Other than being the Fiber Optic Association (FOA) president, Jim Hayes is also a fiber optics columnist and contributing editor at the Electrical Contractor Magazine. In this blog post, we will be providing a glimpse into the topics he had written about in 2017.

Growing Pains: 2016 Fiber Optics in Review

For his first column for 2017, Jim discussed the problems mostly encountered in fiber optics installation projects.

Many of these problems are traceable to contractors getting jobs and subcontracting the work. Some of the subcontractors were subcontracting their work to others. We were told some crews were not only untrained but were paid less than minimum wage and didn’t speak English.

Read full article at: http://bit.ly/2FQrQJ1

Design for Living: Fiber Optic Network Design


For the February issue, Jim focused on the detailed process of the fiber optic network design, as well as the responsibilities of the fiber optic network designer.

Fiber optic network design is not simply sitting down with a CAD program and laying out cable routes for either outside plant (OSP) or premises cabling systems. It’s a lot more than knowing how to use software. The fiber optic network designer needs to have a broad knowledge of fiber optics and several other topics from communications systems to geology and codes.

Read full article at: http://bit.ly/2mPu0RA

Knowledge is Power: Cabling for Project Managers


In March, Jim talked about how important that the project manager has some basic knowledge of fiber optics in several important areas.

Who am I talking about? It could be the manager of a contracting company whose personnel has designed and installed a fiber optic network or the company’s field supervisors. It could be a contract IT or communications manager at a customer facility. Often, it’s a buildings or facilities manager to whom the responsibility for the cable plant has been delegated. Sometimes, it’s even the higher-ups in an organization.

Read the full article at: http://bit.ly/2DsYjH0

Taking the Fiber Wheel

In April, Jim discussed about the do-it-yourself (DIY) fiber to the home (FTTH) projects that the FOA has had contact with.

Because the FOA had been covering the progress of Google Fiber in its newsletter and had many technical pages of information on FTTH on its website, we started getting calls several years ago. The question was always the same, ‘Can we build our own gigabit FTTH network?’ We tried to be neutral in our answers. While it is possible, it wouldn’t be easy. You need to learn more about fiber optics so you can make informed decisions.

Read the full article at: http://bit.ly/2mHyjNG

That’s So Boring

For his May column, Jim talked about directional boring’s involvement in several fiber optic installation projects.

It seems that education is the major obstacle to reducing dig-ups or breaks. The One Call and 811 programs have helped reduce the dig-ups in the last decade by about two-thirds. But the 811 number is still only known to about half the population. With the massive growth in fiber installations nationwide, we have seen too many subcontractors and sub-subcontractors who simply don’t know that they need to plan a few days ahead and invest a little time to reduce their chances of causing a big problem.

Read the full article at: http://bit.ly/2DcWlax

Blending Online and Classroom Training

For the June issue of EC Mag, Jim stressed the importance of blended learning in fiber optics training.

The most successful courses are called “blended learning” because they use both online and classroom sessions. Before coming to class, students study a lesson online, do some homework or take a quiz. Then they attend a class with the appropriate background knowledge, making it possible to do a quick review and then spend most of the time in the lab. FOA instructors are doing this now. The Electrical Training ALLIANCE also is adopting this method. It’s close to the best of both worlds.

Read the full article at: http://bit.ly/2Dk6A10

Stay tuned for the second half of his 2017 columns on our next post! Meanwhile, you can also read more EC Mag articles written by Jim Hayes. You can also Contact or Email us to know more about our Fiber Optics Courses.

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