Where can Fiber Optics take your community?

Briefing presented by Denise Frey, Fiber Planners Inc.

I. Why does the world need fiber optics?

A. What is fiber optic cable?

1. Samples
2. Coax vs. copper twisted pair vs. fiber optic

B. Definitions

1. Broadband/ Bandwidth
2. Analog vs. Digital
3. DSL / ISDN
4. Lit vs. dark fiber
5. Headend Facility/Network Operating Center

II. Uses of a fiber optic system

A. Internal city use

1. SCADA
2. Security for city properties
   1. water treatment facilities
   2. substation security
   3. transmission right-of-ways
   4. E-911 instant data on callers
   5. link of tax data base to fire and police
3. Link the schools
   1. Internet
   2. broadcast classrooms
   3. shared data bases
   4. unified purchasing of school materials
4. Court House and Jail teleconferencing
   1. Eliminate prisoner transport
   2. Link Juvenile Center to Probation Court

B. Local business uses

1. Make available the lease of “Dark Fiber”
   1. Attract high tech businesses to community
   2. Attract competition for local telco and CATV providers
   3. Provide add-on billable services to existing industries
   4. Provide pass through services to CLECs
2. Provide Teleconferencing services to existing businesses

C. Community uses

1. High speed Internet service to the community
   1. Betterment of the community
   2. Attract new industries
   3. Attract new business types
      1. Telecommuting residents
      2. Computer based service companies
2. Energy monitoring
3. Home security
4. Cable television to general public
5. Phone service to general public

III. Issues with each step in technology

A. Legal battles from telcos and CATV

B. Pay back versus capital expenditures

C. Support personnel requirements

D. Response from existing providers

1. Market response to muni services
2. New offerings from existing providers

IV. System design choices

A. Backbone versus Ring Configured

B. Loop with Nodes to neighborhoods

C. Digital service versus Analog

D. Hybrid fiber/coax options

E. Dark versus Lit fiber

V. Fiber optic basics

A. How the light actually travels through the glass fiber

B. Difference between multimode and single mode fiber

C. Wavelengths used

D. Fiber characteristics

1. Attenuation
2. Operating wavelengths
3. Volume of data capable of flowing

VI. Discussion - Questions and answers

• Sample board workshop outline: Where can fiber take your community?

 

• Sample course outline: Fiber 101 (TVPPA version)