Fiber Optics
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.
Editor's Log: Best Guesses & Fingers Crossed
The November elections are over and the nation has survived. But the question remains: when will the much ballyhooed economic recovery begin in earnest? It looks like 2013 is going to be another interesting and challenging year in which the underground infrastructure market must endeavor to persevere. And we will.
Maryland Broadband Network Promises Major Rewards
As the new year began, construction was nearing completion for 800 miles of fiber optic cable that will comprise the central segment of the state of Maryland’s One Maryland Broadband Network (OMBN) project. Ultimately, this project will create a comprehensive high-speed broadband fiber-optic network to connect more than 1,000 institutional and community facilities throughout the state.
Major NC Fiber System Goes Totally Underground
RST Global Communications, LLC (RST), based in Shelby, N.C., has completed the first phase of its Real Fiber Network, an underground, 100 percent fiber-optic network that includes backbone, middle and last mile installation.
Editor's Log: Growing Up Fiber
It wasn’t that long ago that those involved in the fiber communications realm were considered dreamers. Shortly after the fiber back-bone build-out bust of 2000-2001, fiber trunk lines were everywhere but rarely utilized. The U.S. was awash in dark fiber systems, waiting for not just business, but individuals as well, to embrace fiber to the premises – at a high cost. Most consider that cost to connect fiber to homes and business as just too high and the return too low to make a working business model. It would take decades for fiber to become in vogue enough to justify lighting up the dark fiber, justify build-out costs and truly provide fiber to the premise.
Contractor Finds Success Embracing Island’s Pristine Environment
It’s among the most historic, unspoiled and coveted vacation spots anywhere in North America. Located off the southern tip of Cape Cod, MA, Martha’s Vineyard is the largest true island along the East Coast of the United States.
Vermeer Introduces Microtrencher For Fiber Installation
Vermeer is launching a system for cutting narrow trench in paved rights-of-way, primarily for installing duct for fiber optic cable. “The target market is the last-mile, fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) installations,” said Jon Kuyers, product manager of the Vermeer utility segment. “The system is the complete package for installing micro duct for fiber.”
The Private Fiber Option
For home internet users with broadband connections, "high speed" service usually is considered a necessity. Yet there are many regions in America that do not have broadband access, and an increasing number of small communities recognize attracting new business is unlikely to succeed without access to broadband.
- 27 pipeline safety violations tied to deadly Pa. chocolate factory explosion
- Contractor gas line strike triggers home explosion in Missouri
- FiberLight to build 1,400-mile West Texas dark fiber network in $350 million expansion
- Fatal trench collapse in Mass. leads to $4.6 million OSHA penalty, dozens of violations
- OSHA investigates fatal trench collapse at Conroe construction site
- T-Mobile to expand fiber broadband infrastructure footprint with $4.9 billion Metronet acquisition
- Cityside launches $100 million fiber build in Corona, Calif.
- FiberLight to build 1,400-mile West Texas dark fiber network in $350 million expansion
- Alaska fiber buildout to expand broadband in rural communities
- 11-mile Texas pipeline replacement upgrades 72-in. PCCP to 102-in. steel