July 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

July Is ALSO "FTTH Month" In The FOA Newsletter

Last month we focused on FTTH in the FOA Newsletter but we have more to add this month too. We'll start off with our new "FTTH Handbook," talk about updates at Fiber U and include some more information we find interesting.

Discussions going on everywhere about how we've learned during the pandemic that broadband is a necessary utility and there is a need to expand broadband to everyone. If you read the same newspapers, magazines and newsletters we do, you are hearing daily how various organizations, often local governments, coops or citizens groups, are organizing to develop their own broadband networks. (See the California report below.) All of these networks require fiber optic backbones and most are developed around fiber to the home (FTTH.)

New FOA Book - The FOA FTTH Handbook

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 "FTTH Handbook." This large (8.5X11") 112 page book is full of information on FTTH to help you understand it and be more effective at implementing FTTH projects.

This FTTH Handbook is not just for technicians working on FTTH networks. It's even subtitled: For Planners, Managers, Designers, Installers And Operators Of FTTH - Fiber To The Home - Networks. We even added a section on planning and managing FTTH Projects for them.

So if you are involved in a FTTH project or are considering starting one, this book is for you too.

The Fiber Optic Association Fiber To The Home Handbook is available from Amazon in print ($19.95) and Kindle ($9.95) editions.

Workforce Development

FTTH Online Training

The Fiber U FTTH Course IS COMPLETELY FREE!

Take the Fiber U FTTH course and Certificate Test FREE until September 30, 2021!
Fiber U self-study courses themselves have always been free, but we have charged for the Fiber U Certificate of Completion test which uses an online testing service. So everyone can take advantage of all the new and updated FTTH materials we've created, FOA will offer the testing for the Fiber U Certificate of Completion for the Fiber U FTTx self-study course free to everyone completing the course until September 30, 2021. Tell your employees, customers, everybody!

That means companies can have their workers get started on OJT using the new FOA program at no cost - the course is free and the certificate is free.

 

FTTH Updates In The FOA Guide And YouTube

• 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.
• Getting Started in FTTH:  We recommend buying a copy of FOA's FTTH Handbook or going straight to the Fiber U FTTx self-study course which will get you started right most quickly.  
• Learning More About Special Topics in FTTH: Read the new/updated pages on the FOA Guide and watch the new videos.
  
• Designing FTTH Networks: If you are involved in the design of FTTH networks but new to fiber optics, start with the Fiber U Fiber Optic Network Design course then take the Fiber U FTTx self-study course.
• Teaching FTTH Courses: If you are already an FOA-approved school, download the new updated curriculum. Not an FOA School? Contact FOA.
  
• Employee OJT
  

• 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.

FTTH Tech Update

Broadband Internet in California - Lots to Learn For Everybody, Everywhere

• Challenge 1: Availability (speed and reliability)
• Challenge 2: Affordability
• Challenge 3: Devices (In 2019, only 82 percent of California households had a desktop or laptop at home.)
• Challenge 4: Digital skills
• Challenge 5: Data

• Goal 1: All Californians have high-performance broadband available at home, schools, libraries, and businesses.
• Goal 2: All Californians have access to affordable broadband and necessary devices.
• Goal 3: All Californians can access training and support to enable digital inclusion.

Job Opportunity At A Regional FTTH Project - Executive Director

Lamoille FiberNet Communications Union District seeks a full-time Executive Director to lead and manage its work in building a community-based fiber network and bringing high speed symmetrical broadband service to its communities.

If you would like to work with a board that is hard-working and passionate about bringing fiber broadband to its region, and you have excellent leadership and communication skills, strong knowledge of telecommunications or technical expertise, and have experience with non-profit boards, this multi-faceted position could be a great fit. Competitive compensation package. Join us!

Complete job description at www.lamoillefiber.net. To apply, send cover letter and resume to <jcampbell@lamoillefiber.net>. No phone calls, please.

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.

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 Newsletter Sections

News

Lots more news in Worth Reading below

Perils Of Aerial Cable - Truck Breaks Low Hanging Cable In St. Louis Alley

FOA instructor Milt Murry lives in St. Louis and often sends us photos of installations in the area. He sent us these photos of a broken 144 fiber ribbon cable in an alley near his home.



The broken cable was taped to a utility pole in the alley.

NTIA Creates First Interactive Map to Help Public See the Digital Divide Across the USA

Mapping Broadband In The US, State By State

A New Fiber Optic Shape-Sensing Technology for Crash Test Dummy Ribs

Most of the world’s current portfolio of crash test dummies use thorax rib displacement sensors that give us single point measurements that do not accurately represent the shape deformation of the rib cage. Humanetics has teamed up with Fibercore to design an ingenious new fiber optic rib for the WorldSID-50M ATD that uses a single optical fiber with multiple strain measurement nodes to calculate the entire rib shape.

Can Facebook Disrupt Wireless Like They Did Data Centers?

When You Bury Marker Tape, Bury One That Will Work

"Become Fiberminded" Podcast Interviews FOA's Jim Hayes

"Become Fiberminded" is a podcast series started by Christian Till, a member of the fiber optic community from the Netherlands. He's interviewing people in the industry to have them discuss their work and help others learn from their knowledge. Here's what he says about Become Fiberminded:

"WE HELP PEOPLE THRIVE IN FIBER OPTICS
By interviewing guests who are actively helping the fiber optics community to solve problems and enable a faster and better connection for everyone. Each episode contains powerful information to help you better understand fiber optic technology, stay on top of the latest trends, and enable you to efficiently build and maintain future-proof networks."

For his series, Christian interviewed FOA President Jim Hayes. In the interview Jim discusses the origins of the FOA and it's goals to serve the fiber optic industry through education, certification and standards. He also points out some of the areas which are often confused about fiber optics and how FOA tries to simplify learning the right way.

Listen to the Fiberminded Podcast interview of FOA President Jim Hayes.

Do-It-Yourself FTTH Is Powerful

Lightwave Magazine Is Back! 

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!)

Technical

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

Why Isn't My New Fiber Connection Faster Than My Previous DSL?

Here's A Properly Installed Fiber Distribution Hub

Just around the corner from our office is this FDH installed by Verizon for FiOS over ten years ago. It shows the rows of SC-APC connectors available for connections and the patchcords connecting current users. After all the terrible workmanship we've seen, it's is a pleasure to show this photo of a well-organized, neat FDH pedestal.

Reusing Older Equipment For Network Monitoring

But in big countries like the US, 60km is short compared to the distances in some rural areas. And it will use much more fiber than the remote OLT architecture.

Another option sometimes considered is not using splitters but taps, special splitters at drops that are not symmetrical - multiple equal outputs - but split off a small portion of the signal in the fiber, like 10% and pass 90% along to the next drop. We have already analyzed this in the FOA Newsletter back in April 2021.


The problem with the tap architecture is the inefficiency of tap-type splitters, The excess loss in taps can be as much as 1dB per tap. That excess loss adds up fast, rapidly cutting the length the network can reach (1dB = ~2.5km of fiber). FOA has done an analysis of the use of taps in rural FTTH which can be used as a model for analyzing the use of taps in any FTTH network.

In conversations with a supplier of PON equipment recently, we discovered another option which has been developed for low subscriber density like rural areas. This is a remote OLT with only 1 or 2 ports. OLTs designed for CO use generally have options for many OLT ports because they are intended for applications with large numbers of users - hundreds of thousands in a dense city. But rural areas may only have a few subscribers in a small town or scattered along country roads. Large numbers of ports are not needed. What is needed is an architecture that allows a service provider to connect users spread out over large areas.


The remote OLT option allows creating a "head end" periodically along a rural road where users are grouped, such as small towns or clusters or homes and farms. The Remote OLTs can take advantage of the fibers already installed along many roads, and since some allow "daisy-chaining," the use of two fibers along the route is all that's needed. They are in small enclosures similar to CATV amplifiers and can be mounted on poles or suspended from messenger wires.

More Uses - Roads, Railroads and Electrical Utilities
Besides rural FTTH architectures, this device has many other uses. One is for communications and control along highways and rail lines. It is also suited for electrical utilities doing grid management, for example connecting them on fiber run on transmission and distribution power lines for managing the grid and building networks for all the connected devices in a power substation.

Several providers of PON equipment make these devices. Here are links to three of them.

ADTRAN

We'll try to get more information on these devces, especially feedback from actual users, for future newsletters. (If you are using these, contact us!)

Smaller Connectors For Prefab Drop Assemblies
Connectors on prefab drop cables have always been large which makes installation and storage harder. Two new connectors are aimed at reducing the size of hardware needed for subscriber drops in a FTTH cable plant. Both are about half the size of earlier connectors and are good to reduce clutter and simplify drops.


Corning Evolv(TM)  Connectors: Note the size compared to the earlier designs on the right.



Senko's IP-9 connector is a similar size - note the size of the SC connector body on the right.

Cable Marking Mystery

FOA has been reaching out to people at cable companies to see if anyone has a definitive answer as to what this symbol means, and the answer comes from Rodney Casteel and his engineers at Commscope.

"The handset symbol is mandatory for cables “suitable for direct burial applications” per ICEA 640 and Telcordia GR-20.  I think this handset symbol started a long time ago so data cables could be identified if they were dug up. My guess is the first standard to mandate this was Telcordia GR-20 Issue 1 back in the 80s."

From ICEA-640:




And Bellcore/Telcordia GR-20:

850nm LEDs Extinct?

Communications Systems Grounding Rules: NEC Article 800 provides specific requirements

"Communications systems and equipment installed in buildings must comply with the specific rules given in Chapter 8 of the NEC . Even though these systems typically operate at lower energy levels, improper grounding and bonding can result in severe consequences for equipment and property and present shock hazards. Article 770 and the Chapter 8 articles of the NEC provide unique and specific grounding and bonding requirements for communications system installations."

Anyone installing low voltage systems needs to know about grounding and bonding and Michael's article is an excellent introduction to the topic.

Worst Technical Boo-Boo Of The Month (May)

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: July 2021

Scenes From California’s Sugar Fire - The Atlantic. Look at photo #7 and imagine your aerial cable under those conditions.

Worth Reading:  June 2021

Lightwave Magazine is back after many years as only a online newsletter.

Worth Reading:  May 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 Schools

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)

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

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

Project Management For Managers

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:

Color Codes For Fiber Optics  

FOA Reference Books (Printed or Kindle eBooks!)

     

 
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.)

Click on any book for more information about it.

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 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.