Note we have
changed the format to place articles in
sections on one topic and all articles are
dated so you know if we repeat one - which
we often do when we think it's very
important!
Growing The Fiber Workforce
Helping Make Rural Broadband Possible
Getting Students Started in High School
BELCO Gets Techs Trained
Beware Of Fake FOA School More Free Fiber U Programs
FOA Creates Timeline Of Fiber Optic History
Newsletter Sections
Click
on any link to jump to that section
News
Multiple Bullets Hit Fiber Optic Cable Tonga Loses Communications In VolcCano Blast
FTTO At Toulouse
Fiber Guy Is Damage Prevention Hero
Broadband In Illinois
Technical
Product News Directional Boring Can Cause Hidden Damage
Warning For Techs About Fiber Amplifiers Loss Budget Calculator
Training/FiberU
New FOA-Approved Schools, Fiber U
MiniCourses, making training classroom safe, onine
training, materials, more Resources
New FOA YouTube Videos. Safety
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.
Join The FOA eMail Newsletter
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to be notified when the FOA Newsletter is updated? Sign
up for the FOA eMail Newsletter. You can
also sign up from your cell phone: text "FOA" to
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Trademarks:
The FOA CFOT® (Certified Fiber Optic Technician) and
Fiber U® (the FOA online self-study program) are
registered trademarks of the FOA.
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. 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.
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.
The workforce has been a major topic of conversation recently,
partly caused by the pandemic but also caused by the explosive growth in
technology being used by everyone in almost every job as well as
everyday life. Besides the growth in the use of the Internet for work
(and work at home), education (and education at home) and entertainment,
we have associated issues like automation, AI, etc.
The use of the Internet grew about 40% in 2020 and nearly 20% in 2021.
More data means more data centers and more Internet backbones. More
work/education from home means more homes need better Internet. Some
homes just need Internet, because they currently have none. Some are in
urban neighborhoods where we have the equivalent of "Internet
redlining;" others are in rural areas, both areas major carriers avoid
because the economics don't fit their business models.
But the current US governments and others around the world understand
the need for universal Internet. The US is making available $billions
for supporting Internet in those areas. Talk about new projects is
growing. By 2023 or 2024, the number of projects in the US is going to
be huge.
We know we need to recruit many more workers and we have to assume the
need will continue in the future. It may be even worse as many
experienced workers are retiring and taking with them their experience
and skills. The question is where will the workers needed to build these networks be
found?
FOA has some suggestions:
We need to recruit more young people out of schools. We need to convince
students and schools (especially guidance counselors) that there are
lots of good jobs in the trades. That students can "earn while they
learn." That certification in a trade can be as valuable as a college
degree (more so than degrees in some subject areas!) And you begin a
career without the burden of debt from college loans.
We need to recruit more women. They only represent about 3% of the fiber
workforce but, like the women we interviewed in Alaska last year (FOA Newsletter May 2021), their work is high level and they want to learn more to advance in their jobs.
Contractors and other employers of fiber optic techs need to get more
involved in OJT and require certification to ensure workers are
competent. FOA has programs for "Work To Cert" AND "OJT To Cert" that
use online training and supervisor mentoring that can have a big impact
on the quality of the workers and the quality of the work they do. It's
also a good way to ensure worker satisfaction and keep them.
We need to get more experienced workers to help newcomers by mentoring
them, helping them develop the skills they need in the job. FOA can help
here too.
Do you, our readers, have more suggestions? Send them to us (info@foa.org) so we can continue this dialogue.
Helping Make Rural Broadband Possible
New FOA Technical/Educational Materials For Those Planning Rural Broadband
New video and reference page on rural broadband
Rural broadband is not simple. The need for rural broadband is widely acknowledged, but the eonomics of providing
broadband over fiber optics in rural areas means that large service providers are
generally not interested. By researching a similar problem
from the early 20th century, rural electrification, we learned that
the same problems existed then, and, not surprisingly, the same solutions
developed then are applicable today in the 21st century. (See the FOA Newsletter August 2021 for the story about rural electrification.)
As FOA continues to be invioved with
discussions about rural broadband, we decided to compile the information
we had gathered into a short video lecture and a web page of links to
relevant information on our website.
Video Lecture
The new YouTube video, FOA Lecture 70 Rural Broadband, Obstacles And Opportunities,
is about 25 minutes of discussion about the economics, technology and
some other topics about how to successfully build a rural broadband
network. In this video, we discuss the problems of rural broadband,
show how they are similar to rural electrification, and how the
solutions
developed then are just as valid now.
Reference Page
The new reference page on rural broadband
is intended to be a reference guide for those looking for more
information on rural broadband and FTTH. It includes some basic
information about rural broadband and gathers up links to the many
articles FOA has done on the topic, the FOA Guide pages on broadband and
FTTH.
Both the video lecture and the reference page are also intended for
those trying to get a project started to have a link for others
interested in the project to learn more about what is involved.
Biden Administration Releases Guidebook on Infrastructure Law Implementation
The US is allocating lots of money for infrastructure
projects including $45billion for broadband infrastructure, especially
underserved areas like rural. The Biden Administration has released a
Guidebook to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in an effort to help
interested parties understand the law. This guidebook will show the
funding and programs available and how to utilize the information.
States and local governments will be using this information to determine
what is applicable to them. The Administration will be updating this
guidebook regularly when new information becomes available.
FOA has mentioned many times the need to get high
school students interested in the trades, where they can create a career
with excellent potential without incurring a load of college debt. Here
is an example of a High School that thinks the same way:
The
internationally recognised CFOT programme is the Fibre Optic
Association’s certification for general fibre optics and is chartered to
promote professionalism in fibre optics through education,
certification and standards.
The employees who attained the Fibre Optic
Association’s certification are Jarrod Zancanella, Zeldon Trott, George
Fubler, Torrey Tacklyn, Ryan Hayward, Christopher Pullen, Andrew
Mitchell, Khimo Harrison, Kumar Grant and Carvala Duffus.
Wayne Caines, president of Belco, said: “We
are committed to empowering our employees with opportunities for
lifelong learning and becoming a certified fibre optic technician is
just one of these opportunities.
“I would like to offer my congratulations to the
ten staff members who are now certified by the Fibre Optic Association. I
know that they will put these skills to good use as our company
continues to evolve and embrace the latest technologies to become a
world-class renewable energy company.”
Beware Of Fake FOA-Approved School : LEARNING ALLIANCE
FOA recently received a call from a person looking for fiber training
asking about the school Learning Alliance located in Tampa, Florida.
Learning Alliance is not an FOA-approved school. They have tried to work
around FOA requirements in the past by subcontracting to FOA-approved
organizations. On their website, they make claims that are not true:
Frpm this page.
"Obtain industry certifications like Certified Fiber Optic Technician and XXXXXX through structured training programs" (Certified Fiber Optic Technician, CFOT, is a FOA trademark and this organization is not authorized to offer CFOT training and certification)
From this page:
"Learning Alliance partners with certifying bodies to help our
pre-apprentices, students and alumni gain access to critical
certifications in the skilled trades industries they work in. These
partnerships are important because skilled trade industry is defined by
continuing education through various certifying bodies."
(The use of the FOA logo is without the consent of the FOA.)
Fiber U Adds More Free Online Self-Study Programs
Fiber U MiniCourse: Fiber Optic Attenuators For Managing Data Link Power Most of
our attention in a data link focuses on the cable plant, particularly
minimizing the loss of the installed cable plant. However many fiber optic links
have too much power at the receiver, a consequence of having links
designed for long distances being used at shorter distances.
This course will discuss the need for attenuators, how to determine the
value of attenuator needed and how to install and test them in the
link. To create this course, we added a new video FOA Lecture 72 Fiber Optic Attenuators and updated the page in the FOA Guide Using Attenuators With Fiber Optic Data Links.
Fiber U MiniCourse: Reference Cables For Fiber Optic Testing Choosing,
using and caring for reference cables can be confusing. It's different
for insertion loss and OTDR testing. It's different with different types
of
fiber and connectors. When testing a fiber optic cable plant, the test
setup looks very
similar to the way a fiber optic data link uses the cable plant, with
the communications equipment replaced with fiber optic test equipment
and the patchcords connecting the communications equipment
replaced by reference test cables. This course covers the uses,
specifications and handling of reference cables for fiber optic testing.
This course includes a new video FOA Lecture 71 Reference Cables For Fiber Optic Testing. and an updated page in the FOA Guide on Reference Cables.
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. It is recommended for those studying for the FOA CFOS/FC Fiber Characterization certification.
Offer Extended: Take
the updated Fiber U FTTH course and the
Certificate of Completion Test FREE FTTH Updates In The
FOA Guide And YouTube
FTTH
has always been the most popular application for
FOA's knowledge base. We've been working overtime to
update FOA materials covering FTTH adding and
updating information important for network owners
and managers, designers, installers and operators to
be familiar with, as they can help build FTTH
networks that are better, cheaper and easier to
design, build and operate.
One very
interesting way to look at the past is by following a timeline. The FOA
has been working on a timeline of fiber optics for over a year now,
using our worldwide network of contacts who themselves go back to the
time of the first field trails of fiber optics in the US and UK. We've
added important fiber-related events too, like the development of
telecom technologies, computer netwoks, the Internet, smartphones and
5G, all of which have been impacted by fiber optics and vice versa.
Here is the FOA Timeline of Fiber Optic History. If you have events you think should be added, contact FOA as a timeline is best kept as a living document.
Multiple bullets hit Xfinity fiber cable, causing outage in Oakland
Crews restore service late Sunday to more than 20,000 customers (San Jose Mercury News)
The outage happened before 5 a.m. Sunday after a
shooting near the city’s Eastmont Mall, and affected about 20,000
customers across Oakland, according to an Xfinity spokesperson. The
outage affected all of Xfinity’s services, including Internet, TV, phone
and home security systems.
No confirmation was immediately available on an NBC Bay Area
social-media post quoting an Oakland police source who said at least a
dozen shots were fired into the air. But police said Monday that the
city’s ShotSpotter service had logged 17 shots fired in the 6800 block
of MacArthur Boulevard around 3:30 a.m. Sunday.
“The damage was extensive and repairing fiber optic cable is a
dangerous, time intensive and complex process,” she said. “I know folks
are impatient and we are too, but we are working around the clock to fix
it and get everyone back online.”
All services were reportedly restored between 7 and 8 p.m., Hammel said
in an e-mail, adding that Oakland police were investigating the
incident. No information was shared on whether crews encountered issues
while restoring service, or how common shooting-related damage to fiber
or other equipment.
The commonly quoted saying is "The most common causes for fiber
outages are "backhoe fade" for underground cables and "target practice"
for aerial cables."
Tonga’s volcano blast cut it off from the world. | MIT Technology Review
Hunga Ha‘apai, an underwater volcano off the
coast of Tonga, erupted on January 15. The blast has had global
consequences: more than 6,000 miles away, waves caused by the eruption
drowned two people in Peru.
Tonga has been cut off from the internet, making it that much harder to
coordinate aid or rescue missions. In a highly interconnected world,
Tonga is now completely dark, and it’s almost impossible to get word
out. Getting the country back online is vital—but it could take weeks.
It's likely that the undersea cable connecting its internet to the rest
of the world has been destroyed by the blast. The Tonga Cable System
runs 514 miles between Tonga and Fiji, bringing internet service to the
two island nations. Previously, that connection has been backed up by a
satellite internet connection. The tidal wave resulting from the volcano
explosion could have taken out the satellite dishes. Read the story: MIT Technology Review (The satellite images of the eruption are amazing!)
University of Toulouse - Centre for Integrative Biology (CBI)
The Centre for Integrative Biology (CBI) brings research teams,
technological platforms and services together in a highly modern
architectural complex which has been, fully equipped with an FTTO (Fibre
To The Office) network. This makes it possible to cater to a wide range
of internal user requirements and anticipate future evolutions.
dp-PRO magazine recognized George Kemp, MetroNet as a "Damage Prevention Hero."
Along with his “day job” as VP Safety, Government Affairs & Quality
Assurance with MetroNet, George is currently serving as Chairman of the
Board for Indiana 811, during which time he led them through both a
software and leadership change. He also serves as Alternate Trustee for
OHIO 811, Secretary for NTDPC, and is a member of both the CGA Education
and Best Practices Committees. He also finds time to frequently
participate in local damage prevention councils!
Listen to this interview with Matt Schmit, Director of the Illinois
Office of Broadband and Chair of Illinois Broadband Advisory Council.
During the conversation, the two discuss Illinois’ $420 million
investment in broadband infrastructure as part of the Connect Illinois
Broadband Grant program, the challenges in and solutions to both rural
and urban settings, and how the Illinois Connected Communities program
has helped at all stages of the process.
On fiber optic
technology, standards, equipment, installation,
etc.
The FOA
Update Page covers all the new technology
and applications we covered in this newsletter
recently. Now you can review all that new tech at
once.
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.
Interesting Products
FiberNext FAS-CLAMP
A simple gadget for your splicing table that holds fibers in place while
you are splicing. Looks very useful, especially with some of the
larger, stiffer cables or OPGW .FiberNext FAS-CLAMP.
CleerLine SSF Fiber
Several decades ago, 3M patened a fiber with a slightly smaller glass
cladding diameter and a thin polymer coating that made it easier to
crimp connectors directly on the fiber without damaging it. Cleerline
now markets a version of this fiber that takes advantage of another
characteristic of this hard thin plastic coating on the class - it
reduces the sensitivity of the fiber to bending losses. Cleerline SSF Fiber
(Note - FOA retouched Cleerline's drawing above because they showed
the core sticking out of the glass cladding, indicating it was separate,
but of course, the core and cladding are one solid piece of
glass. See this FOA article on fiber stripping for clarification.
Directional Boring Can Cause Damage Without Being Noticed - Until Later
Recently we were told about "Cross Bores" by a Scott Landes, professional in the damage prevention industry and publisher of DP-Pro magazine.
Cross Bores are when one utility is inadvertently installed through a
pipeline. This typically happens to sewer laterals because many of them
are not locatable and not marked, so the contractor has no easy way to
know they are in their path.
When a gas service line goes through the sewer lateral nobody knows it
happened. Fast forward to when the homeowner’s sewer is backed up and
they call a plumber. If the plumber doesn’t run a camera down the line
they are likely to think it is a tree root. They simply auger out what
they think is a tree root, which causes a gas leak. The gas frequently
finds its way up the sewer lateral leading to a house exploding.
FOA recently received an inquiry that was a new one; 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" below.
Here Is An Excellent Reference On This Topic - Thanks To A Reader I found your article “Warning For Techs About Fiber Amplifiers” surprising.
I wrote WAC 296-32-22576 (I am an author on the entire rule) about 5
years ago to address the hazard, and related hazards, that is noted in
the FOA article “Warning For Fiber Techs Doing OSP
Restoration”. Not only have we been enforcing and educating, but
we have presented the light hazard at multiple events in Washington
State to the Telecom, High Voltage and Emergency Responders as all may
be exposed due to hazardous levels of light. A tech can easily
start a fire with the unterminated fiber, depending on where in the
network it is open. Our rule, WAC 296-32 Telecommunications,
was written to be ahead of its time, and it still is today. I
also addressed fiber splicing hazards.
The rest of the country does not have a safety rule as up to date as
Washington, however the famous pocket size “Red Book” can be ordered
here for free. However, the ANSI Z136.1 and .2 are a reference.
Thank you for your site and newsletter! I hope you have an awesome day! Regards, Rod Julian Telecom Safety Specialist Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries
Is it safe for fiber techs to splice OSP networks that use fiber amplifiers as repeaters?
FOA received an inquiry about this recently for which we had no ready
answer, so we did some research on the topic of fiber amplifiers. The
question was whether techs working on restoring OSP links should be
concerned about eye safety if the link used fiber amplifiers.
The answer is not a simple yes/no! The short answer is YES; the long answer is more technical and includes details that every OSP tech needs to know.
First a bit of tech.
Fiber amplifiers have been around for decades, replacing electronic
repeaters that convert a signal from the optical domain back into the
electrical domain, remove some noise and retransmit it as an optical
signal. Fiber amps replaced them because they used too much power and
were unreliable.
Fiber amplifiers
are used in WDM systems where there can be power from a number of
different wavelengths, increasing the total power, or in analog systems
like CATV HFC systems where high power DFB lasers are used.
The most common fiber amp (EDFA - erbiun-doped fiber amplifier) uses
some complex physics that allows light entering a special fiber
(generally erbium-doped fiber) to be amplified by the light from a high
power "pump laser" at a different wavelength (980 or 1480 nm). Pump
lasers can be as powerful as 10 watts, +40 dBm! Fiber amplifiers have
gains of around 20 dB, so a "0 dBm" laser (1 mw) input will be amplified
to +20 dBm (100 mw). That is a LOT of optical power.
A second type of fiber amp (RAMAN) uses the transmission fiber to
amplify the signal using high-power pump lasers, sometimes at both ends
of the fiber, at particular wavelengths. These are less common.
The problem that field techs need to worry about is whether a fiber amp
will shut down if the link is broken. Transmission equipment generally
shuts down the transceiver if the receive sees no input and initiates an
alarm. If there are fiber amps in the link, will they shut down if
there is no input? The answer is maybe.
The problem seems to be a lack of standardization in fiber amp design.
Some amps have sensors on the input that shuts down the pump laser when
there is no input. Those should be safe. But most designs, it seems, do
not have that feature. We talked to two manufacturers and two users and
the consensus is that fiber amps will have the output of the pump laser
on the output fiber even with no signal at the input.
One user tested a unit with an input sensor. With a range of inputs from
-12 to -4 dBm, the output was a constant at around +20 dBm. Below, -12
dBm, the output was zero - no light at all - even though the EDFA was
switched on. However, when the EDFA was switched off, the unit was
simply a passive component and would transmit signals at 1490 nm but not
at 1550 nm, probably due to a WDM component in the output.
We talked to a manufacturer who mentioned that some EDFAs are
designed this way and some are just amps. For example, he told me their
products will produce ~20 dB gain, so an input of 1 mw will yield ~100
mw output. But if you remove the input, the amp will amplify the noise
and transmit the pump laser on the output which will be about 30 mw,
with the bulk of the power in the pump laser wavelength. A WDM will
filter out the pump laser, but if a tech looks at a broken fiber with
this fiber amp as an input, he will still be looking at a 30 mw optical
output.
It appears that the fiber tech doing restoration on broken OSP
fibers needs to have assurance that either the network does not have any
fiber amps in the link being repaired or the network has been
completely powered down - including the amps.
Never look into a fiber end or get it near your eye since a broken fiber can emit light at an angle.
Before working on any fiber, test it with a power meter to see if power is present.
And the tech probably should wear special laser safety glasses, but we
have not found any yet that cover the entire wavelength range needed.
If anyone with experience working with fiber amps has an input, please contact FOA.
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.
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.
Wireless Broadband: Things You Thought You Knew
CENIC, the CA Research/Educational Network ran a 90 minute webinar on
wireless that is highly informative. They will be doing one on cable and
one on fiber soon.
Building A Fiber-To-The-Home Network (video) ILSR has created a short 2.5 minute video that shows how FTTH works and illustrates it with an actual network drop being installed.
Todo Fibra Optica is
a new digital magazine in Spanish for fiber optics
in Latin America. Jose Enriquez, editor of Todo
Fibra Opticmagazine 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.
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.
Tellabs' RDOF and the
Tellabs FlexSym OLT-mini webcast
plus download the slides
The OLT-mini is a low line count, small form
factor and environmentally hardened OLT designed
to keep deployment costs down, which makes it
ideal for RDOF projects. (Tellabs mimiOLT was
covered in the June FOA Newsletter about rural
FTTH.) The African Submarine Networking
Seascape: A New and Emerging Market
TeleGeography/Ciena/MainOne With this lightning-fast
growth rate and eight new cables in the works,
this is an emerging market with big network
infrastructure projects to watch.
New Fiber Optic
Magazine In Spanish
Todo Fibra Optica is
a new digital magazine in Spanish for fiber optics
in Latin America. Jose Enriquez, editor of Todo
Fibra Opticmagazine 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.
Lightwave Magazine is back
after many years as only a online newsletter.
Lightwave was started in 1984 by Howard Rausch, a veteran
newsman, a gentleman and a scholar! (JH) We reported
on the demise of the printed version of Lightwave in
the FOA
Newsletter of March 2009. Lightwave is back as
a digital magazine, perfect for the times, and still
headed by Editorial Director Stephen Hardy, a
veteran of the fiber optic community with great
in-dept knowledge of the technology, companies and
people who make fiber optics what it is today. Lightwave's comprehensive
website continues too. All very worthwhile reading.
TeleGeography's New
Submarine Cable Map
TeleGeography's new 2021
Submarine Cable Map is packed with new
cables and stats. Not to mention the new graphics
and FAQs! This edition is loaded with trivia on
cable suppliers, content providers, deployments,
fiber, and more.
The 2021 Submarine Cable Map depicts 464 cables
and 1,245 landing stations; 428 cables are active
and 36 are planned.
Of the planned cables, 19 were not depicted in our
2020 edition. (The combined length of those 19 new
planned cables is 103,348 km!)
Statistics on US
Labor In Telecom
Eric
Pearson sent us some links to US Bureau of Labor
Statistics data on the US Workforce. Granted it was
updated in May 2019, but has lots of useful and
interesting information on where the work is and
what workers are paid.
Telecommunications Equipment
Installers and Repairers (Install,
set up, rearrange, or remove switching,
distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in
central offices or headends. Service or repair
telephone, cable television, Internet, and other
communications equipment on customers’ property. May
install communications equipment or communications
wiring in buildings.
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 - Past Links Worth Repeating
"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.
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"
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.
The Internet Master
Plan for New York City.
The New York City Internet Master Plan is a
comprehensive framework for the infrastructure
and services that provide connectivity to New
York City residents and businesses. This
Master Plan will guide City actions and
public-private partnerships to transform New
Yorkers’ access to this essential
infrastructure for generations to come. 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)
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 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!
Clearfield-FOA Certification
TrainingClearfield 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.
FOA
President and editor of this newsletter Jim Hayes
has also been writing a column in Electrical
Contractor Magazine for almost 20 years now.
Electrical contractors do lots of fiber work and
this column has covered some topics they are
interested in including installation processes,
network design, fiber applications and a lengthy
series on dark fiber - what it is, how's its used
and how it benefits the growth of communication. A
recent web site redesign makes it easier to browse
all these articles - just go to http://www.ecmag.com/contributing-authors/jim-hayes
and you can see all of them.
Q&A
Tech
Questions/Comments From FOA Newsletter Readers
Worth Repeating
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!
The FOA
Fiber FAQs Page (FAQ s = frequently asked
questions) gathers up questions readers have
asked us and adds tech topics of general
interest.
Questions From FOA
Newsletter Readers
February 2022
MM Splice-on Connector On Singlemode Cable
Q: I encountered a situation where a MM
mechanical connector was used on a SM fiber and passed on an OTDR test.
The client and I are interested in understanding how these connectors
could have passed?
A: The joint between a multimode and
singlemode fiber should have vrey high loss, ~17-20 dB, depending on the
mode fill of the MM fiber. However the short length of the MM fiber,
~10mm, might not be enough to cause the modes to fill in the short fiber
in the connector, resulting in relatively low loss.
Eric Pearson, one of the most knowledgeable people on connectors
expressed this idea then tested it with 100m singlemode connected to a
second singlemode cable. The second singlemode cable has an OM3 LC
unicam connector, An EXFO ftb-400 OTDR indicates a 2.09 dB drop. That is
way too much to pass a test but nowhere near the loss that could be
expected from the MM/SM joint.
We plan some more tests on this issue.
November/December 2021
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.
Underground Utilities Location Q: From an OSP engineer: Is there a resource for
underground utilities that we could use on our engineering designs? I
know some counties offer this info but is there a single resource for
all? A: If you are in the US, the Common Ground Alliance (https://commongroundalliance.com , https://commongroundalliance.com/Tools-Resources/Resources-Library/Toolkits)
is a resource for designers and contractors looking for information on
underground utilities. Their “CGA Best Practices”
(https://bestpractices.commongroundalliance.com) is the best reference
for damage prevention.
Otherwise, the local authorities and utilities are the best source. The
department that issues permits is usually the place to start.
Even with that information, it is recommended that the contractor do
their own search using underground locating equipment before digging.
You may find this page in the FOA Guide on underground cable construction useful. ( https://www.foa.org/tech/ref/OSP_Construction/Underground_Construction.html )
Reflectance Q: What is the importance of reflectance and all the other numbers in installing and trouble shooting a fiber circuit? A: Reflectance has always been a secondary issue to connection
loss but has some important issues that need consideration. There are
two basic issues with reflectance, affecting with the output of laser
transmitters and creating background “noise” in a fiber link.
Reflectance can interact with the laser chip itself, causing laser
transmitters nonlinearities or random fluctuations in the output. The
background noise is a secondary issue, but can be seen in ghosts in an
OTDR trace. The light bouncing back and forth in the fiber that causes
ghosts will be added to the signal at the receiver end, adding noise to
the actual signal. Both these effects are more significant on shorter
links, for example FTTH or LANs using PONs (passive optical networks).
We always recommend using APC (angled physical contact) connectors on
short SM links. And most short SM networks do use APC connectors.
FOA tries to stick to the definition that reflectance is the light
reflected from a connection but some others call it “return loss.”
Return loss has been defined generally as the combination of reflectance
and backscatter from the fiber, and that’s how OTDRs measure return
loss. Standards vary in the definition sometimes.
Here is a FOA Guide page on reflectance that gives the basics and
explains how it is tested.
https://foa.org/tech/ref/testing/test/reflectance.html
October 2021
Fusion Splicing Regular And Bend-Insensitive
Singlemode Fiber
Q: Would fusion splicing
single mode bend insensitive to standard fiber with
same core cause a numerical aperture mismatch? We
are seeing loss but it’s hard to tell from what.
Going from a drop to BI inside cabling. Any
direction is appreciated!
A: There is a lot of
controversy in this area and has been for some time.
The issue is mode field diameter(MFD)
differences between regular and bend-insensitive
(BI) fiber caused by the low index trenches around
the core that are used to limit bend insensitivity.
Some (maybe most) manufacturers make BI SMF to match
MFD of their regular SMF, since a common use is
splicing BI SMF pigtails onto regular SMF. With so
much BI SMF fiber being used in microcables and high
fiber count cables, the opposite situation could be
an issue also.
Another factor at play here is the fusion splicing
program. The different structures of the fiber may
need special programming in the fusion splicer to
get heat and feed right for the two different
fibers.
FOA hopes to have some independent data on this
topic soon. FOA Master Instructor Joe Botha has done
tests before on splicing dissimilar fibers when BI
fiber first became available (read the
report here) and has planned a
more extensive set of tests to update that data for
more recent fibers soon.
Connector Mating
Adapter Loss
Q: When looking in data sheets on duplex
adapters, it’s telling me that it has a Insertion
Loss of about 0,2dB. Is that common? Only thought it
was the connector that had a loss. A: Technically,
a single connector or mating adapter does not have
any loss. It’s not “connector loss” but “connection
loss” defined as the insertion loss when two
connectors are mated, and for most connectors that
requires a 3rd component, a mating adapter to align
the ferrules. (Some connectors like MPOs have their
own alignment mechanism so the mating adapter merely
holds the two connectors - one with pins and one
with holes - together.)
The connector manufacturer’s specification for
“Connector loss” is the loss of their connector
mating to a reference connector with a mating
adapter. Connectors are graded in ISO/IEC standards,
but not TIA, and the best connectors are ~0.2dB loss
when mated to another of the same grade.
If a mating adapter manufacturer is quoting loss,
one assumes they mean their adapter with two of the
best connectors will have a connection loss of
0.2dB.
Mating adapters for 2.5mm ferrule connectors - FC,
SC and ST - have a split sleeve alignment bushing
that is the critical element. They have been made
with molded glass-filled plastic, phosphor bronze
and ceramic. In our opinion/experience, the plastic
ones are only good for multimode fiber and wear out
in ~10 insertions, discoloring connector ferrules
and leaving dust scraped off the plastic on the
ferrule ends. The metal ones are good for SM or MM
and hundreds of insertions, but they tend to wear
and leave marks on the ceramic ferrules. The ceramic
ones are recommended for SM and for testing as they
work best and last practically forever.
August 2021
Height Of Aerial
Fiber Optic Cables
Q: Is there a code standard for how high from
the ground a for a fiber optic cable running through
a residential yard? if yes, please provide the
standard or point me to the standard. A: If we go by NEC 2020, the height is 8
feet,above roofs. with this qualifier. No
driveways just over grass. Art /section 770.44
B. Also 800.44 A 4 states 12 inches between electric
service and Fiber optic cable. But service has to be
12 feet at house so I would say 11 feet above grass.
If driveway is there, Residential 15 feet for
service, electrical, so fiber at 14 feet.
Identifying Users On A PON Network
Q: How or what testing tool or technique can I
use to verify whether there is a live customer w/ONT
working on any fiber i may select @ a splice
enclosure prior to getting further down the cable
and to the MST service terminal. All our
fibers have light on them leaving the CO so when we
go into a splice enclosure to pick a fiber to
connect a drop to, to service a home, they are
usually all lit up in that enclosure. A: The simple answer for a tool or technique
that can tell you if a customer is connected on an
output of a PON splitter is “documentation.” If you
know where each fiber is connected going downstream.
Then the IT person who programs users into the
system can tell you if that fiber is connected to a
customer. There is a possibility that there is a
test solution. Have you ever heard of a “fiber
identifier”? It’s a gadget that can tell if there is
signal in a fiber and some can identify the
direction it comes from. What I don’t know if the
unit can somehow indicate bi-directional traffic.
Nobody we contacted seems to know either.
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:
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.
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
need for more fiber optic networks to support
broadband and wireless/5G networks has led to a
strong demand for more trained and FOA-certified
techs, and that has led to a demand for more
training organizations. FOA has been adding new
schools and certifying new instructors to meet the
demand. Here are two new schools this month and more
added recently.
New School - Arrow For Engineering #774, Amman, Jordan
Schools added
recently: School 398, Telecom Tech, Colorado School 396 Optconn, Boston, MA School 395 Fiber Wizards
(Knowledge on Demand LLC) School 393,
Carolina's Solution Group School 394,
Tri-County Career Center, Nelsonville, Ohio School
388: Global Com of Sterling, Virginia, USA
School 389. CWA-JATC Telecom Training Center, San
Jose, CA
School 390 Northern Allied Communications,
Nespelem, WA
School 391 Lewis-Clark State College,
Lewiston, ID
School 392 Wallace Community College, Dothan,
AL
New Guidelines For
Fiber Optic Training And Certification
When
FOA was founded in 1995, fiber optics had already
been in commercial use for about 15 years, long
distance OSP networks were still being replaced by
fiber optics, metro networks were just beginning to
be converted to fiber optics and fiber-to-the-home
was a distant dream. Premises applications were
limited to a multimode LAN backbones where speeds or
distances were too much for Cat 5 as well as some
video links to remote security cameras.
FOA founders meet
to create the CFOT certification, circa 1997
Over its first two years, a group of FOA advisors
met to create the requirements for technician
certification that became the CFOT, Certified Fiber
Optic Technician. Those requirements became the KSAs, the
knowledge, skills and abilities required to be a
certified fiber optic technician. The KSAs in turn
became the basis of developing curriculum for
training and CFOT certification testing.
In 1995, a technician was expected to be able to
work with both singlemode and multimode fiber. They
needed to be familiar with loose tube and armored
OSP cables as well as zipcord and distribution indoor
cables. Splicing skills in both mechanical and
fusion splicing were needed. Termination of
singlemode fibers was done by splicing singlemode
fibers to factory-made pigtails. Multimode
termination was mostly done using adhesives and
polishing, using heat-cured epoxy, anaerobic
adhesives or the 3M Hot Melt connectors. Testing
involved connector inspection and cleaning, power
measurements and optical insertion loss with a light
source and power meter. Long distance networks would
also be tested with OTDRs.
At that time, some tools and instruments like visual
fault locators, fusion splicers and OTDRs were less
common and quite expensive, often too expensive to
be included in a school’s training equipment
inventory, so they were often described in class,
maybe with a video, and demonstrated by the
instructor or a salesperson.
Classroom training in 2021 with pandemic rules
Over the last 25 years much has changed in fiber
optics. Network speed, driven by the growth in
Internet traffic, has become thousands of times
faster, wavelength-division multiplexing has become
mainstream, FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) enabled by PON
(passive optical network) technology has become one
of top applications for fiber optics, along with
connecting wireless cell sites. The expansion of
wireless networks, traffic control systems, utility
grid management, data centers, etc. has led to lots
more fiber applications.
Virtually all this growth is in singlemode fiber.
Ribbon cables, microcables and high-fiber count
cables are being used extensively. Even data centers
which utilize some of the fastest networks and have
changed to singlemode to avoid replacing cables
frequently when equipment speeds are upgraded. LANs
are adopting PONs, joining DAS (cellular networks
inside buildings) to convert many premises cabling
systems to singlemode. Multimode fiber is not
extinct, but certainly an endangered species.
A fusion splice-on
connector
Installation techniques and components have changed
too. Few techs terminate multimode with
adhesive/polish connectors in the field anymore.
First it was replaced by mechanical splice
connectors in the field, what we called
prepolished/splice connectors, but now it’s fusion
SOCs – splice-on connectors – that are becoming the
termination method of choice. They were first seen
in data centers where it’s not unusual to have
100,000+ terminations in the cable plant. Now we
have low-cost fusion splicers and SOCs that make it
the logical – and often lowest cost – termination
choice.
For testing, instruments like visual fault locators
(VFLs) have become really cheap so everyone can have
one for troubleshooting. Power meters are more
automated and lower cost, as are laser test sources.
Interestingly, multimode test sources with LEDs are
in short supply as the 850 and 1300 nm LEDs they
need are become harder to get because the market for
them in fiber optics has disappeared; they have been
replaced by VCSELs which are not good as test
sources.
When FOA started, OTDRs were very expensive and
primarily limited in use to long distance OSP
networks. Now OTDRs are not only less expensive and
capable of testing most networks, but they are
highly automated. Manufacturers tout the ability of
their OTDRs to use AI (artificial intelligence) to
set up the instrument and interpret traces. That’s a
logical approach, since the instruments are highly
complex and hard to understand, therefore few techs
ever learn how to properly use one.
Remote automated
OTDR classroom setup with student access by
smartphones
FOA believes that fiber optic technician training
courses need to reflect the real world, and as
technology and applications change, training must
change also. Today’s CFOT needs to be competent in
working with singlemode fiber, fusion splicing, SOCs
and the equipment used today for installation and
testing. Hands-on labs should focus on this current
technology to ensure competent techs.
FOA is creating new course guidelines for approved
schools to follow to ensure their training fits
current technician needs. These new guidelines will
be ready for use in 2022.
FOA/Fiber U
On-The-Job Training (OJT) Program
The
FOA Fiber U OJT program 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. Upon completion
of this program, the trainee will be prepared to
take the exam for the FOA CFOT (Certified Fiber
Optic Technician) and/or CPCT (Certified Premises
Cabling Technician), the most widely recognized
fiber optic and premises cabling certifications in
the industry.
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 10 minute YouTube video that explains what
OJT is, who uses it and how to use Fiber U to
organize and enhance OJT for new employees and
experienced workers too. Lecture 62: On
The Job Training For Fiber Optics Using Fiber
U
FOA
"Work-To-Cert" Program
Experience Plus
Online Study At Fiber U = FOA Certification
More techs have become comfortable with online
conferences, webinars and training. Many have
discovered that they 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 already 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 "Work to Cert" 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.
FTTH
has always been the most popular application for
FOA's knowledge base. The subject is a major topic
in the FOA Guide and the Fiber U FTTH course has
been very popular. Many of our FOA approved schools
use the FOA curriculum and teach combination courses
for CFOT/CFOS/H for techs and CFOS/D (design) and
CFOS/H for designers.
As with all topics in the FOA knowledgebase, we try
to keep up to date, incorporating the latest
developments and trends to ensure our materials are
most useful to the industry.
Here's what we've created and updated recently:
Rural Broadband The new reference page on rural broadband
is intended to be a reference guide for those looking for more
information on rural broadband and FTTH. It includes some basic
information about rural broadband and gathers up links to the many
articles FOA has done on the topic, the FOA Guide pages on broadband and
FTTH.
FOA
Guide: Added a section on FTTH Network Design,
updated sections on Architecture and PONs (including
10G)
Update your
knowledge: Even if you already have your
CFOS/H or have completed the FTTx self-study
course on Fiber U, we recommend you go back to
the Fiber U course on FTTH Network Design and
take the architecture, PON and Design lesson
again.
Teaching FTTH
Courses: If you are already an
FOA-approved school, download the new updated
curriculum. Not an FOA School? Contact FOA.
Employee OJT
What's Next? Our next project is to
use these new/updated training materials to help
train more techs.
Training at FOA
approved schools: We will of course
work through the FOA network of approved
schools, many of which already teach FTTH
courses.
OJT
(On the job training): We will also
be reaching out to network owners and managers
and their contractors who can use all these free
materials for OJT - on the job training - for
their workers.
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.
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.
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.
Offline Fiber U
FOA has also created offline Fiber U modules
to allow students with poor or limited
Internet access to use the Fiber U Basic Fiber
Optics and Premises Cabling programs without
Internet access. Contact FOA for information
on using this option.
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 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. Information on the kit is
available on YouTube. You can contact them for
more information at slaytonsolutions@sbcglobal.net
or https://www.fiberopticsinstitute.com
Lecture
62: On The Job Training For Fiber Optics Using
Fiber U To
explain How OJT works and FOA's OJT-To-Cert program,
FOA created a short 10 minute YouTube video that
explains what OJT is, who uses it and how to use
Fiber U to organize and enhance OJT for new
employees and experienced workers too. More New Videos
Including FTTH Series
As part of developing the new Fiber U MiniCourses,
we added several new YouTube videos:
Lecture 56 explains the issues of cable bend radius
limitations, typical cable specifications and how to
gage the proper radius or diameter when installing
or storing cable. Lecture 57 covers problems with
dirty connectors and how to inspect and clean them.
4
New Lectures on FTTH - #63-66 Plus #70 on Rural Broadband
New Lecture on Fiber Optics at Electrical Utilities
- #67
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.
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)
NEW:
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.
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
and French (print and online) and Portuguese
(online only.)
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.
Safety
On 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!
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
Safety Leader
Magazine
Safety Leader, a new quarterly magazine, informs and
educates electrical contractors on safety from
various angles—electrical, workplace, PPE,
regulations, leadership, line work, NFPA 70E, and
more. Safety Leader is bundled with ELECTRICAL
CONTRACTOR in February, May, August and November. To
receive Safety Leader subscribe to ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR
magazine here or subscribe to the ELECTRICAL
CONTRACTOR newsletter here. 2022 Conference On
Damage Prevention In Phoenix
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′.
Best Practices Guide
For Underground Construction
We
assume you are familiar with the "One Call"
and "Call Before You Dig" (811) program, but
are you also familiar "Click Before You Dig.com"
and with the people behind it - the Common Ground
Alliance and their Best Practices website?
Officially formed in
2000, the CGA represents a continuation of the
damage prevention efforts embodied by theCommon Ground
Study. Sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Transportation and completed in
1999, this Study represents the collaborative work
of 160 industry professionals who identified best
practices relating to damage prevention. Any best practice or
program endorsed by the CGA comes with consensus
support from experts representing the following
stakeholder groups: Excavators, Locators, Road
Builders, Electric, Telecommunications, Oil, Gas
Distribution, Gas Transmission, Railroad, One
Call, Public Works, Equipment Manufacturing,
State Regulators, Insurance, Emergency Services
and Engineering/Design. Read the CGA Best Practices Guide
here.
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 governmentas 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.
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.
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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