2024 in Review
Every year is an eventful year in technologies such as fiber optics. Did you keep up with the news last year by reading my monthly columns? Let’s see!
1. At the beginning of 2024, many were awaiting $43.5 billion in government funds promised by the BEAD program for _____ that has not yet been distributed.
Correct Answer: Broadband
2. The big push for building more data centers in 2024 was the need for more computing power for _____.
Correct Answer: Artificial intelligence
3. Many areas refused permits to build data centers nearby because _____ and _____.
Correct Answer: They are too noisy
Correct Answer: They consume more power than the grid could supply
4. Data centers require so much electrical power that some data center owners have suggested using _____ to power them.
Correct Answer: All of the above
5. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the help of the Fiber Optic Association, created a new job category for telecom technicians and used census data to estimate the workforce needs.
Correct Answer: True
6. All the activity in fiber optics and broadband led to some estimates that the United States needed _____ more fiber technicians—more than double the current workforce.
Correct Answer: 205,000
7. To increase density at patch panels necessary to handle new higher-fiber-count cables, several new standards for connector designs with _____ were created.
Correct Answer: Vertical fiber ferrules
8. Last year, most fiber optic cables were using _____, allowing for smaller cables with more fibers.
Correct Answer: All of the above
9. These new cable types essentially obsoleted the _____ cable design.
Correct Answer: Hard ribbon
10. The Fiber Optic Association reached a milestone in 2024, certifying its _____ certified fiber optic technician since its founding in 1995.
Correct Answer: 100,000th
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