Fiber Optics
West Virginia Targets Broadband Growth, Flood Protection
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Two newly signed laws in West Virginia are intended to extend broadband internet service to unreached parts of the state and help it better prepare for major flooding. The broadband measure acknowledges the Legislature and governor have set a primary goal of making ev..
Indiana Cities Rush to Control Wireless Equipment Installation
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Two Indiana cities are rushing to maintain control of where wireless equipment can be placed. The South Bend Tribune (http://bit.ly/2oENTxF ) reports that a plan approved by the Legislature will allow telecommunications companies to place equipment without a permit from loca..
Google Fiber Prepares to Start Construction in Louisville
Google Fiber today announced it will soon file its first permit for building its network in Louisville. The network construction will be done in phases, which will allow a more efficient build and reduce disruption. “Many have eagerly waited to hear these words: Google Fiber is coming to Louisville..
Industry Leaders Launch Fiber Optic Sensing Association
The Fiber Optic Sensing Association, the nation’s first trade association dedicated to fiber optic sensing, launched today with a focus on educating industry, government and the public on the benefits of this cutting-edge technology. The organization was formed with the mission to provide great..
Vac-Tron Equipment Develops Game Changer In Micro Trenching
Primarily an installation method for fiber networks, micro trenching involves cutting a narrow and relatively shallow trench, usually on an asphalt roadway. During the process, a vacuum system connected to the cutter wheel cleanly diverts and transports debris away from the worksite. Once the condui..
250 Miles of Fiber-Optic Cable Installed in Alaska
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — An Anchorage-based telecommunications company has recently finished installing 250 miles of fiber-optic cable connecting two communities in Alaska as part of a larger project to improve communications between Europe and Asia using the underwater cables. The Fairbanks ..
FTTH Council is Now the Fiber Broadband Association
FTTH Council President & CEO Heather Burnett Gold has announced that the association has launched a modernized brand that better reflects the evolution and makeup of the industry the organization represents and the consumer services its members deliver. The new brand and descriptor is “Fiber Broadba..
Shore Approaches For Fiber Optics Cable In Arctic Conditions
By Brian “Butch” Webb and Zachary Casey A communications company is installing a subsea fiber optics cable from Europe to Asia around North America through the Beaufort and Bering Seas. At various points along the main line, branching units are installed to allow for branch legs to be laid to vario..
Maine Utility Regulators to Consider $1.5B FairPoint Sale
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine utility regulators are ready to delve into details of the proposed $1.5 billion sale of FairPoint Communications, the country’s eighth-largest phone and internet company. Consolidated Communications, based in Illinois, announced in December it was buying FairPoint, assum..
Fiber Installation in Charlotte Causes $700,000 in Damage
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Officials in Charlotte have sent nearly $700,000 in repair bills to crews installing new broadband network lines across the city for AT&T and Google Fiber. The contractors are digging up areas across Charlotte to install the lines needed for the new service that promises inte..
Melfred Borzall FastBack System For Direct Pullbacks
Melfred Borzall’s FastBack is a new system for direct pullbacks without removing the drill head or installing a backreamer. FastBack is a complete system and ideal for fiber installation, where access and space is often a concern. It enables the driller to do several bores a day and allows for mult..
Fiber, Sewer and Water Part of $1 Trillion Infrastructure Proposal
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats on Tuesday will propose spending $1 trillion on transportation and other infrastructure projects over 10 years in an attempt to engage President Donald Trump on an issue where they hope to find common ground. Details of the plan provided to The Associated Press in..
SoCalGas to Use Fiber Optic Technology to Monitor Pipelines in Real Time
Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) will be one of the first natural gas utilities in the United States to incorporate innovative fiber-optic cable technology to detect impacts and leaks along its transmission and high-pressure pipeline system. The technology uses fiber-optic strands to tran..
Altice USA Unveils Full-Scale Fiber-to-the-Home Network Investment Plan
Altice USA, a subsidiary of Altice N.V., a leading global telecommunications, media and entertainment company, plans to invest further in the U.S. by building a next-generation fiber-to-the-home network capable of delivering broadband speeds of up to 10 Gbps across its footprint. Altice USA will ext..
Fiber Optic Network Provider Sold for $1.4 Billion
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The Vancouver-based fiber optic network provider Electric Lightwave has sold to a Colorado company for $1.42 billion. The Columbian reports (http://bit.ly/2gILXzg ) that telecom infrastructure company Zayo Group announced the purchase on Wednesday and the deal is expected to..
Commission: Michigan Should Spend $4 Billion More Annually on Infrastructure
(AP) – A report ordered by Gov. Rick Snyder says Michigan must spend $4 billion more annually to upgrade infrastructure that includes roads, water systems and the power grid. The study released Monday says the state and local governments spend less than the U.S. average and in surrounding states. ..
FTTH Booming In Rural Texas Panhandle Fiber Installation All Going Underground
The steady growth of fiber optic cable deployment in the United States steadily continues with more and more households and businesses being directly connected to fiber. While newspaper headlines often announce big carrier plans to bring fiber to an increasing number of cities, fiber to the home (..
Maine Regulators Expand Investigation of FairPoint Communications
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — State utility regulators are expanding an investigation of FairPoint Communications for failing to meet minimum service standards for landline customers. The Maine Public Utilities Commission has been considering a $500,000 fine against FairPoint for failing to meet standards ..
Google Fiber Lights Up Music City
Nashville officially joined four other metropolitan areas as a fiber city when Google Fiber went live, April 27. As planned, Google Fiber was installed only in apartment and condominium buildings. Residents of these communities were able to pick up a self-installation kit at the Fiber Space, a store..
Google Fiber Plans Expansion In Several Cities With Pending Deals In Many More
by Robert Carpenter, Editor-In-Chief Google Fiber is a remarkable story and the tale keeps growing. At the recent Power & Communication Contractors Association annual convention, one of the speakers included a senior representative in charge of the Southeast U.S. construction. When I asked what the..
CNX Awarded Fiber Broadband Development Contract In Kentucky
Warren County Fiscal Court awarded Connected Nation Exchange (CNX) a contract for fiber broadband development on behalf of Warren County, KY in the advancement of the county’s goal to provide fiber-based broadband services throughout the county. CNX will develop technical and financial models in an..
Fiber Optic Networks Experience Huge Growth
The number of homes in the United States directly connected to fiber optic networks continues to grow – 13 percent in 2015, reports the Fiber to the Home Council (FTTH) survey released in November. More than 12.3 million homes in the U.S. are connected to fiber, said Michael Render, president of RV..
January 2016 Newsline
Latest Industry Developments S&N Partners With Bechtel To Build Fiber Optic Networks S&N Communications, a U.S. provider of construction and maintenance services for telecom, cable and utility companies, finalized a partnership with Bechtel, an engineering, construction and project management co..
Ericsson Joins The FTTH Construction Business
Company Has Developed Strategic Partnership With Ditch Witch, Vermeer Last fall, Ericsson announced plans to become a major provider of broadband deployment (fiber-to-the-home (FTTH)) services in the North America which would provide consumers with faster delivery of high-speed broadband services. ..
American Samoa Fiber Optic Network
Meticulous Prep, Planning Essential To Success A combination of thorough planning and field-tested experience is critical to achieving a high level of construction success. This was the case in American Samoa when Michels Communications was given about 18 months to build a robust fiber optic networ..
2015: Could Have Been Worse, Could Have Been Better
by Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief As we wrap up 2015, one can’t help but reflect on a year that was, that could have been and that wasn’t. It was a year of international and national terror, though amazingly those horrific acts have seemed to have little lasting impacts upon the markets and thu..
USA FIBER Announces dark fiber network in Virginia
President and co-founder of USA Fiber, Judd Carothers, announced that the company would be focusing on building key routes that enable its customers to connect simply and reach their clients, infrastructures or applications with improved speed, latency and uptime – they will hone their focus by buil..
Fiber Optic Reel Handling Accessories Make Cable Deployment Safe, Productive
General Machine Products Company (GMP) introduces two new reel handling accessories to its line of underground cable placement tools and equipment. These components – the Reel Buck and the Reel Caddy – are uniquely engineered to make fiber optic cable deployment safer and more productive. All of the..
Despite Higher Costs, Electric Utilities Increasingly Favor Undergrounding
The question invariably is asked after severe weather or other disasters knocks out electrical power and communications services: “Why don’t they put those overhead lines underground where they’re protected?” That question has been asked many times in many places over the past few years as heavy winter storms, tornadoes and hurricanes have affected much of the country, knocking out power, communications and other vital services.
School District Goes Underground To Enhance Internet Connectivity
When USD 233 – more commonly known as the Olathe, KS, Public School District – was formed in 1965 by consolidating five smaller districts, enrollment totaled 3,687 students. Since then, it has grown every year and is now the second largest of all the school districts in Kansas. The 2013 school year began with more than 29,000 students attending classes at the four high schools, nine middle schools and 35 elementary school buildings that compose the district.
- Intrepid Fiber breaks ground on fiber optic network in Superior, Colo.
- Excavator collides with I-95 overpass in Henrico, Va., causing multi-vehicle crash
- Shrewsbury, Mass., expands sewer inspections and cleaning efforts
- Authorities investigating trench collapse that killed worker in Ashburn, Va.
- Katy, Texas passes moratorium on fiber-optics projects after damage to water lines
- Maryland lawmakers push to curb BGE pipeline spending, citing safety and cost concerns
- Illinois overhauls Peoples Gas pipeline program, mandates focus on high-risk pipes
- Ameren Illinois to invest $140 million in natural gas pipeline replacement program
- Charlottesville, Va., to begin work on 24-inch water line for Rivanna River crossing
- Mass. governor slams Trump for ‘dangerous delay’ of $50 million in lead pipe replacement funds