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July 2026
A publication
of The Fiber Optic Association Inc. (FOA), the international non-profit
professional association of fiber optics and certifying body for fiber optics.
Links To Sections
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INDEX
Newsletter Sections
Click
on any link to jump to that section
Standards For Multicore Fiber
New Edition Of FOA Testing Textbook
FOA Video "Understanding Broadband"
FOA Broadband References Updated
Seen On The Street
FOA Online Credentials On Apple/Google Wallet
"Ask Lennie" Intelligent Search Of FOA Website
What's New And Popular On FOA Website
FOA School Sponsors STEAM Festival In Kenya
FOA School In Mexico Trainin
Faster Disaster Recivery WIth Prefab Cables
Another Aspect Of Fiber Guided Drones
Mapping The Underworld
New Book On Underground Location
Starlink Raises Prices For Rural Users
Repair Damaged Connectors In Minutes
Installing Cables In CO/Head End
Training for Installing HCF and MCF
OSHA-10 Course For Broadband Techs
Worth
Reading Lots of interesting
articles to read, watch or listen to.
Q&A
Interesting questions from our readers
Workforce Training/FiberU
Types Of Work Done By Fiber Techs
FOA-Approved School News
Fiber U Courses
Resources
New FOA Technical Resources
Safety
About the FOA
FOA Certified Techs:
Time
To Renew Your FOA Certifications?
Jobs
- See FOA Jobs
Web Page and FOA on
 - The FOA Jobs
- Using your FOA
Training/Certification to Find the Right Job
in Fiber Optics
Where
Are The Jobs In Fiber Optics?
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Trademarks:
The FOA logo and name, CFOT® (Certified Fiber Optic Technician) and
Fiber U® (the FOA online learning site) are
registered trademarks of the FOA.
Want to know more about fiber optics?
Looking for specific information? Here's the largest
technical reference on the web: The
FOA Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide.
Free online self-study programs
on many fiber optics and cabling topics are
available at Fiber U,
FOA's online web-based training website.
FOA
Reference Books
Available Printed or Kindle eBooks
Some books are available in translations
  
  
  
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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Issues.
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read past issues or use FOA's
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topics on our website.
1/26. 2/26, 03/26, 04/26, 05/26, 6/26,
- 1/25, 2/25, 3/25, 4/25, 5/25, 6/25, 7/25, 8/25, 9/25, 10/25, 11/25, 12/25
- 1/24, 2/24, 3/24, 4/24.5/24, 6/24, 7/24, 8/24, 9/24, 10/24, 11/24, 12/24
1/23, 2/23, 3/23, 4/23, 5/23, 6/23, 7/23, 8/23, 9/23, 10/23, 11/23, 12/23
1/22, 2/22, 3/22, 4/22, 5/22, 6/22, 7/22, 8/22, 9/22, 10/22, 11/22, 12/22
1/21, 2/21. 3/21, 4/21, 5/21, 6/21, 7/21, 8/21, 9/21, 10/21,
11-12/21,
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5/18, 6/18, 7/18, 8/18, 9/18, 10/18,
12/18.
1/17, 2/17, 3/17, 4/17, 5/17, 6/17,
7/17,
8/17,
9/17,
10/17, 11/17,
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, 12/15
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4/14,
5/14,
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7/14,
8/14,
9/14,
10/14,
11/14,
12/14
1/13,
2/13,
3/13,
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5/13, 6/13,
7/13,
8/13,
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10/13,
11/13,
12/13
1/12
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6/12,
7/12,
8/12,
9/12,
10/12,
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12/12
1/11 ,
2/11,
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9/11, 10/11,
11/11,
12/11,
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2/10,
3/10,
4/10,
05/10,
07/10,
08/10,
09/10,
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2/09,
3/09,
04/09,
05/09,
07/09,
08/09,
09/09,
10/09, 11/09,
12/09
1/08 , 2/08, 3/08, 4/08, 5/08, 6/08, 7/08, 8/08, 09/08, 10/08, 11/08, 12/08
12/07 , 11/07, 10/07, 09/07, 08/07, 07/07, 06/07, 05/07, 04/07, 03/07, 2/07, 1/07
12/06 , 11/06, 10/06, 09/06, 8/06, 7/06, 6/06, 5/06, 4/06, 3/06, 2/06, 1/06,
12/05 ,11/05, 10/05, 09/05, 08/05, 07/05, 6/05, 5/05, 4/05, 2/05, 01/05,
12/04 , 10/04, 9/04, 8/04, 7/04, 6/04, 5/04, 4/04, 3/04, 1/04,
12/03 , 11/03 10/03 9/03, 8/03, 7/03, 6/03, 3/03, 10/02 , 8/02, 5/02
Current Issue of FOA
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Standards For Multicore Fiber
There has been a number of articles in the FOA
Newsletter recently about two new types of fiber, hollow core fiber
(HCF) and multicore fiber (MCF). HCF use is based on reducing latency
since light travels ~50% faster in HCF than regular singlemode glass
fiber. MCF offers more data transmission capacity with 4 separate cores
in one common cladding, quadrupling the possible data capacity. As with
any new technology, once the applications begin and more manufacturers
become involved, standards must follow. MCF is beginning the standards
development cycle.
A proposal was presented to the TIA TR 42.11 Committee at a meeting in
June to start a discussion on the standardization of multicore fiber (MCF) fiber polarity.
Center to this proposal was the addition of a marker in the fiber
structure that would identify the cores in the fiber. A discussion of the same topic is scheduled for an ITU meeting this month.
It is important to note that this proposal comes before there are any
standards for MCF itself. At some point we expect to see standards
relating to fiber cladding OD, number and location of the cores, and the
dozens of other geometric and performance specifications required to
standardize a fiber. This proposal was apparently directed toward creating a
polarity for premises cabling systems built around MCF and duplex or
multifiber connectors.
If you remember, the FOA report on the OFC conference noted that fiber
optic manufacturers showed not only MCF but connectors for the fiber
with 24 fibers, allowing 96 connections in a single connector. That requires some
way of identifying the individual cores for specifying polarity, showing
the importance of this proposal.
Two marker positions were offered, with the marker core either midway
between cores 1 and 2 (symmetrical) or closer to core 1 (asymmetrical).
Asymmetrical (L) and symmetrical (R) marker core locations
(all drawings in the article from Corning presentation to TR
42.11, 6-3-2026)
The discussion focused on the asymmetrical marker near core 1 and off center,
which allows indicating the location of core #1 and which end of the
fiber is being viewed by its position.
Marker in multicore fiber near core 1, show both ends of fiber (A to
Z)
It is important to note that an offset marker makes the fiber
directional or polarized - opposite ends of the fiber are mirror views - helping to
maintain polarity, especially when MCF is used in multifiber connectors
like the MPO.
This proposal is intended for prefab cables used in premises cabling
which is popular in data centers now, but during the meeting FOA asked
several questions we felt were important for other applications, since
MCF is being used today in submarine cables and likely to see use in
high density OSP routes..
1. Since fiber is polarized with an offset marker, will a cable have
fibers running in both directions - half going A>Z and half going
Z>A? Will the direction of fibers be identified? Will they both be in
one ribbon?
2. When splicing fibers in the OSP, will fibers have to be spliced
matching (A>Z) so the marker cores line up? Are fusion splicing
machines going to handle this? Will there be a way to identify the
splice type (A>A or A>Z)?
3. What happens when you do a breakout of a few fibers from a larger
fiber count cable? Will you have to separate out fibers of the correct
orientation before splicing?
4. Would it be better to put the marker symmetrically between cores 1 and 2 so the fiber is not polarized?
The marker can be used to set polarity when manufacturing cables with connectors
with MCF fibers but leaves questions on how to handle cables in other situations like splicing. Will fusion splicing
machines be able to recognize the marker to assure alignment, but
how does an A-A or A-Z splice get recognized and how does it get
identified in a splice tray? And, since MCF is aimed at high density links, it is highly likely to be from fibers in a
ribbon.
Another topic is how transceivers handle MCF. Several were introduced at
OFC this year and a manufacturers' standard for them is being
developed, but questions remain: Do all 4 cores send signals in one
direction or is it pairs of cores in opposite directions? The assumption
is that transceivers will use fanouts, moving each core to a single
fiber, so for a transceiver, either could work. And most transceivers
used duplex or multifiber connectors, so the polarity possibilities are
enormous.
The discussions on this topic are just beginning, so it may take years to come to some agreement.
New Edition Of FOA Textbook On Fiber Optic Testing
 FOA has published the Second Edition of The FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optic Testing. The textbook has been updated to include new technology, equipment and practices plus a more comprehensive index.
The FOA testing textbook focuses on the testing of fiber optic cable
plants, both outside plant and premises. It covers microscope inspection
of connectors and how to clean them, visual fiber tracing and fault
location, optical power measurement, insertion loss and OTDR testing. It
also includes chapters on the types of fiber optic test instruments,
calculating loss budgets, fiber characterization and testing PONs. A
chapter of checklists is included to help test techs ensure
comprehensive testing and ease troubleshooting. The final chapter covers
the measurement uncertainty of fiber optic measurements, beginning with
typical measurement errors.
The FOA testing textbook is the reference for
FOA CFOS/T Specialist Certification In Fiber Optic Testing in classroom
training and online training at Fiber U.
The
FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optic Testing - Second Edition - 2026
320 pages
ISBN: 9798197159762
Independently published
List
Price: $35.95 paperback, $16.95 Kindle
Available in paperback and Kindle
versions from Amazon.com
and other booksellers.
Broadband Updates
FOA has been updating our references and courses for Broadband.
New Video Lecture - Understanding Broadband
FOA has added a new YouTube video lecture to our series on fiber optics. Lecture #74 is Understanding Broadband.
This lecture was created for the same reason that we created a textbook
on Broadband - everybody talks about it but not everybody really knows
what exactly Broadband is, how it was developed and how it is delivered
(mostly on fiber optics, of course.)
This short lecture (about 15 minutes) explains Broadband in a
non-technical way to allow not only the techs to understand it, but also
the planners, business people and the general public to understand it.
You can watch FOA Video Lecture #74 - Understanding Broadband - on YouTube here.
----------------------
Update - 2nd Edition: The Fiber Optic Association Reference Guide To Broadband
A
new edition of the FOA broadband book is now available. It's updated
for new tech like LEO satellites and, at the request of our schools,
been expanded to include chapter questions and a comprehensive index to
facilitate using the book as a textbook for classes.
The new edition is aimed at teachers who want to include
communications technology in their classes. It is appropriate for a
module or semester course for engineering, science or even management
students. 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,) as well as for managers involved with broadband projects.
The Fiber Optic Association Reference Guide To Broadband
Paperback and Kindle versions available from Amazon or most booksellers.
-----------------
Fiber U Broadband Self Study Program
FOA has added a new Fiber U self-study program
on Broadband, The course includes 10 lessons that cover the full scope
of broadband technologies. Like all Fiber U courses, it's free, and after you complete the course
you can get a Certificate of Completion for a nominal cost.
The Fiber U self-study program about Broadband.
Seen On The Street
As is often the case with these pictures we capture
of installations, this one is puzzling. It was just around the corner in
Santa Monica, CA.
You cannot see much from this distance except the cable dropping down
from the overhead aerial bundle and looping back up - into the tree.
This is the tree branch just above the red arrow above. The street signs
helps shows where this mess of cables is located on the branch. The
large cable is the one you see hanging down from above. It loops back up
to tree branch, breaks out into smaller cables and is looped multiple
times around the tree branch.
We cannot guess what the installer was thinking here. And it's been this way for more than a month.
Maybe this squirrel spotted on the same cable bundle at the next utility
pole pulled the cable up and around the nearby tree branch to build a nest (just
joking.)
Save FOA Online Credentials to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet
You can now purchase wallet-ready versions of your FOA Certification Online Credential
and save it directly to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Keep your
credentials on your phone and share them quickly whenever needed.
How to Access This Feature: This optional feature is now available from
yourFOA Certification Online Credential web page hosted by BadgeCert.
Wallet-ready credentials are personal purchase options for individuals
who would like them.
Note you can also get a Certificate or Business Card for your credential also.
Jump to News
The FOA website and the FOA Online Guide
include what is probably the
largest knowledge base in fiber optics. We provide links,
contents pages and a search engine, but the amount of content is
daunting. Ask Lennie is
now available to search the FOA website using AI.
Ask Lennie Lightwave is waiting to help answer your questions and find things on the FOA Website.
Classroom
Resources For STEM Teachers In K-12 And Technical Schools
 Here is the POF kit sent to teachers for demonstration.
Teachers in all grades can introduce their students to fiber
optic technology with some simple demonstrations. FOA has
created a page for STEM or STEAM (science, technology,
engineering, arts
and math) teachers with materials appropriate to their
classes. Fiber
Optic Resources For STEM Teachers.
FOA
also has a YouTube
Video on "Careers
in Fiber Optics" and a "Careers
In Fiber Optics" Website.
FOA Newsletter
Sections
News
Technical
Worth
Reading Q&A
Training/FiberU
Resoures
Safety About
|
|
News
Lots more news
in Worth Reading below
NEW AT FOA:
Standards
FOA Standard For Installing Fiber Optic Cable Plants
Credentials
About FOA Credentials
Badge in FIber Optics
New/Updated Web Pages
Cross Reference Guide to Textbooks, Online Guide and Fiber U FOA Videos Guide.
Index Of Articles On Fiber Broadband Networks
FOA Guide To The Fiber Optic Workforce
FOA Credentials: the differences in certifications, certificates and badges.
Books - new editions
FOA Reference Guide To Network Design And Project Management, second edition - adds project management to design
FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics, Second Edition, second edition - update of the basic fiber textbook.
The FOA Reference Guide To Broadband second edition -update - popular with broadband planners
Fiber U
Broadband
Safety
New In The FOA Guide
Introduction To Broadband
Guidelines For Fiber Optic Project Planners
Cross Reference Guide to Textbooks, Online Guide and Fiber U FOA Videos Guide.
Satellite Communications
OSP Aerial Construction Workmanship
Splices And Connections Of Regular to BI Singlemode FIbers.
Fiber Optic Safety - Installation and Construction.
Fiber Optic Network Troubleshooting.
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Quote of the month:When our
TeleGeography analysts speak with procurement teams, we often hear about
the persistent challenges of trying to source crucial last mile
connectivity. While demand for high-capacity circuits is surging, the
underlying procurement processes and commercial models are struggling to
keep pace.
From the TeleGeography blog.
(With data centers, getting enough electrical power is not the only problem - connectivity capacity is a big issue also!)
FOA School Sponsors STEAM Festival In Nairobi
(STEAM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math)
Bunifu Youths Kenya, a startup incubated at AFRALTI (FOA
Approved School #758), was proud to lead the STEAM Festival held at
Nairobi Academy, bringing together young innovators aged 4 to 18 years
from Nairobi and Nakuru Counties.
Through Robotics and Creative Coding challenges, students were tasked
with identifying real-world community challenges aligned with the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those affecting
girls, and developing innovative technology-driven solutions.
The festival showcased the creativity, critical thinking, and
problem-solving abilities of the next generation, demonstrating how
STEAM education can empower young people to create meaningful impact in
their communities.
We extend our sincere appreciation to Nairobi Academy for partnering
with us in nurturing innovation, digital skills, and future-ready
talent.
Together, we are inspiring young minds to innovate, create, and shape a better future.
Reported in LinkedIn.
FOA School BAS Academia Busy Expanding FOA Training At Exhibitions In Mexico
Hector Cantu of BAS Academia in
Mexico is in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico at a Digital Ecosystem Expo for
Data Centers. It was an expo focused on the digital ecosystem of
data centers, where major infrastructure projects are currently being
developed, including the deployment of submarine cable systems in
Mexico.
BAS Academia is bringing FOA certification to leading telecommunications
and data center companies in Mexico. Participants have especially
appreciated the hands-on approach of our training programs and the
opportunity to practice with professional field equipment, allowing them
to develop skills they can immediately apply in real-world
environments.
Website: BAS Academia
LinkedIn: BAS Academia Fibra Óptica
Faster Disaster Recovery Using Prefabricated Cabling For Outside Plant
Prefabricated cabling systems are mostly known for
premises cabling and FTTH drops, but Clearfield shows how it can be
used for faster recovery from disasters.
 Photo CI&M
Following the devastation of two Category 5 hurricanes in 2017,
Caribbean Cellular Telephone Ltd. (CCT) and BVI Cable TV have rebuilt a
large portion of the British Virgin Islands’ communications networks
using Clearfield’s
modular, prefabricated fiber technologies. According to CCT, these
solutions cut deployment times in half while dramatically improving
restoration speed after hurricanes. Today, the operator serves roughly
one-third of households and numerous businesses across the territory
using a fiber network built on Clearfield solutions.
“Considering the restoration advantages alone, Clearfield’s technologies
are perfect for the Caribbean,” said Kyle Dasent, Chief Technical
Officer at CCT. “I don’t see why every operator in our corner of the
world is not using these solutions.”
In the British Virgin Islands, storms, heavy rainfall, and difficult
terrain make traditional fiber deployment and repair slow and resource
intensive. After the hurricanes destroyed CCT’s cable infrastructure,
the company faced long equipment delays from legacy vendors with lead
times that stretched from three to nine months, as well as a limited
pool of skilled fiber splicers.
CCT partnered with Clearfield to take a different approach. Together,
the companies designed a fully pre-connectorized, modular outside plant
network in a matter of weeks.
“What CCT and BVI Cable TV have achieved shows what’s possible when
networks are designed for both speed and survivability from the start,”
said Anis Khemakhem, Chief Commercial Officer of Clearfield. “In
hurricane-prone environments, modular, prefab architectures don’t just
accelerate deployment, they fundamentally change how quickly communities
can recover.”
More from CI&M and Clearfield
Worth Reading
Corning’s Amazon deal highlights AI infrastructure supply chain alignment
CRU GROUP.
"But the wider context remains more complex. AI
infrastructure spending is becoming harder to assess on commercial
grounds alone. The revenue model for AI remains uncertain, enterprise
productivity gains are still difficult to measure, while the data
centres being built are expensive, power-intensive and
fast-depreciating. This does not mean the AI data centre demand will
collapse abruptly, but it does pose a question about its durability."
Another Aspect Of Fiber Guided Drones
Fields covered in fiber. Click on the image for a larger version with more details.
From The Atlantic Photos, June 1, 2026.
Mapping The UnderworldAfter Decades of Fragmented Data and Preventable Strikes, Minnesota Is Mapping the Underground .
 (Global 811)
On a peak construction day in Minnesota, Gopher State One Call (GSOC)
processes as many as 7,000 locate requests. Each one triggers a familiar
chain: utilities dispatch crews to spray paint and stake flags at the
dig site, marking their buried infrastructure before excavators break
ground. (See FOA Newsletter February 2026)
For nearly four decades, this is how the industry has operated, and for
nearly four decades, it has been one of the reasons pipes and other
infrastructure get hit. The markings tell you where one operator’s
infrastructure runs. But underground, nothing belongs to just one
operator. Gas lines share corridors with electric conduits, water mains
cross beneath fiber runs, and municipal systems thread through it all.
The fundamental problem is structural: each utility responds to a ticket
for its own assets only, and no one in the process has a view of what
all operators have in the ground at a given site. The excavator working
that job is making decisions from an incomplete picture. The
consequences are measurable and they are not improving.
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) estimates that damage to underground
infrastructure costs the nation $30 billion annually. In Minnesota
alone, the state’s Office of Pipeline Safety recorded 1,663 gas line
strikes in 2024, and that is just one utility type.
In Minnesota, the Underground Utilities Mapping Project Team (UUMPT), a
vendor-neutral group of 35 volunteers from across the public-private
spectrum, gave a successful demonstration of a prototype capable
of pulling a real-time, unified map view of all under- ground
infrastructure within a designated dig area. First in the nation.
Read how they are doing it: Global 811 Magazine Page 6 The Map Everyone Needed and Nobody Had
-----------------------------------
The Global Damage Prevention Summit annual meeting will be held on August 18-20, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee USA. Details and registration here.
-------------------------------
More About Underground Location
 The FOA Newsletter article in February 2026 on underground location was adapted from the new book coming this August Holding
Back Disaster The Men and Women Standing Between Death and Destruction,
Billions of Dollars of Losses, and Life-Altering Infrastructure
Disruptions by Scott Landes and Benjamin R. Dierker.
This book will be available in August - details here.
In the meantime, Scott Landes has another book just released - Jimmy Buffet, Brand Genius.
Most people know Jimmy Buffett as the singer behind Margaritaville, but
most do not think of him as a bestselling author, entertainer, and
entrepreneur. Few understand how Buffett transformed a collection of
songs, stories, and values into one of the most successful authentic
lifestyle brands in modern history. Author Scott Landes, a lifelong
Buffett fan and marketing professional, takes readers behind the scenes
of Buffett’s extraordinary journey. Through extensive research, personal
stories, and business case studies, the book explains how Buffett's
commitment to authenticity became the foundation for an empire spanning
restaurants, resorts, retirement communities, cruises, merchandise,
radio, music, publishing, and more. The ebook has an introductory price
of $2.99 until July 5.
From Worth Reading (below)
AI data centers are supercharging a new battery market -
Washington Post. Flow battery technology could end the dominance of
lithium-ion and slash the electricity used by AI computing.
And in another examination of the problem, more from the Washington Post AI newsletter. AI
workloads present a unique challenge to our century-old power grid.
Unlike large factories, power demand by data centers can rise or fall by
hundreds of megawatts every second as thousands of graphics processing
units (GPUs) enter different phases to run computations, communicate and
store model training progress.
As a stopgap measure, software
engineers have responded by generating “dummy loads” to smooth out
energy loads when power consumption is low. However, this extraordinary
tactic wastes an enormous amount of energy. And, even with the dummy
load tactics, the grid may be strained to the point of triggering a
blackout event.
Musk’s Starlink hooked rural customers. Then came the price increases.
From The Washington Post:
The billionaire’s satellite internet service is a lifeline to many, but
some users who face price hikes say Starlink has amassed too much power.
As its parent company moved toward an IPO, rural broadband advocates say
the company has begun to squeeze its isolated U.S. users, raising
prices in areas where options are limited and striving to box out
competition.
SpaceX has lobbied against federal spending that would benefit
Starlink’s rural broadband alternatives, calling the issue it targets
“effectively … solved,” an assertion disputed by advocates for wider
broadband access and many residents of rural areas.
“When you have a captured consumer you are able to raise the prices,”
said Drew Garner, director of policy engagement at the nonpartisan
Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. “Given that broadband is
an essential service and that the consumer has to buy it you’re able to …
squeeze them often.”
From The Washington Post June 11, 2026.
Quote Of The Year (maybe Century!) (this is worth repeating)
Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia +
Technology Conference, AT&T’s CEO John Stankey said, “There’s a
fallacy to say there’s fixed networks and wireless networks. There are
only fiber networks with different access technologies on the end of
them. That’s where this is all going.”
|
Technical
Fiber optic
technology, standards, equipment, installation,
etc.
Ask Lennie Lightwave, the FOA AI that answers your questions on fiber optics
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®
|
Repair Damaged Fiber Optic Connectors In A Minute
KrellTech has tools and procedures to allow repairing most damaged fiber
optic connectors in less than a minute. The technique is to repolish
the connectors using diamond polishing film to remove material from the
ferrule while maintaining the PC convex surface.
 
KrellTech offers both lab and field portable polishing machines for
connector repair, with adapters for all industry standard connectors.
For more information, see KrellTech.
Basic Rules For Cable Installation And Termination In the Central Office/Head End/Point Of Presence
All optical cables are terminated in the CO/HE/POP on a patch panel/ODF
to enable the connection of active and/or passive equipment. Cable entry
and termination should be addressed during the planning and design
phases. This includes a site survey, during which the exact cable entry
point and routing through the building to the appropriate rack cabinet
and ODF are defined, as well as the location for storing the cable slack
before the cable enters the ODF.
Contributor Vladimir Grozdanovic covers the basic steps of designing and installing cables for entry facilities.
Read the article here.
OSHA-10 Construction Course for Broadband Technicians
CWA is offering a free OSHA-10 Construction course to schools and
employers that are training broadband technicians. This
broadband-targeted OSHA-10 Construction training is taught by CWA
OSHA-Authorized Trainers for Construction. The CWA OSHA-authorized
trainers work for major telecommunications companies. Each trainer has
many years of field and safety experience in Broadband and related work,
so they know the job and the work conditions.
Every attendee who successfully completes the OSHA-10 Construction class
will receive an OSHA-10 card issued by the U.S. Department of Labor,
which verifies completion of the class. Many construction job sites
require workers to have OSHA-10 Construction cards to perform work on
the site, so an OSHA-10 Construction card can be a necessity.
Safety First is Good for Workers & for Business
OSHA-10 Construction training can prevent injuries and save lives!
When you invest in safety and health education, your bottom line will
benefit as well. OSHA estimates that for every $1 you invest in safety
training, there is a $4-$6 return!
More details on the OSHA-10 Construction course.
Good Question: Training For Installing And Splicing Hollow Core Fiber (HCF) And Multicore Fiber (MCF)
Q: I’m reaching out to inquire about upcoming developments in
hollow core fiber, as we understand this technology will begin seeing
broader deployment in the near future. We’re looking to stay ahead of
the curve and ensure our team is properly prepared as it becomes more
widely adopted. Specifically, I wanted to ask if your organization
currently offers — or plans to offer — any splicing or handling training
related to hollow core fiber.
A: Good question and timely. FOA has spent a lot of time talking to people in the fiber business about this recently.
For background, FOA has covered hollow core fiber (HCF) and another type
of fiber, multicore fiber (MCF) in recent FOA Newsletters:
In the April FOA Newsletter, we reported on our visit to the OFC conference in LA in March wher eHCF and MCF were featured by all the fiber manufacturers.
In the FOA Newsletter last November, we ran a feature on HCF that explained why it is being used.
MCF is easier to see the advantages, 4 links in one fiber.
Both share a similar problem in splicing; they require not only X-Y
alignment like other fibers, but also require rotational alignment. In
HCF, it is needed to match the structure. In MCF it is to match the
cores. HCF has an additional problem; the fiber OD is ~200 microns and
the core is complex, so fusing is tricky.
The only splicer currently available is the FITEL S185EVROF and it is
pricey. Sumitomo tells me they are working on new splicer for these
fibers too. Since the applications of HCF focus on data centers and the
high-frequency stock traders, it will be seen if other manufacturers
join the market too.
If you want to get trained on working with these fibers, your best bet
is to contact FITEL or Lightera (OFS) to see what they are doing about
training.
Both EXFO and VIAVI are offering info on testing HCF . EXFO contributed to the FOA Newsletter last November and in the May FOA Newsletter we have an article in the Technical section about testing and connecting MCF with fanouts.
The New FOA Installation Standard
Available as a free download or purchase printed or Kindle versions online at Amazon.
 This standard focuses on the
processes for installing a fiber optic project and provides guidance on
the design, installation and management of the project. The standard covers outside plant installations, both aerial and
underground, and premises cabling including the various installations
methods commonly used. It is an open source standard. Users choose the sections
that apply to their project and incorporate that into their documentation like the SOW (Scope of
Work) or other project paperwork. Provide copies to your
planners, designers, contractors, installers and suppliers.
More information and a Table of Contents.
Download a free copy of The FOA Standard For Installing Fiber Optic Cable Plants. (PDF 1.6MB)
Purchase printed ($14.95 US) or Kindle ($9.95 US) versions online at Amazon.
TIA Guide To Networks
TIA has a guide to many standard networks like Ethernet and the specs
for their use on numerous standard cabling systems. Want to know how far
Ethernet 100GBASE-LR4 can go (30 km) or how much link attenuation is OK
(6.3 dB), this publication will tell you.
Download your copy from TIA here.
"Call Before You Dig" Video
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today
announced the release of a new video, “811- Call Before You Dig,” as
part of its efforts to promote safety awareness around underground
utilities and the critical importance of making 811 calls prior to
digging.
Watch the video on YouTube,
New VIAVI Fiber Testing Pocket Guide – Built for Techs in the Field
Designed with field techs in mind, this compact guide
from VIAVI is packed with essential fiber testing tips, quick-reference
checklists, and step-by-step insights that cover every stage of the
network lifecycle. It’s built to fit right in your pocket or tool bag,
so the info you need is always within reach.
Request your free VIAVI Fiber Testing guide now.
Tech Notes And Articles From FOA's Worldwide Network Of Advisors
FOA has a worldwide network of technical advisors who
help us develop our knowledge base. This month we have contributions
fro several regular contributors, Eric Pearson, a founder of FOA, and
Vladimir Grozdanovic in Serbia. We provide an abstract here and a link
to read the entire article which will be added to the FOA Online Guide.
Ensuring
Reliability By Proper Fiber Optic
Installation
The goals of a fiber
optic installation should not be solely based on achieving the lowest
initial cost. Should lowest cost result in reduced reliability, lowest
initial cost may result in significantly increased lifecycle cost.
Eric Pearson does it all, educator, writer,
consultant, with a resume' going back to the beginning of fiber optics.
Here's advice from Eric on the way to ensure the long term reliability
of a fiber optic cable plant by proper installation.
Ensuring
Reliability By Proper Fiber Optic
Installation
Testing that Demonstrates, or Not, High Reliability
Interpreting Test Results (New November 2025)
3D Inspection and Precision Cleaning
Field Service and Production Line Considerations When Precision Cleaning and Inspecting Fiber Optic Surfaces by Ed Forrest. Ed has decades of experience in developing cleaning solutions for fiber optic connectors
A Quiet But Important Change In The Fiber Optic Cable You Buy
With so many cable designs today,
like microcables or high fiber count cables, requiring bend-insensitive
fibers, would it make sense to make all or most singlemode fibers as
bend insensitive fiber?
Two manufacturers (Corning and OFS) told FOA the industry is moving towards a G.657.A specification
in fiber, because the industry is moving towards smaller denser cables
in the network & the bend resilience is a requirement for the cable
design. So singlemode fiber is moving to being BI fiber, exactly what happened
with 50/125 laser optimized fibers a decade ago. With most new fiber,
compatibility is not an issue. But it is recommended to check with the
cable manufacturer if you are not sure what fiber is being used in the
cable you are purchasing.
Read the entire FOA report on compatibility of G.652 and G.657 singlemode fiber that includes this summary.
Jump to Worth
Reading
Updated FOA OTDR Trainer
 FOA has rewritten the FOA OTDR Trainer around Fiberizer. The Fiberizer PC
software was the version we used for creating the Trainer, but the basic
techniques apply to all versions of Fiberizer. FOA provides a folder of
sample traces in 3 categories - Parameter Traces, Sample Traces and PON
Traces - around which we build the trainer. If you set up Fiberizer,
you can complete the FOA OTDR Trainer lessons and then use the same
software to analyze other traces you may have, even from other brands of
OTDRs, as long as they are .sor files.
The FOA OTDR Trainer is ready to help you learn about OTDRs. Go to the OTDR Trainer page,
tech/ref/testing/OTDR/OTDRsimulator.html, choose your version of Fiberizer, download the FOA Traces and you are ready to go.
FOA wishes to thank VeEX
for permission to use their Fiberizer® software in our OTDR trainer.
And our compliments to them for making the ap available on multiple
platforms that ensure anybody can use it.
FTTH Technical Papers
FOA contributor Vladimir Grozdanovic has created these technical papers based on his field experiences.
Formation of an Underground Horizontal Channel Using Manual and Pneumatic Piercing Tools
Alternatives For Installation of Optical Cables in Urban Areas
The Differences Between Conventional and PON Optical Power Meters
Fiber Optic Color Codes with Cross Reference
Splicing Optical Power Ground Wire OPGW
Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD)
Construction Methods For Microtrenching
Fiber Optic Ducts And Microducts
Fiber Optic Tools
Optical Distribution Frames (ODFs) And Patch Panels
Using Fiber Identifiers
Testing The FTTH PON Network (new)
Troubleshooting PON Installations.
Installation of FTTH Active Equipment in the FOA Guide.
Optical Splitters in the FOA Guide.
Examples of poor installation of FTTH in the aerial outside plant and in the customer premises.
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.
Red more about what this cable marking tells you and what the cable looks like when you open it up to prepare for splicing.
Help On Color Codes (Including Copper Cabling And Fiber Optics)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 Color Codes 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
Not all international color codes are the same. Here is a cross reference to various color codes.
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..
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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.
Index Of Articles Fiber Broadband Networks From The Fiber Optic Association - dozens of articles on fiber broadband over the last 4 years.
Cross Reference Guide to FOA Textbooks, Online Guide and Fiber U
 AT&T PR photo from the mid 1970s
The FOA's History
Stories From The Past FOA Newsletters
Recent articles from The FOA Newsletter
Fake OTDR Traces Submitted For Testing Documentation January 2023 Tech
Using OTDRs To Test Transoceanic Cables And PONs February 2023
POF - the Other Fiber March 2023
What Do Employers Expect From A Fiber Optic Tech? April 2023
Are Standards Ignoring The OSP? May 2023
FOA Has Proven Results In Fiber Optic Workforce Development June 2023
BEAD Funding For States Announced And Analyzed July 2023
Wisdom From The Street (Analyzing the printing on a fiber optic cable) July 2023
Focus On Disasters August 2023
FOA's Role In Education and Work Done By Fiber Techs September 2023
The Workforce: New US DoL Bureau of Labor Statistics Telecom Tech Category October 2023
How Many Telecom Techs Do We Need and How Big Is The Fiber Optic Market November 2023
Guidelines For Fiber Optic Project Planners December 2023
2023 Year In Review. Kentucky Shows The Value Of Fiber January 2024.
What is Broadband? History of the Cable Modem February 2024
It's Just Economics. Things you need to know. March 2024.
Fiber To The Shore - Undersea cables along the coast April, 2024.
The Future Of The Fiber Tech May 2024.
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Worth Reading (Or
Watching Or Listening)
Global 811 Magazine - The Mapping Issue
- The magazine about underground location discusses one of the most
important topics in underground construction - mapping ALL the
underground utility locations.
CertLynk: A Talent Network for FOA Certified Technicians - Job board from BID DataLynk
BT, Verizon join forces to create $4 billion international joint venture - Reuters. BT
and Verizon (VZ.N) announced a deal to combine their international
enterprise operations into a 50:50 joint venture, focusing on serving
multinational clients and bringing together $4 billion in combined
annual revenue.
AI and Data Centers Are All Over The News
Corning’s Amazon deal highlights AI infrastructure supply chain alignment -
CRU GROUP. But the wider context remains more complex. AI
infrastructure spending is becoming harder to assess on commercial
grounds alone. The revenue model for AI remains uncertain, enterprise
productivity gains are still difficult to measure, while the data
centres being built are expensive, power-intensive and
fast-depreciating. This does not mean the AI data centre demand will
collapse abruptly, but it does pose a question about its durability.
AI data centers are supercharging a new battery market -
Washington Post. Flow battery technology could end the dominance of
lithium-ion and slash the electricity used by AI computing. And in another examination of the problem, more from the Washington Post AI newsletter. AI
workloads present a unique challenge to our century-old power grid.
Unlike large factories, power demand by data centers can rise or fall by
hundreds of megawatts every second as thousands of graphics processing
units (GPUs) enter different phases to run computations, communicate and
store model training progress. As a stopgap measure, software
engineers have responded by generating “dummy loads” to smooth out
energy loads when power consumption is low. However, this extraordinary
tactic wastes an enormous amount of energy. And, even with the dummy
load tactics, the grid may be strained to the point of triggering a
blackout event.
What are "flow batteries" -
Battery Council International. They are liquid batteries that seem
better for backup power for large facilities like data centers than
lithium-ion batteries.
ILSR Launches Latest Tribal Internet Networks Census Update - ILSR Community Networks - Native Americans building their own broadband networks.
How the coming AI-related IPOs could puncture the AI bubble -
LA Times - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Hiltzik has
written for the Los Angeles Times for more than 40 years.
SpyCloud, the leader in identity threat protection, today released its 2026 Phishing Pulse Report,
revealing that phishing attacks continue to increase in both volume and
sophistication for enterprise organisations as artificial intelligence
and phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platforms enable threat actors to
launch highly effective campaigns at scale
Recent And Worth Repeating
Listen and learn about AI and data centers at Marketplace, January 26-30, 2026. Wherever you get your podcasts.
Meet the Municipal Networks that Launched in 2025 - ILSR
ISE Magazine: Opportunity Cost - FOA President Jim Hayes
examines how BEAD’s slow rollout, high costs, and fiber-first design
create hidden opportunity costs for providers, communities, and the
nation’s broadband future.
Dig Once: How Federal, State, and Local Governments Can Reduce the Cost of Broadband Deployment - Vanderbilt University Policy Accelerator.
Useful Articles And Links
Pre-Excavation Safety Checklist (PDF) - Excavation Safety Alliance - essential steps before breaking ground for underground construction.
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.
ESRI has created an ebook on GIS location technology for telecom. Use the link to download the book.
Google Video On Their Undersea Cables YouTube Slick but interesting video on how undersea cables are designed, built and used.
Worth Reading - Magazines, Websites and Newsletters
CABL® (cabl.com) serves
the business needs of the Broadband industry (including traditional
cable TV, fiber, telecom and satellite providers) with employment
listings, classified ads, discussion forums, and more. A contractor told us it's where they find lots of opportunities for subcontracting.
The Institute for Local
Self-Reliance weekly newsletter has
lots of interesting articles and links.
Next Century Cities Newsletter
- News from cities around the US
including Detroit and New York plus small
Structured Cabling News
- a website and weekly newsletter about cabling
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:
Worth Reading - History & Technical
FOA was founded in 1995 - FOA's History
As
part of celebrating 3 decades 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 on the FOA
website where you can read it or link to
it.
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.
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.
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
"Who Lost Lucent?: The
Decline of America's Telecom Equipment Industry"
This is a MUST READ for managers in telecom or any
industry!
Communications Systems Grounding
Rules: Article 800 provides specific
requirements by
Michael
Johnston, NECA Executive Director of
Standards and Safety in EC Magazine
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.
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"
Restoration: If you are interested in restoration -
aren't we all? - you should also read this
article in dpPro magazine by FOA President Jim
Hayes: Damage Protection Requires
Looking Overhead As Well As Underground
- dpPRO Magazine - about the problems with
aerial cables. His previous article for the
magazine was New Techniques for Fiber
Optic Installation.
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.
Fiber Trivia From
Corning.
VIAVI Books On
Fiber Optic Testing (2 volumes)
 
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)
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)
|
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
Are Tier 1 and Tier 2 Test Methods Used In International Standards?
Q: Has the concept of Tier 1 (OLTS) and Tier 2 (OTDR) testing which
is used in TIA structured cabling standards been adopted into any
international outside plant standards?
A: We asked some of our contacts in the test equipment business.
"The OLTS and OTDR measurement methods used in TIA Tier 1 and Tier 2
testing are fully adopted in international outside plant standards such
as ITU‑T, IEC, and ISO/IEC. However, these standards generally do not
formalize the concept as “Tier 1” and “Tier 2.” Instead, they specify
required measurements (e.g., insertion loss via OLTS) and complementary
characterization methods (e.g., OTDR traces) without using a tiered
terminology. In practice, OSP deployments typically use both methods,
but within a different framework than TIA structured cabling
certification."
How Long and How Fast?
Q: How much Capacity per pair of Fiber can be generated / get from 144 core of a fiber on 20000km distance?
A: Currently using coherent transmission and DWDM, service providers
are sending ~ 12 terabits/sec on a fibe pair, and fiber amps can go as
long as needed. But where would you have a 20,000km/12,500 mile link?
How Long Do Fiber Optic Cables Last?
Q: I work at a large industrial facility with several
buildings connected by fiber optic cables. The fiber cables run through
underground conduits between the buildings. Many of the fiber cables
were installed 20 to 25 years ago. Is there any general industry
guidance on when cables such as ours should be replaced solely based on
the age of the cable?
A: The question you ask is one often asked. Usually it
refers to the outside plant cables that have been used for many years -
some now approaching 40 years like the optical power ground wire (OPGW)
used by electrical utilities and some telco cables installed in the same
era. Cable manufacturers are not very specific about cable lifetimes,
but the standard today is cables are designed to last 40 years or more.
Cable installed 20-25 years ago should be still serviceable for years to
come. Some cables may suffer from moisture migration which can cause
attenuation increases and fiber brittleness. Brittleness is generally
not a problem is the fibers are undisturbed but it is a good reason to
not disturb them. Most cable plants are not replaced unless they suffer
damage - weather and wildfires are a big problem for serial cables,
flooding and freezing for underground cables - or the owner is ready to
upgrade communications systems and needs more modern, higher performance
fibers.
Our advice would be to not disturb the cables you have if systems are
working properly. If you are in a “nonstop” environment that would be
badly harmed by loss of communications and you want to have a backup,
you could hedge your bets and install ducts for replacement. cables. If
there is space in the ducts, you can install microducts or fabric ducts
in the same conduits and install backup cables. You may read advice that
says cables need maintenance like cleaning connectors and testing
periodically. That’s bad advice; it’s more likely to damage the cables.
Our advice on cables is install them, lock them up and don’t worry. But
have a restoration plan. Have documentation on the cables, spares and be
prepared to repair or replace them quickly. See
https://foa.org/tech/ref/restoration/rest.html
Hybrid cable For Aerial Installation
Q: Is there a hybrid cable (fiber + conductors (2 or 4)) that can be aerial lashed?
A: Practically any outside plant cable can be installed
aerial if it is within the weight limits of the messenger being used.
Cables with fiber and copper conductors are used for connections to
remote electronics or cameras.
Gloves for Splicing?
Q: What’s the FOA’s (or your personal) stance on wearing gloves whilst splicing?
A: Wearing gloves may recommended for
preparing metallic armored cables because of the danger of cuts. For
regular cables, gloves may be recommended for those who use knives to
open cables, a practice still used. However for splicing fibers where
some recommend them to prevent sticking yourself with fibers, it hampers
fiber handling and slows the work down. We do not recommend gloves
except for prepping certain types of cables.
Are Splices Too Close Together A Problem?
Q: When installing fiber in an plant. Is there a minimum distance that two splices should be apart? ;
A: The recommendation in the past was to bot have splices close
together since slight reflectances at the splices could cause an
interference problem with laser systems. The recommendation was to keep
splices 30-100m apart. IT was especially noted if you had to splice in a
section of cable to repair a cable break. However we have not heard
this in recent history, perhaps because fusion splices are so good. We
asked a number of FOA's technical advisors for their opinions. Their
feedback is the problem of reflectance causing problems at closely
spaced splices seems to have disappeared. It’s a matter of better
splicing machines and more consistent fibers, and also a matter of
lasers being engineered to work better in links.
Copper Tech Wants To Learn Fiber Optics
Q: I am originally from copper installations and faults
finding. I would like to get involved in Optic fibre faults and
finding, how do I go if there is a possible training it will be highly
appreciated,
A: Just learn about fiber, especially fiber testing and troubleshooting. Fiber U has courses you can take for free.
OSP Installation Standards
Q: I'm looking for standards for fiber optic OSP installation.
A: The whole issue of OSP standards has been one FOA been
trying to get standards bodies interested in for years with little
success, probably because it is an enormous project. Right now there are
two documents that address OSP cable plant:
ITU-T Technical Report, TR-OFCS Optical fibres, cables and systems, (3 July 2015)
As you can see, the ITU document is almost 10 years old and a lot has changed in that time.
The Other is the Telcordia Blue Book - Expensive but thorough
Telcordia Blue Book - Manual of Construction Procedures
Document Number SR-1421, Issue Number 07, Issue Date Jan 2023
Is The FOA CFOT® A License?
Q: Can you use a CFOT certification to install fiber and charge for it? Or do you need other licenses as well? ;
A: FOA Certification is considered evidence of competence and
accepted worldwide by many companies, groups, etc. Licenses are a legal
credential required by local authorities to conduct business for
anything from a barber to a truck triver to contractors doing fiber or
other work. Most locales require a license as a contractor which may
require a fiber specialty. You need to investigate this with your local
authorities.
Updating FOA Courses And Reference Materials
Q: How often are FOA courses updated? And when they get updated, what happens to those who would have done a previous version?
A: The FOA certifications are updated as needed to stay current with
technology and applications. Updates are incremental and we do not
require current certification holders to retake courses or exams.
Past questions can be found on the FAQs page.
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
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Training / FiberU
News and resources to help you learn more and stay
updated.
Learn about the fiber optic/ broadband workforce
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 |
Featured Training Lab - IBEW Local 102, Parsippany, NJ
Well done!
What Is An FOA Credential?
As FOA celebrates our 100,000th CFOT® certified technician,
introduces the "FOA Badge In Fiber Optics" for others working in the
field and adds new courses at Fiber U which offer a "Certificate of
Completion," it's a good time to explain the differences between them. FOA has created a page to explain the differences in certifications, certificates and badges.
All FOA
Certification Credentials Are Now Online
All FOA Certified Fiber Optic Technicians now have their certification
credentials online.
if your FOA certification has not expired you should have been notified you have an
online credential. If you did not get notification it may be because
FOA did not have a valid email for you. Contact FOA to inquire about your certification credential.
More about FOA's network of approved training organizations.
The Types of Work Done By Fiber Techs And How It Affects Training
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" on the BLS
website. 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. This web page on the fiber optic workforce describes how FOA defines these stages of a project and the skills
of the techs needed. This is not unique to FOA; it's what has been traditional
at telecom companies forever.
FOA Schools
FOA's roster of approved schools continues to grow 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 over 100,000 certified fiber techs (with ~140,000
certifications). As a non-profit organization founded by the industry
specifically to develop a competent workforce, FOA provides the
consultation, curriculum and contacts to get schools started as a free
service to new schools.
Need A Fiber Optic Course Onsite? Invite an FOA School To Come To You
Complete listing of FOA Approved Training Organizations
Fiber U offers dozens of free online self-study programs.
Fiber U "Basic Fiber
Optics" Online Self-Study Course Now In Spanish
Curso Básico de Fibra Óptica
de Fibra U en español.
Here is the new Fiber U "Fiber Optic Safety" self-study program. Take the course and get your certificate of completion.
Fiber U MiniCourses: Got An Hour Or Less?
Learn Something New About Fiber Optics.
All these free courses and many more
are available at Fiber U.
What Fiber Techs
Don't Know -
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 offers free online self-study programs at Fiber U.
Many users are preparing for FOA certification
programs - taking courses at our schools or using
the Direct Certification program. Some of our
schools are requiring Fiber U programs as
prerequisites for their classroom courses so they
can spend more time on hands-on activities.
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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.
Project Management Added To New Edition Of FOA Design Book And Fiber U Course
 FOA
has published a new edition of its textbook on fiber optic network
design, an expanded version with new material covering project
management. Fiber optic network design and network management are
closely related topics, both highly important in the success of a fiber
project.
The new book is available as a paperback or Kindle book. You can buy it from Amazon or local booksellers worldwide. (ISBN: 9798262274611)
The Fiber U Design self study program has also been updated for project management.
New Edition of FOA's Basic Fiber Optics Textbook
 It has been 5 years since we have updated the FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics,
so it is certainly time for an update. The latest version is different
enough we call it a new edition. Many of the updates are for new
technologies which are reshaping the fiber optic industry like coherent
transmission, BI fibers, etc. We've also added a section on the fiber
optic workforce which has much relevance because this book is used to
train those entering the workforce.
We've also worked on making the book more readable, adding formatting that eases reading and a new comprehensive index.
The new edition of the FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics is available from Amazon and booksellers worldwide.
Update - 2nd Edition: Fiber Broadband (Paperback and Kindle)
 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 and Kindle versions available from Amazon or most booksellers.
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.
FOA Video
Lectures On YouTube
Did
you know YouTube will close caption videos in many
languages?
Sign in with Google to get translations for closed
captioning. Click on the settings icon (red arrow.)
Choose "Subtitles". English is the default
language. Click on the arrow after "English
(auto-generated) >". In the new window click on
"Auto-translate" and choose the language you
want.
FOA Loss Budget
Calculator On A Web Page 5/2020
FOA
has written many articles about loss budgets,
something everyone involved in fiber optics needs to
know and needs to know how to calculate. We recently
discovered how to get a spreadsheet ported to a Web
page, so we created this web page that calculates
loss budgets. We have an iOS loss budget app, but
with this web page, you can calculate loss budgets
from any device, smart phone, tablet, laptop, or
desktop computer that has web browsing capability.
Bookmark this page (especially on your
smartphone): FOA Loss Budget Calculator
Online
We are continually updating the Online Reference
Guide to keep up with changes in the industry and
adding lots of new pages of technical information.
When you go to the FOA
Guide Table of Contents to see the latest
updates - look for  .
FOA Books
Fiber Optics (4 languages), Premises Cabling, OSP
fiber and construction, Network Design, Testing,
FTTH Handbook and our latest - FIber Broadband
The FOA has it's own
reference books for everyone working in fiber
optics - contractors, installers and end users as
well as for use as textbooks in classes at
educational institutions. They are available as
printed books or Kindle at much lower prices than
most textbooks since we self-publish and sell
online, cutting out the middlemen. Click on the
book images for more information. The Reference
Guide To Fiber Optics is also available in
Spanish, French and Portuguese. The Design book is available in English
and Spanish.
Click on any book for more information
about it.
FOA
has reprinted
"Lennie Lightwave's Guide"
on its 25th anniversary in a special print
edition.
Lennie
and Uncle Ted's
Guides are online.
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
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On Safety
New Fiber U Course: Fiber
Optic Safety
Safety
must be the first concern of everyone involved in a fiber optic
project, including those planning, designing, managing or supervising
and of course those doing the installation.
FOA is often asked about safety for fiber optics. Some
inquiries ask where it's covered in the FOA Online Guide or textbooks or
if we have a course on safety at Fiber U. Almost all Fiber
U Courses have lessons covering safety, because
safety is important in every aspect of a fiber optic project.
This
new Fiber U course will focus on safety alone. There are two lessons in this course,
fiber optic construction and fiber optic installation. The dividing
line between the two courses is the installation of the fiber optic
cables. Construction leads up to and/or is completed when the cables are
installed. Installation begins when the fiber tech installs the cable,
then completes the splicing, termination testing and documentation. The
overlap between the two is the installation of the cables where both
construction personnel and fiber optic techs are involved.
Here is the new Fiber U "Fiber Optic Safety" self-study program. Take the course and get your certificate of completion.
Enhance your safety with the FOA Safety Vest.
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
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About The FOA
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>
Use the Contact
Form
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.
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Contact Us
The Fiber Optic Association Inc.
The FOA Home Page
Fiber Optic Timeline
(C)1999-2026, 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.
-
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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