Writer’s Note: This is a draft being shared for comments. Send any to [email protected].

 Back around 2000, NECA’s standards group asked the Fiber Optic Association (FOA) to create a standard for fiber optic installation, and the NECA/FOA 301 standard was created. It has been approved as an ANSI standard and updated three times since, last in 2013 but not published until 2016. There was an attempt to update it during the pandemic, but after discussions with NECA NEIS we have decided to withdraw the ANSI/NECA/FOA 301 fiber optic installation standard and consider other options to replace it.

You can read about our reasoning in my April column, “Different Strokes for Different Folks: Fiber optic installation standards.”

We see several problems with traditional standards applied to fiber optic cable plant installation:

• There are major differences in installation depending on the project type: premises, OSP (underground, aerial, underwater)
• There are major differences in installation depending on the application: long-haul/metro/FTTH/premises/campus, internet/data center/LAN/OLAN/wireless, etc.
• There are major differences in installation depending on the installation type: aerial (lashed, ADSS, figure 8, wrapped, OPGW), underground (trenched/microtrenched/directional boring, direct buried, conduit/duct, pulled/blown)
• There are major differences in installation depending on the components: cables, splices, termination
• There are major differences in installation depending on the testing requirements: premises, OSP, OSP long-haul/high-speed
• Traditional standards methods, including the length of time it takes to update them, make some standards unwieldy and perpetually out of date.

FOA is considering a different approach, not a large unwieldy single document but a family of short standards. Each standard would deal with typical installation practices with an emphasis on proper workmanship. 

Such an approach begins with a definition of “fiber optic installation.” Perhaps it should be expanded to include all aspects of a fiber optic project.

FOA divides a fiber optic project into separate categories that represent stages of construction—that is probably the best place to start in organizing this set of standards. These are the categories: 

1. Planning, Design and Project Management
2. Construction
3. Cable Installation
4. Splicing and Termination
5. Testing
6. Operation, Maintenance and Restoration

Each would have several subcategories; for example, here are possible sections: 

Planning, design and project management

• Planning
  • Establish communications needs, type and location
  • Financial requirements and approvals
  • Bidding and contracting
• Design
  • Location, rights-of-way, permits
  • Cable plant route, types of installation
  • Required construction, structures and hardware
  • Choosing and purchasing components
  • Creating documentation

• Project Management
  • Procurement
  • Construction
  • Installation

OSP Construction

• Construction of OSP underground
  • Safety
  • Call before you dig           
  • Location of underground utilities 
  • Dig once
  • Trenching
    • Direct buried
    • Conduit
    • Duct
  • Directional boring/drilling
  • Microtrenching
    • Microduct
• Construction of OSP aerial
  • Safety
  • Pole installation
  • Messenger installation
  • ADSS hardware installation         
  • Special types of cable: OPGW, Skywrap for utilities
• Construction of OSP special cases
  • River/lake crossings
  • Bridge crossings

    OSP Cable Installation

• OSP underground cable installation
  • Safety
  • Cable types
  • Cable handling, tension/bend diameter
  • Direct burial
  • Pulled in conduit/existing conduit/ducts
  • Blown cable
  • Microcable blown into microducts
  • Service loops
• OSP aerial cable installation
  • Safety
  • Cable types
  • Cable handling, tension/bend diameter
  • Lashed to messenger
  • Overlashing
  • ADSS
  • Figure 8 cable (messenger part of cable)
  • Service loops
• Premises fiber optic cabling
• Premises fiber optic cabling construction
  • Safety
  • Grounding and bonding
  • Firestopping
  • Removal of abandoned cables
  • Cable support structures
    • Cable trays
    • J-hooks
    • Ducts
    • Conduit
  • Racks and panels
• Premises fiber optic cabling installation
  • Cable types/approvals for indoor use
  • Cable handling, tension/bend diameter
  • Placing in cable trays
  • Installing with J-hooks
  • Pulling in ducts or conduit
  • Connections to racks and panels
  • Service loops

    Splicing and Termination

• Types of splicing and termination and where used
• OSP splicing
  • Concatenation of long cable plants
  • Drop cables
  • Midspan access
• OSP termination
  • Spliced-on connectors
  • Field termination
• Premises termination
  • Spliced-on connectors
  • Field termination

    Testing

• Types of testing and where/why used
• OSP testing
  • Splices during installation
  • Installed cable plant
  • Fiber characterization
  • Troubleshooting
• Premises testing
  • Installed cable plant
  • Troubleshooting

    Operation, Maintenance and Restoration

• Operation
  • Moves, adds and changes
• Maintenance
  • Periodic maintenance
• Restoration
  • Planning for outages
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repair

Mind boggling, eh?

As I said, our idea is to create short standards that cover all these categories that, when combined, would create a complete standard. Fortunately, many of these categories have been well documented already, just in many different documents. Part of the process will be listing the existing work.