Telecom
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..
In Minneapolis, Bellying Up for ... Tap Water
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It’s a bar that serves nothing but tap water. For free. The concept, developed by two Minneapolis artists, started as pop-ups across the country, ranging from an event at a North Carolina artists’ space to a waterfront fundraiser in Chicago to a four-month run at an art museum in..
Global Water Technologies Joins National Call to Action as First White House Water Summit Highlights Need for Sustainable Investment
Global Water Technologies is participating in a national call to action on sustainable water strategies being launched this week at the first White House Water Summit on Tuesday, March 22. Water leaders from across the United States will head to the nation’s capital for the groundbreaking summit an..
John Deere SmartGrade Crawler Dozer Promotes Productivity with Innovative Technology
New John Deere SmartGrade crawler dozer is built to improve jobsite accuracy and quality of work with its integration of the Topcon 3D-MC2 Grade Control System, which is fully integrated into the machine’s cabin, structure and software to deliver precise grading performance while eliminating vulnera..
Innovative System Notifies Pennsylvania American Water Of Water Emergencies
Pennsylvania American Water, the largest water utility in its namesake’s state, has deployed a high-speed notification system – CodeRED – in an effort to rapidly alert customers of water emergencies. The system allows residents to set their personal preferences for contact methods and then facilitat..
Subsite Electronics Introduces New 2550GR Utility Locating System
Perry, Okla. – Subsite Electronics, a Charles Machine Works Company, has introduced the 2550GR Ground Penetrating Radar System featuring a new, user-friendly Window’s-based interface that will provide operators with a number of productivity enhancing benefits. “The 2550GR offers all the same great ..
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..
Rapid Set Products for Keyhole Utility Repairs from Buzzi Unicem
Buzzi Unicem USA manufactures Calcium Sulphoaluminate Cement used in their keyhole products. Ulti-Grout is used for core reinstatement, Ulti-Pave3 is for unusable cores and Utility-Fill One Step, a fast setting, self-compacting backfill material. All three materials are used for small-hole technolog..
Bobcat, Doosan and NDSU Dedicate New STEM Classroom, Lab Building
Bobcat Company and Doosan joined North Dakota State University (NDSU) to dedicate its new STEM Classroom and Lab Building, which will support studies in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The cross-functional design of the facility — which officially opened to students in January — b..
Underground Construction Initiatives Highlight 2016 DC Docket
by Stephen Barlas Washington Editor Amendment Would Allow Tax-Exempt Bonds For WIFIA loans There are a couple of major underground construction initiatives circulating in Congress and regulatory agencies this year. But the prospect of an upcoming presidential election means that many bills, which ..
Telematics Comes To HDD
Telematics Technology Aids Crews In Operating More Efficiently, Productively Josh Alkire always understood that, on the typical utility installation, his crew’s horizontal directional drill spent a decent amount of time idling. After all, it’s not nonstop boring on a job. But it wasn’t until he sa..
When Emergency Strikes: Pennsylvania American Water Launches New Rapid Notification System to Reach Customers
HERSHEY, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Pennsylvania American Water announced today the deployment of a new high-speed notification system, called “CodeRED,” to quickly alert customers when water emergencies occur. The system enables residents to be contacted via phone, text and email, depending on their per..
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. ..
Aegion Agrees to Acquire Underground Solutions, Inc.
Aegion has executed a definitive agreement to acquire Underground Solutions, Inc. for $85 million in cash and expects to close the transaction during the first quarter of 2016. The Company will separately pay for the discounted value of tax benefits (estimated today to be approximately $5 million) a..
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..
Cable Undergrounding Program
Dominion Virginia Power is engaged in an ambitious cable undergrounding program that each year will replace as much as 350 miles of aerial power cable with new underground distribution lines. Ultimately the plan calls for nearly 4,000 miles of electric distributed cable to go underground. To limit..
ASHER TSE Cable Scrapper
ASHER TSE Cable Scrapper, ASHER’s newest innovation, features new technology to cut down on job time completion and to enhance longevity. The product will pull, cut and load cable in one continuous operation, saving not only time, but the need for extra equipment. The new Cable Scrapper is equippe..
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..
Kerite Completes Installation of Two Newly Constructed Substations
Kerite, the U.S.-based manufacturer of medium- and high-voltage high-quality insulated power cable products, completed the installation of 69kV underground transmission cable circuits at two newly constructed substations 30 miles north of Denver, CO. The installation projects for rural electric coo..
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.
Telecom Waits, Hopes For Boost From Stimulus Funds
Various federal economic "stimulus" programs are under way to help bring America out of the crippling recession that has been affecting almost every segment of the economy.
- DeLa Express seeks FERC approval for Permian-to-Louisiana gas pipeline project
- Hudson Tunnel Project set to generate 95,000 jobs during construction phase, report says
- OSHA penalizes Houston contractor over safety violations resulting in worker's death
- Fiber infrastructure has no known expiration date, Fiber Broadband Association research concludes
- Damage prevention and safety: Turning awareness into action