we provide and develop more of your own.
Color Blind Fiber Tech
Q: Can someone who is color blind become a fiber tech? Aren't all cables color coded?
A: There are various types of color blindness (remember all the
charts with different dots at the eye doctor’s?) that don’t necessarily
mean you cannot distinguish the color codes used in fiber. Only a test
with actual components would really tell that - and remember that colors
are different from some processes - some are faint and some brilliant -
that may affect how they are perceived. The variation among colors can
often still be distinguished by color blind people depending on the
situation. I personally would not discourage anyone from taking a
course because they are color blind. They can check their ability to distinguish colors used in fiber optics here.
Markers Required For Underground Fiber Optic Cables?
Q: Are signs required for underground cables like fiber
optic cables? Are they required to have signage so people don’t dig them
up or damage them?
A: In the US the answer is NO. There is no Federal or State law
which requires marking anything other than hazardous liquids and gases.
It is purely a business decision or a moral decision to invest in
signs/markers to protect buried fiber. If a fiber gets cut it can
disrupt 911 service and all kinds of vital communication related to
hospitals, air traffic control, etc.
Fiber Optic Color Codes Reference Chart
Q: Has anyone made a fiber optic pocket reference chart that has cable
color orders, frequencies, or other commonly used info on it?
A: The FOA has a page on its Online Guide that covers color codes
(https://foa.org/tech/ColCodes.htm). It is the most popular page in the
FOA Guide! It works great with a smartphone.

The
word on the "Dig Once" program is getting out - FOA
is getting calls from cities asking us for
information and advice. Here are some links:
The DoT page on the administration’s Executive
Order: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/otps/exeorder.cfm
And the
one to download and hand out:
A “How To” Guide from The Global Connect Initiative:
https://share.america.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/6.-GCI-Dig-Once.pdf
Is There A Standard
For Fiber Optic Installation?
Another
question we get often is "Is there a standard for
fiber optic installation." The answer is yes, but
not from the usual standards groups you might
expect. Over 20 years ago, the National Electrical
Contractors Association (NECA) asked FOA to help
create a standard for installation. That standard,
ANSI/NECA/FOA-301 has been updated three times
already and is about ready for another update.
Unlike most of those groups who charge you a fortune
for standards, FOA covers the cost so ANSI/NECA/FOA-301
is available free from FOA.

Download your free copy of ANSI/NECA/FOA-301
here (PDF)
Older
questions are now available here.
|
Training / FiberU
News and resources to help you learn more and stay
updated.
Find a
listing of all the FOA-Approved schools here.

Free online
self-study programs on many fiber optics and
cabling topics are available at Fiber U, FOA's
online web-based training website.
Free online training at
Fiber U
The FOA has >100
videos on |
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.
Complete listing of FOA Approved Training Organizations
Need A Fiber Optic Course Onsite? Invite an FOA School To Come To You
FOA often gets inquiries from an organization that
has personnel that needs training in fiber optics. Recent inquiries have
included contractors, a manufacturer of high-reliability products using
fiber optics and a cable manufacturer. In many cases, where there are
several people needing training, FOA can recommend a FOA Approved School
and Certified Instructor who will come to their location to teach a
class. The advantage is of course the savings in travel costs if
the class comes to you, but it also offers the opportunity to customize
the course to fit your needs, even use your equipment or work on your
components, so the training is more relevant to those taking the class.
Contact FOA to discuss the idea of a custom, on-site class to see if it will better meet your needs.
Fiber U
On-The-Job Training (OJT) Program
The
FOA Fiber U OJT program for novices combines online study at
Fiber U with OJT with mentoring by experienced
co-workers and their supervisor to help new employees
develop into FOA-certified technicians in only
one year.

The FOA Fiber U “OJT-To-Cert”
program includes both fiber optics
and premises cabling (copper, fiber & wireless),
so it covers techs working in both outside plant and
premises jobs.
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
Experienced fiber optic technicians can become FOA Certified using
their experience in fiber optics and study for the
FOA certification exams online at Fiber U. Thousands of
industry professionals have applied to the FOA
directly for certification without the need for
classroom training, based on their knowledge and
skills developed working the field. Since FOA
certifications are based on KSAs (knowledge, skills
and abilities), current techs can show the
skills and abilities required through their field
experience. FOA provides free online self-study courses at Fiber U for the knowledge
part to prepare you for FOA certification exams
which you can also take online.
If you are an experienced field tech interested in
certification, and FOA is the internationally
recognized certifying body for fiber optics, you can
find out more about the FOA Direct Certification Program
here.
If you are already a CFOT, FOA also offers many
specialist certifications you can obtain based on
your experience as a field tech. See what's
available at Fiber
U.

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.
FOA
has introduced a new type of Fiber U
course, the MiniCourse, a free online course you
could take in a short time, perhaps as you ate lunch
at your desk or took a coffee break. The
topics of these courses should explain what they are
about, and these are all very important topics to
fiber optic techs.
New Fiber U MiniCourse - Fiber Optic Jargon
There is a new MiniCourse at Fiber U - Fiber Optic Jargon.
Jargon is the most important thing you need to learn when you learn
about a new technology. This short Fiber U MiniCourse is intended to
introduce you to fiber optic jargon and make learning about fiber much
easier. It's aimed at novices but is a good refresher for even
experienced techs.
Fiber Optics In Communications
Fiber Optic Jargon
How Optical Fiber Works
Fiber Optic Network
Restoration
Fiber
Optic Connector Identification
Fiber U Color Codes
The Mysterious
dB of Fiber Optics
Fiber Optic Cable Bend Radius
Fiber Optic Link Loss And Power
Budgets
Fiber Optic Connector
Inspection And Cleaning
Fiber Optic Media Conversion
Fiber Optic Cable Midspan Access
Reading An OTDR Trace
Reference Cables For Testing
Fiber Optic Attenuators
The courses have two components, video lectures and
readings, that are complementary. As usual there is
a self-test to allow you to check your
comprehension. As with other Fiber U courses if you
desire, you can take a short test for a Fiber U
Certificate of Completion that costs
only $10.
All these free courses and many more
are available at Fiber U.
What Fiber Techs
Don't Know -
What We Learn From
FOA Certification Tests
As
FOA moves more testing over to our digital online
testing system at ClassMarker, we have access to
more data about our testing, including what
questions and topics on the tests are answered
incorrectly most often. Having this data gives us an
opportunity to evaluate the questions and how they
are stated, but more importantly it allow us to help
our instructors teach the subjects and us to change
our curriculum and online courses to emphasize these
particular topics. These are some of the topics that
we have noticed are answered incorrectly more often
in FOA and Fiber U tests.
Most of the questions missed are on testing.
1. OTDRs - particularly what information is in the
OTDR trace.
2. The difference between dB and dBm
3. Loss budgets - both the concepts and doing the
math
4. Insertion loss testing - single-ended or double
ended for testing patchcords or cable plants, how to
set 0dB references
5. Units of measure - fiber is measured in microns,
wavelengths in nanometers, etc.
At FOA, we're working to add Fiber
U MiniCourses on these topics and working with
our schools to emphasize these topics in their
classes.
If you are going to be taking a FOA certification
course or test in the near future, these topics
should be on your final exam study list.
What We Learn From Hands On Labs
We learn about students performance in hands-on labs
from the feedback of our instructors and our own
experiences too. One big problem is the use of hand
tools. Growing up today, you learn how to use
keyboards, mouses and touch screens, but decades
ago, you also learned how to use basic hand tools.
This is big enough of a problem that we're
considering adding some video lessons on basic hand
tools to prepare students for cable prep,
termination and splicing that require the use of
hand tools.
FOA Guide "Basics Of
Fiber Optics" Now Available Online in Portuguese
(6/2020)

FOA
has now translated the Basics of Fiber Optics
textbook in our Online Guide into Portuguese,
joining Spanish and French translations. For those
speaking Portuguese, we have the technical
information and for schools we also have curriculum
available.
Here is the FOA
Guide in Portuguese,
Spanish
and French
translations.
Time
To Learn - Online
Some
schools have been closed during the pandemic, so FOA
has been working with them to create new online
learning experiences that can in some cases lead to
certification online. FOA certifications are still
based on the KSAs - knowledge from the classroom,
skills from the labs and abilities judged by
instructors or proven by actual experience.
ZOOMing
Much of what we're doing benefits from the
capabilities of "Zoom." Others have created
videoconferencing apps, but none work so well,
especially with limited bandwidth. We've seen remote
labs that have an instructor showing students how to
use the tools they were sent then watching them
duplicate their actions. We have worked out methods
to use Zoom to proctor FOA's online certification
exams.
Blended
Learning
While most FOA schools have suspended in-person
training during this period, some are offering a
"blended learning" option. That means that
students sign up for a FOA certification course,
take the classroom sessions on Fiber U with the
assistance of a FOA certified instructor. Now
online instruction can include reviewing the
labs using the Fiber U Basic
Skills Labs, then when it's possible to attend
classes at the school, complete the hands-on
labs and take the FOA certification exam.
Online Remote Labs
Alternatively, some schools are experimenting
with "remote labs," where the students get
sent tool kits and components and labs are
conducted by videoconferencing. Before the
labs, the students may watch demos by their
instructor on videoconferencing and/or review
the relevant "virtual hands-on" lessons in the
Fiber U Fiber Optics Basic Skills Labs
so they will already know the steps in the
exercises. 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
Online
Certification Testing
FOA has all its certification tests
available online, both for use by our
schools and by our direct "Work
to Cert" applicants. All FOA
certification tests require a proctor to
oversee the applicant taking the exam. In
this time of social distancing, getting a
proctor can be difficult, so FOA now has
procedures for online proctors
administering the exam. Contact
the FOA for more information.
OJT - On-The-Job-Training
Many novices get a job and learn on the job.
They usually have an experienced tech who helps
them gain the knowledge and learn the
skills they need to perform their job. Thinking
about this in relation to the FOA KSAs,
the knowledge, skills and abilities needed by a
fiber optic tech, the tech will learn
skills but not the basic knowledge that helps
them understand the processes involved. FOA can
offer help here with our FOA's
OJT-to-Cert Program,
using our Fiber
U online self-study programs. While the
tech learns on the job, they become a Fiber
U trainee, getting the knowledge they
need, while working under their "mentor" at
work. This is particularly good for
contracting companies who need techs but do
not have the usual training courses
available. Interested in OJT programs? Click
on the link below or contact FOA for
more information.
FOA's OJT-to-Cert
Program

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
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Publications /
Resources

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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)
In less than half a century,
fiber optics has revolutionized communications and to a large extent,
society in general. Broadband, what many today call high speed Internet
access, has become a necessity for everyone, not a luxury. The
technology that makes broadband possible is fiber optics, connecting the
continents, cities, and just about everybody. Even fiber to the home
(FTTH) brings broadband to hundreds of millions worldwide.
How did we get from an era when communications was making a telephone
call or sending a telegram to today’s world where every piece of
information – and misinformation – is available at the click of a mouse
or touch on a screen? How did we get from a time when a phone was
connected on copper wires to being able to connect practically anywhere
on a handheld device with more computing power than was available to
scientists and engineers only decades ago?
How does broadband work? Without fiber optics it would not work.
This book is not the typical FOA technical textbook - it is written for
anyone who wants to understand fiber broadband or fiber optics or the
Internet. It's also aimed at STEM teachers who want to include
communications technology in their classes. This book will try to
explain not only how fiber broadband works, but how
it was developed. It is intended to be an introduction to
communications technology
appropriate for a communications course at almost any level (junior
high, high school or
college,) for managers involved with broadband projects, or for anyone
who just wonders how all this stuff works.
The Fiber Optic Association Guide To Fiber Broadband
Paperback ($12.95) and Kindle ($9.95) versions available from Amazon or most booksellers. Kindle version is in color!
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.
Here is a listing of all the FOA textbook Translations
Spanish Editions:
Guía de Referencia de la Asociación de Fibra Óptica (FOA) Sobre Fibra
Óptica: Guía de estudio para la certificación de la FOA Amazon
La Referencia de Cableado para Predios de la FOA: Guía para Certificación de la FOA Amazon
La Asociación de Fibra Óptica Manual de Fibra Hasta el Hogar : Para
Planificadores, Gestores, Diseñadores, Instaladores y Operadores De
FTTH Amazon
Guía de Referencia de la FOA sobre Diseño de la red de fibra óptica: Guía de Estudio para la Certificación de la FOA Amazon
And the FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics:
French Edition: Le
Guide de référence de la FOA pour la fibre optique et et
guide d'étude pour la certification FOA: Guide d'étude pour
la certification FOA Amazon
Portuguese Edition: Guia de Referência sobre Fibra Óptica da FOA : Guia de Estudo para a Certificação da FOA Amazon
The subject matter of these books is also translated in the FOA Guide online.
Planning A Fiber Optic Project?
The FOA Guide To Fiber Optic Projects includes this timeline and comments on project planning and implementation.
More New FOA Video
Lectures On YouTube
Did you know YouTube
will close caption videos in many languages?
Here are directions.
FOA Lecture 73, The History of Fiber Optics - A Timeline fiber optics from the beginning.
FOA YouTube Video Describes
On-The-Job Training (OJT)
FOA Lecture 67 Fiber Optics At
Electrical Utilities
More New Videos
Including FTTH Series
Like all our YouTube lectures, they are
all short and easy to understand.
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:
FTTH
Updates: Added a section on FTTH Network Design,
updated Architecture and PONs (10G)
Color Codes For Fiber Optics
Includes print your own pocket guide and versions for your smartphone.
Fiber
Optic Projects - the FOA Guide to projects from
concept to operation
Coherent Communications Systems in
the FOA Guide.
Go
to The FOA Online Fiber Optic
Reference Guide.
FOA Reference Books

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
El Manual FOA FTTH se ha convertido en el libro FOA
más vendido y tiene una calificación de 4.7/5 por parte de los
compradores en Amazon.
FOA ha notado mucho interés en FTTH en otras áreas del mundo,
especialmente en América Central y del Sur, por lo que tradujimos el
sitio web de FTTH y el Manual de FTTH al español.
Available in paperback from Amazon or ebook on Amazon Kindle.
Disponible como libro de tapa blanda en Amazon o como libro electrónico en Amazon Kindle.
El sitio web de FOA FTTH ahora en español.
El Manual FOA FTTH se ha convertido en el libro FOA
más vendido y tiene una calificación de 4.7/5 por parte de los
compradores en Amazon.
FOA ha notado mucho interés en FTTH en otras áreas del mundo,
especialmente en América Central y del Sur, por lo que tradujimos el
sitio web de FTTH y el Manual de FTTH al español.
Disponible como libro de tapa blanda en Amazon o como libro electrónico en Amazon Kindle.
El sitio web de FOA FTTH ahora en español.

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.
FOA
has reprinted

"Lennie Lightwave's Guide"
on its 25th anniversary in a special print
edition.
Lennie
and Uncle Ted's
Guides are online or as free iBooks on iTunes.

Click on any of
the books to learn more.
- Fiber
Optic Safety Poster to download and
print
Resources For
Teachers In K-12 And Technical Schools
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
Teachers.
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Safety
|
On Safety
The FOA is concerned about safety!
FOA
considers safety an integral part of all our
programs, curriculum materials and technical
materials. We start all our textbooks and their
online versions with a section on safety in the
first chapter, like this: Before
we get started - Safety First!
There are pages on the FOA Guide on Safety
procedures Including Eye Safety and. Digging
Safely
And a YouTube lecture: FOA Lecture 2: Safety When Working
With Fiber Optics
In our OSP Construction Section, these pages cover
many safety issues including those related to the
construction of the cable plant: Project Preparation And Guidelines,
Underground Cable Construction,
Underground Cable Installation
and Aerial Cable Installation.
There is even a safety poster for the fiber
activities: PDF Safety Rules For Fiber Optics
Other Safety Resources:
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
2023 Conference On
Damage Prevention In Tampa

Global Excavation Safety Conference Tampa, Florida
February 14-16, 2023
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)

Signaltape® provides a visual
warning by ensuring tape is brought to the surface,
alerting the operator to the presence of a buried
utility. It includes a 3,000-lb. tensile strength
aramid fiber membrane, which ensures the tape is
pulled to the surface to alert the excavation crew.
Signaltape
comes in two sizes: 12″ x 1000′ or 6″ x
1000′.
FOA
Corporate Program - Products & Services
Search
for products and services offered by hundreds of fiber optic companies worldwide.
List
of corporate information on the FOA website.
FOA Corporate Program is available to companies involved in fiber
optics as manufacturers, contractors, installers, etc. Read
more.
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FOA/About
About The FOA
- Contact
Us: http://www.foa.org
or email <info@foa.org>

FOA has a company page
and four LinkedIn Groups
FOA
- official company page on LinkedIn
FOA
- covers FOA, technology and jobs in the fiber optic
marketplace
FOA
Fiber Optic Training - open to all, covers
fiber optic technology and training topics
Grupo de La Asociación de
Fibra Óptica FOA (Español)
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What is The FOA?
The FOA is a, international non-profit
educational association chartered to promote
professionalism in fiber optics through education,
certification and standards.
Founded in 1995 by a dozen prominent fiber optics
trainers and leaders from education, industry and government as a professional society for fiber
optics and a source of independent certification,
the FOA has grown to now being involved in numerous
activities to educate the world about fiber optics
and certify the workers who design, build and
operate the world's fiber optic networks.
Read More
FOA History
FOA Timeline of Fiber Optics
Contact
Us
The Fiber Optic Association Inc.
https://www.foa.org or email
<info@foa.org>
https://www.thefoa.org or email <info@thefoa.org>
Telephone/text: 760-451-3655
The
FOA Home Page

Want to know more about fiber optics? Study
for FOA certifications? Free
Self-Study Programs are on "Fiber U®."
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.
|
-
Contact Us
The Fiber Optic Association Inc.
The FOA Home Page
Fiber Optic Timeline
(C)1999-2023, The Fiber Optic Association, Inc.
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FOA Logo
Merchandise
New FOA Swag! Shirts,
Caps, Stickers, Cups, etc.
The
FOA has created a store on Zazzle.com offering lots
of new logo merchandise. It has lots of versions of
shirts and other merchandise with "FOA," "Fiber U,"
"Lennie Lightwave" designs and more so you should
find something just for you! See FOA on Zazzle.
-

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!
Contact
FOA at info@thefoa.org to get logos in file format
for your use.
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.
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