April 2021

Sections

In This Issue

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 - whcih we often do when we think it's very important!

Features

Newsletter Sections

FOA Certifications: 

See FOA Jobs Web Page and FOA on 

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

 

  

Fiber Optic Safety Poster to download and print

FOA Videos on

The Archives: Past Issues.

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

Time To Renew Your FOA Certifications?

You can now renew with PayPal or a credit card

 

   

 

FOA Newsletter - Features

Project Management and On-The-Job Training (OJT)

Project Management For Managers

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.

Like other FOA programs, the OJT-To-Cert program is free. The FOA provides directions for use of the free Fiber U online training programs and we provide a log for the trainee to keep track of their progress. The only cost is the two fiber U certificates of completion and the FOA certification exam at the end of the program.

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

Second Opinion

While researching a topic on home improvement (as many others have been doing during the pandemic), we came across a piece of good advice: Read a number of online articles and look for a consensus, because so many articles are perhaps more opinion than fact and often they are trying to sell you something. Likewise, if you have a serious illness that requires treatment, you want to get a "second opinion" and maybe a third.

This reminds us of some fiber optic projects that went awry because there was insufficient research into possible options for the project and/or those making recommendations were of questionable intent. Here are some examples:

Several FTTH projects have been designed around 10G GPON when regular GPON would be perfectly adequate. It's very hard to conceive of a situation when the 32 or fewer users of a GPON port would have inadequate bandwidth. Most ports serve about 15-25 users anyway since the service provider plans for future expansion of the number of subscribers. We've heard some of the reasoning behind 10G, often based on the lack of knowledge of how networks work. Networks share bandwidth among the users who are using it randomly - the network term is stochastic usage. If you have 1G available for 25 users, each doesn't get 40Mb/s, they all get 1Gb/s when they are downloading, which is actually not very often, so their average use is low, often only a few Mb/s. Streaming HD video from Netflix only needs ~4 Mb/s. 10G is for power users or big corporations, not FTTH. Better to analyze and invest in a Internet connection of sufficient capacity for the total number of subscribers.

Construction costs vary by the type of construction used, of course. Aerial is usually the cheapest option but it's not allowed in many cities, towns and suburbs. If cables must go underground, finding spare ducts or inserting  fabric or microdcuts to expand capacity saves construction costs.  Microtrenching and blowing in microcables is probably the next cheapest option.Yet we've seen proposals for regular trenching or directional boring that never mention looking for alternatives, nor do they mention the idea of "dig once" where you install fiber ducts whenever any construction is done. We've discusses some of these options with project managers and have found some do not know of nor understand some of these options.

If you are managing a new project, talk to a number of people from consultants, manufacturers and contractors. Consider sending out a RFP - Request for Porposal - to a number of potential consultants and contractors and get several opinions before committing to one path. Before you commit to a project, get a "second opinion."

100G Ports Surpass 10G Ports In Data Centers

Shipments of 100 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) data center switch ports increased more than 20% during 2020, according to a recent report from Crehan Research Inc. The 100G increase, combined with a continuing decline in 10G resulted in 100G surpassing 10G to become the most widely deployed data center Ethernet switch connection speed (see graph.)



Crehan’s data center Ethernet switch report further shows that this speed transition has occurred very rapidly, with 100G becoming a majority of shipments approximately just five years after initial deployments. The hyperscale cloud service provider customer segment has been a key driver of the transition, accounting for the majority of cumulative 100G data center switch shipments to date.

“The data center Ethernet switch market’s transition to 100GbE as the most popular network connection speed is a reflection of the strong customer adoption of public data center networking: statistics analysis insights
cloud services,” said Seamus Crehan, president of Crehan Research. “100GbE has been the de facto switch port speed in some of the largest hyperscale cloud service provider data center networks for over four years.”

"The robust 2020 growth for 100GbE shipments was impressive, given that two of the largest data center switch customers – Amazon and Google – have been ramping 400GbE deployments strongly," Crehan said.

Crehan Research Inc. produces reports with very detailed statistics and information on the data center switch and server-class adapter & LOM/controller markets.

Certifying Smart Buildings For Connectivity

Welcome New FOA Approved School 388:  Global Com of Sterling, Virginia, USA

Where Are The Industrial Designers? Update with Comments

If some companies like Labrynth can design nice small cell structures, why can't everybody? Instead we see these kinds of cell sites on poles everywhere.

Comments?

Our photos got a response from Charles Industries's Tom Randstrom:

"Read your latest newsletter and had to comment about the “Where Are The Industrial Designers?” article.
 
The driver for what we call “direct attached” (to poles) wireless infrastructure is cost.  The more elegant the solution, the more it costs. The sheer quantity of small cell sites needed results in a quickly escalating cost structure as each individual site cost increases. Our company expends a copious amount of design and engineering resources to develop aesthetically pleasing solutions that blend into the environment.  Unfortunately, at this stage in the small cell roll-out, the equipment is still rather large, so that when you try to “obscure the equipment”, the solution can get larger and more difficult to blend in! We also have to design around the multitude of requirements and restrictions placed on the network deployments; whether from pole owners, municipalities, codes, clearances, equipment operating specs, homeowner feedback, etc.. 
 
With the sheer number of wireless nodes required to support our 5G (and beyond) build-outs, it frightens me as to what the landscape is going to look like in the coming years; if they all look like some of the examples you provided".

Here are some Charles Industries products for wireless deployment.



Charles Industries is a broad line supplier of products for fiber optics and more. See more products for wireless (and lots more) at the Charles Industries website.
 

Worth Reading:

Biden’s plan to fix America’s internet -  Shira Ovide, NY Times

As telecoms spend billions on wireless, where does that leave the wired? - Marketplace/NPR

FOA Newsletter Sections

News

Lots more news in Worth Reading below

NeoPhotonics Demonstratesf 400 Gbps Transmission over 800km in a 64 Channel DWDM System Using A  Pluggable Coherent Module

NeoPhotonics Corporation, has demonstrated that its 400ZR+ QSFP-DD coherent pluggable transceiver can effectively transmit at a 400 Gbps data rate over a distance of 800 km in a 75 GHz-spaced DWDM system.  This 400ZR+ coherent pluggable transceiver module is based on NeoPhotonics high performance coherent optics and its ultra-pure color tunable laser, and achieves a reach of 800 km. The Company believes these 400ZR+ QSFP-DD modules will find wide application in the Cloud-based Metro 5G networks, and will extend use cases for IP over DWDM into metro-core and regional networks.

In this case, a fully loaded fiber operating in the C-Band would provide a total of 25.6 Terabits per second (Tbps) capacity.


What's interesting is not the speed, but the fact that coherent communications is being developed into products that can now be considered for more than long-haul networks. Capacity of metro type networks is going to have to be expanded if 5G service providers do anything close to what they promised, so maybe this, and the technique below, offers possibilities for greater utilization of existing fiber networks.

More from NeoPhotonics  

Using High Speed WDM Optics For Multiplexing

Infinera has some interesting ideas for how to use 400G. Everybody touts speed but how do you really use all that speed? 400G is a lot of bandwidth. Traditionally fiber optic links connected one device to another, at 1G, 10G, 100G etc., but few devices need 400G. Infinera has a better idea. 400G can be considered 16x25G, 8x50G, etc. Suppose instead of having one 400G link, you have 16 channels of 25G that can be mixed to provide connections to multiple devices at different speeds.

Infinera XR Optics uses one 400G coherent transceiver with subcarriers at each WDM wavelength. Digital subcarrier technology takes a single-carrier wavelength and divides it up into multiple lower-bandwidth subcarriers generated by a single coherent laser/transceiver using advanced digital signal processing.

These subcarriers can now be routed to and from access transceivers in a variety of ways. A 400G hub transceiver could support 16 access nodes with a single 25 Gb/s subcarrier each, or four access nodes with four 25 Gb/s subcarriers each. It is also possible to have different numbers of subcarriers assigned to different access nodes depending on their bandwidth needs, as shown in Figure 2.



Comment: While this may be mind-boggling, think of it as a PON like FTTH GPON - multiple users connected to a single transceiver through a splitter at different wavelengths. Sort of 400G GPON.

Read more about Infinera XR Optics.  

OFC Conference Goes Virtual For 2021

OFC, the biggest technical conference in fiber optics, will be virtual in 2021.

Technical

On fiber optic technology, standards, equipment, installation, etc.

How Many Fibers? - What's The Optimal Cable Size? (March 2021)

The idea of tapping was to reduce the number of fibers in a cable and therefore reduce the cable cost, assumed to be important on long rural cable runs. But is the cost of fiber such a big part of the cost of the cable plant? We decided to analyze cable costs for standard loose tube cable capable of being pulled into conduit for underground or lashed to a messenger for aerial installation.

Gathering data was not easy, but we found several large, reputable US distributors who listed prices for several types of loose tube singlemode OSP cables from top cable makers. All prices are for small quantities (km, not 10s or 100s of km).  Prices are how they were quoted, in $US per foot, so our readers outside the US should feel free to convert into another currency and meters.

This graph shows what we found:

Tapping Fiber To Reduce Cost - Is It Viable? (March 2021)

One question asked occasionally is if there are FTTH architectures that are cheaper than a traditional PON? A designer had read a Commscope brochure that about using taps for rural FTTH drops, saying it was cheaper than a regular design.

Using taps is not a new idea. Back in the 1980s a California company tried to develop a FTTH system that would use clamp-on taps to make the drop to subscribers. The tap worked like the LID alignment system in a fusion splicer. A clamp-on tap put a bend in the fiber which causes loss. The light lost is focused onto a detector which becomes part of a fiber optic receiver. The transmitter is a laser focused on the fiber which couples enough light into the core of the fiber to become the transmitter. That approach never overcame the technical problems and was dropped.

A few years later fiber optic couplers or splitters (both names are used ) made by fusing fibers in high heat were invented. These couplers/splitters became commercially available and fairly quickly became cheap, making passive optical networks (PONs) and FTTH using PONs feasible. FTTH PONs - passive optical networks like GPON - are based on splitters with split ratios of up to 1-to-32 splitting. FTTH can be built using 1X32 splitters, but many networks used cascaded splitters, say 1X4 to 4 different areas of a city or suburb, then 1X8 splitters to local subscribers. 1X4 split again by 1X8 multiplies out to 1X32. Likewise one can design a system around cascades of 1X2 and 1X16, 1X2 and 1X4 and 1X4 and other combinations.


Cascaded FTTH PON splitters

The idea of tapping a fiber is one way to increase the reach of a FTTH network using a variation on cascaded splitters. Lets look at how it works with a couple of simple examples.

(Remember GPON is specified for a 28dB power budget, meaning the cable plant can have up to 28dB of loss to any subscriber. A split of 32 adds about 19dB of loss, leaving 9dB for fiber and splice losses. Add some margin and you have a potential length of about 20km.)

Tapping uses a different type of fiber splitter. Instead of a 1X2, 1X4, 1X8, 1X16 or 1X32 split where all ports are designed to be equal, you use a tap that has two ports, one having most of the power (say 90%) and one having less power (10%). The one that has the most power continues ahead while the lower power becomes the "tap" for a local connection. Adding a tap splitter can be done with midspan access and the drawing below shows the effect on optical power for a typical 90/10 splitter.


Tapping a fiber with midspan access

If the splitter is near the OLT, the drop fiber probably has enough power to allow a splitter to serve several subscribers, making it an efficient use of the tap and the fiber in the cable.

Determining if this is a favorable architecture for FTTH requires some careful analysis. Let's start with power budgets. If we have a 28dB power budget for GPON, downgraded to 25dB to allow 3dB margin, how many taps can we have?

Ignoring fiber losses, just considering the requirements at the subscriber ONT, we could have 13 drops maximum, since each tap loses 1dB, that would be a drop of 13dB plus the loss in the tap splitter of 12dB to the drop gives us 25dB loss at the last drop.

If fiber loss is 0.4dB/km, for each 2.5km of fiber, we lose 1dB and therefore must eliminate a tap. So if our length is 10km, we lose 4dB or 4 taps, so were down to 9 taps. 20km, we lose 8 taps so we are down to 5 taps or 5 subscribers total.

But remember we have 25dB or margin (with 3dB excess margin set aside for contingencies), so at our first tap we have extra margin so we could add another splitter to the tap and connect up more users, as many as 8 if the tap were close to the OLT or 4 even if the tap were 10km from the OLT.

There are many possible examples for this approach. Each network can be analyzed using the tap method to see if it is feasible. But the designer must not forget the total system cost evaluation which must consider the utilization of each OLT port as well as the use of the fibers in the cable.

Other Options
You don't necessarily need to use taps to reuse fibers after a splitter is used. Here is an example. At a junction you need to add a splitter for drops to a number of subscribers, so you insert a splitter. That terminates a fiber, leaving a downstream unused fiber. You can also add a 1X2 splitter that you need for drops later in the cable route and use that fiber, like this:


You could even use the downstream fiber to connect to one port of the splitter. There are many possibilitiies.

To make either a tap system or cascaded splitters system work requires carefully selecting split ratios, but to make it cost effective must also consider how to most efficiently use the OLT ports as well as the fibers available. And optimizing a network design to save the cost of some fiber, as we see in the analysis of cable costs in this newsletter, is not so simple either.

All this illustrates a simple truth; every installation is unique and there is no one way to design it.

Multimode or Singlemode Fiber?  Update

Midspan Access - Simplifying Installation Of Drops

Try The FOA's Online Loss Budget Calculator

Worth Reading

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

Worth Reading: New - 04/2021

03/2021

02/2021

Over 1 Million 400G Data Center Ports Shipped in 2020, CI&M. And that is from one company, Innovium, only, maker of Teralynx switches for data centers.

Recently in ILSR's Community Networks Weekly Newsletter - lots of interesting reading about communities and broadband.  Week of 2/8/2021, 2/1/2021 1/25,2021

Statistics on US Labor In Telecom

1995-2020 - FOA's 25th Anniversary!

Worth Reading - News Summary - Past Links Worth Repeating

If you are interested in restoration - aren't we all? - you should also read this article in dpPro magazine by FOA President Jim Hayes: Damage Protection Requies Looking Overheas 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.

How much fiber optic cable is manufactured each year? CRU Reports - unsurprisingly China is by far the largest market today

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

The Open Technology Institute at New America just published “The Cost of Connectivity 2020,”

US Ignite and Altman Solon issued “Broadband Models for Unserved and Underserved Communities”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another Source Of Articles On Fiber

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.

Fiber Optic Cable Bend Radius



Preparing Cable For Splicing
Q: Is there any standard on the preparation length of strip jacket upto the splice tray. Ideally its better to have a loop of buffer before getting into the tray if ever the closure has enough space for slack.. its also nice to put some hose to the buffer to add on protection. So far, i don't see any standard and can't support the remarks on what to follow. The practice was to take note on macrobend and have enough length of fiber to reach the machine.
A: There is a lot of variation in the size, shape and design of splice closures, so the length varies according to the closure and trays. For loose tube cable, the length of buffer tube from the entrance to the splice tray and the length of fiber needed in the tray are given in the directions for that splice tray. Similarly for ribbon cable, but the variations in ribbon cable designs often requires special handling and sleeving for the ribbons. Most manufacturers have specs available online.

Fusion Splice-On Connectors (SOCs) (From an FOA Instructor)
Q: A question came up from one of our students regarding splice on connectors.  Is there a TIA or other standards body that addresses this issue? We are used to the 0.75 dB loss for a mated pair, however, when this mated pair has two fusion splices that terminate the connector, is there a recommendation? 
One could make the argument that it does not make any difference as the other alternative is splicing a pigtail for termination of a cable.  This pigtail splice is normally included in the link loss budget calculation.   So similarly, with a splice on connector it is the same as splicing on a pigtail.
A: There are no specific TIA or IEC specs that address these splice-on connectors or pigtails. If you used TIA numbers and included the splice and connector it would be 1.05dB - 0.75dB for the connection and 0.3dB for the splice, that’s mated to a factory adhesive/polish connector.   Or if it were two similar connectors, 1.35dB. 
Everybody, including the people in TIA standards groups, know those numbers are too high for most single ferrule connectors. They keep them at 0.75dB for prepolished/splice connectors (w/ mechanical splices) and array connectors (MPOs) which have somewhat unpredictable performance. Internationally, IEC has created grades of connectors from ~0.3 to over 1dB. The newer mechanical splice connector kits now use the Chinese copied cleavers which are super - at least the few we have tested - and the connectors are now much lower loss and consistent.
SOCs (fusion splice-on connectors) are spec’ed as the total termination and are generally just as good as the typical adhesive polish connector - 0.5dB is plenty of margin for a those mated to a factory adhesive/polish connector.
Spliced on pigtails are generally considered a termination and the splice is not broken out - like a long SOC. But I cannot guarantee everybody thinks that way. But a fusion splice is typically <0.1dB anyway.
 

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



Download your free copy of

Welcome New FOA Approved School 388:  Global Com of Sterling, Virginia, USA

More New Free Fiber U MiniCourses

Another of the mysteries of fiber optics, like dB, is how optical fiber actually guides light in the core of the fiber and transmits it with low loss. FOA has several pages in the FOA Guide on how fiber works with animated graphics that illustrate the different ways step index multimode, graded index multimode and singlemode fiber work. We also have YouTUbe video showing live demonstrations with a large plastic rod simulating the core of an optical fiber.



When we decides this was a good topic for a Fiber U MiniCourse. we decided to create a new video lecture on how fiber works. The lecture uses our usual lecture format but with videos that animate the process of total internal reflection and guided rays (modes) in the cores of the three types of optical fiber.

How Optical Fiber Works - Fiber U MiniCourse  

More New Fiber U MiniCourses

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

What Fiber Techs Don't Know -

What We Learn From FOA Certification Tests

FOA "Work-To-Cert" Program

Experience Plus Online Study At Fiber U = FOA Certification

Options For Training Classes  - 

Social Distancing and Masks

Outdoors (11/2020)

New Approach To Fiber Optic Labs - Sharing Test Equipment (10/2020)

, a FOA approved school, has taken a new approach in how we provide lab training. Fifteen years ago, we developed a hybrid training model had the participants complete online (remote) lessons with face to face labs. Over the past 12 years trade organizations, colleges, vocational, vendor training, and trade apprenticeships have adopted this model. At the beginning of the pandemic we spent a lot of time, energy, and money developing remote labs. We have incorporated lessons learned from that process to restart safe face to face labs.

First, we provide disposable materials and PPE’s for all learning. Every student has their own work space with 8-9 feet of separation and their own set of hand tools only used by the student. All of the classroom information is accessed online or with USB drives. Our biggest challenge was how to safely share testing equipment so every student could have the practical hands on experience.

We believe we have found that solution with the help of “ezremote”.  The ezremote allows a multitude of students to have practical exposure and experience with using a video microscope, OLTS and OTDR testers. Every student can access the remote via their own iPad or their smart phone, see below picture and movie.


The VeEX OTDR set up for remote access in class

Recently, we contacted PCS, Inc. which is a premiere manufacturer’s representative firm serving the Southeastern US since 1974.  Headquartered in Roswell, GA, Marc Wright  a sales representative spent a lot of time and energy helping Techtricians to purchase the VeEX  FX150+ device.  It is a full featured Mini OTDR with high resolution sampling and intelligent link mapping for Metro, Access and FTTx networks remote application. The compact, lightweight platform incorporates built in WiFi, power meter, light source, fiber inspection probe and VFL test options which add exceptional versatility to the unit.

In September 2020 we completed our first trial in a face to face lab session in Lake Mary, Florida. The OTDR unit uses a WIFI connection. The students went to the VeEX website with their iPad or their smart phone and connected the to the base unit. The lab module used one OTDR setup for the entire class for testing the cable plant.


The instructor's laptop is connected to the OTDR and projecting the display for everyone to see

The students when logged-in had control over the OTDR. Each student saw the same screen which made the various events much easier to explain. The module is very safe as the OTDR is not touched by any student. The feedback we received from the students was very positive. They provided suggestions for future training modules. Even after the pandemic is over, we will continue to use this new training method. Our best teachers are our students and our hats are off to all of our students.

For more information, contact Tom or Donna Collins at Techtricians.

If you do not have tools or equipment and want to purchase them, there is a 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. Those tools and components are what we describe here.

For example, you need a fiber cleaver for splices and prepolished/splice connectors. A good cleave is essential for a good splice or termination with a splice-type connection. Good cleavers are now available online at prices in the US starting at $20US. 

 

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

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

Time To Learn - Online - (Update 4/2021)

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


FOA Zoom Exam Proctoring

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

FOA School Offers Toolkit With Online Training

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

More New FOA Video Lectures On YouTube

FOA Loss Budget Calculator On A Web Page 5/2020

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

 

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

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

Recent updates:

 

  

Fiber Optic Safety Poster to download and print

On Safety

There is a toll-free "call before you dig" number in the USA: Dial 811

See www.call811.com for more information

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

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.

Global Excavation Safety Conference

Phoenix AZ

March 1-3, 2022

GlobalExcavationSafetyConference.com:

 


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

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

FOA is 25 years old this July - read about FOA's history in this newsletter above.

Learn More About FOA's History.

Contact Us
The Fiber Optic Association Inc.
http://www.foa.org or email <info@foa.org>

Phone: 1-760-451-3655

       

 FOA Logo Merchandise

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

Your Name, CFOT® - It pays to advertise!

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

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

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