Telecom/Electric

FCC Head: Storms Teach Lessons on Emergency Communications

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Ajit Pai has been to Texas and Florida in recent weeks to learn what lessons hurricanes Harvey and Irma have to offer about how to improve the nation’s emergency communication systems during natural disasters. Pai, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, sa..

Companies Set Subsea Industry Benchmark for Fiber Optic Cable Capacity Reach

Infinera and Seaborn Networks have completed a successful subsea field trial demonstrating the industry’s highest spectral efficiency on an ultra-long-haul subsea cable. The 8QAM trial demonstrated 4.5 bits per second per hertz on Seaborn’s Seabras-1 cable, with a distance of more than 10,500 kilome..

Report: Global CIPP Market to Reach Nearly $2.5 Million by 2022

According to a new report from Stratview Research, the global Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) market is projected to reach $2,486.5 million in 2022. Reasons for the expected growth include: Aging potable and sewage water infrastructure Increased spending by municipalities and utilities on rehabilita..

Report: Fiberglass Pipe Market to Exceed $6 Billion by 2025

The global fiberglass pipes market is expected to grow to $6.19 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Reasons for the projected growth include: Robust growth in Asia Pacific’s shipping industry Increasing demand from the oil & gas, chemicals and irrigation indu..

Pipe Restoration Technologies Awarded Lead Pipes Patent

Pipe Restoration Technologies, LLC, makers of the ePIPE®, Lead-Free, Leak-Free™ and LeadSmart® product lines, today announced that it has been granted U.S. patent #9764354. This patent is related to the ePIPE system of in-place pipe restoration which reduces lead leaching from underground water serv..

Telemedicine Connects Rural Nevadans to Specialty Care

PAHRUMP, Nev. (AP) — Visiting the doctor just got faster, easier and more useful in parts of rural Nevada. That’s because of the Nevada Broadband Telemedicine Initiative, announced Sept. 18 at Desert View Regional Medical Center in Nye County. The $19.6 million federally funded initiative aims to ..

Utility Achieves Methane Capture Milestone

SmSouthern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced the company has passed the one million cubic foot mark in its ongoing methane capture initiative. This innovative process allows for gas that would otherwise be vented to the atmosphere during pipeline replacement work to be saved and reinject..

Furukawa Electric to Expand Fiber Optic Cable Production Capacity

Furukawa Electric Company today announced plans to nearly double its 2016 fiber optic manufacturing capacity by 2019 and to also increase its fiber optic cable manufacturing capacity. Between 2014 and 2016, the company increased its global fiber production capacity by 20% and initially planned ..

Florida Senator Asks Telecom Companies to Provide Irma Rebates

(AP) — Florida Sen. Bill Nelson has asked the nation’s largest cable, telephone and internet providers for rebates to Hurricane Irma victims for service interruptions. The Democratic U.S. senator also asked them Thursday for a 60-day moratorium on late fees and other penalties. Nelson wrote to the..

Water Technology Program Now Accepting Applications

Pipeline H2O announced it is now accepting applications for the 2018 class. Supported by a coalition of regional cities, utilities, universities, and startup organizations, Pipeline H2O is looking for companies working on water technologies that solve various aspects of the world’s water issues such..

Cross Bore Analysis Review of Best Practices And Changing Trenchless Market

Since the first cross bore discovery in Kenosha, WI, in 1976, investor-owned utilities and municipalities have completed substantial research and discovery into cross bore prevention, trenchless construction innovation and safety awareness. As trenchless technology has improved, the ability of the c..

Arcadis Acquires E2 ManageTech

Arcadis, the leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, has acquired enterprise technology solutions firm E2 ManageTech, which provides information technology and business services for the environmental, health and safety (EHS) information market. “Our clients around t..

Axalta Unveils Latest Addition to Internal Pipe Coatings Portfolio

Axalta Coating Systems has released the Nap-Gard 7-0015 Tan Internal FBE, a thermosetting epoxy powder designed to pass Saudi Aramco’s 09-SAMSS-091 (2011) specification that delivers high adhesion properties to effectively protect pipelines subject to H2S, CO2 and CH4 exposure. “Axalta is excited t..

Orange County Water District Awarded Grant to Improve Water Quality

The Orange County Water District (OCWD), in a partnership with the University of Maryland and CosmosID, Inc., has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that will aid the water industry in its continued effort to improve water quality. The $100k award will be used to apply metagenomics, ..

Subsea Cable System Between the US and Brazil Ready for Operations

Seaborn Networks today announced its Seabras-1 subsea cable system is ready for operations. Seaborn’s Seabras-1 is a new 6-fiber pair, 72Tbps submarine cable system that is the first and only direct point-to-point system between São Paulo and New York. Seabras-1 is owned jointly by Seab..

OFS Expands the AccuRibbon® DC Fiber Optic Cable Family

OFS announced it has expanded the AccuRibbon® DC Fiber Optic Cable product family to include fiber counts up to 864. These gel-free ribbon cables will be available in dielectric and metallic/armored versions. Currently, AccuRibbon DC cables are only offered in fiber counts up to 432. OF..

Patent Awarded for “In-place” Coating to Protect Pipes Against Water Loss Due to Leaks

Pipe Restoration Technologies, LLC has been granted U.S. patent #9744561. This patent is related to the ePIPE system of in-place pipe restoration, which provides protection to underground pipes against leaks and harmful lead and copper leaching. “ePIPE is providing superior solutions in response to..

American Water Resources Collaborates with Dispatch to Improve the Customer Repair Experience

American Water Resources has entered into an agreement with Dispatch to help deliver faster service when customers need repairs on their water and sewer service lines, in-home plumbing, and other home services covered under American Water Resources protection plans. Dispatch is an enterprise custom..

Ditch Witch, Utilicor Join Forces to Simplify Utility Repairs

Ditch Witch®, a Charles Machine Works Company, has partnered with Utilicor Technologies, Inc. to bring the benefits of advanced keyhole technology and reinstatement to contractors, municipalities and utilities globally. Due to the partnership, utility contractors will now be able to operate a nimbl..

NASSCO: Purdue's CIPP Report Flawed

The National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) has released its response to the Purdue University study, Worksite Chemical Air Emissions and Worker Exposure during Sanitary Sewer and Stormwater Pipe Rehabilitation Using Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP), published July 26, 2017 in the Environ..

Drones to Detect Power Outages in Illinois

URBANA, Ill. (AP) — An electrical and natural-gas service company in central Illinois is using a fleet of drones to detect power outages, inspect power lines and poles and plan for construction projects. The News-Gazette reports that Ameren Illinois officials demonstrated the drones Tuesday in Urba..

SoCalGas Streamlines Processes to Support Renewable Gas Projects

Southern California Gas Co. has announced new initiatives that will make it easier for renewable gas production facilities to connect to the company’s natural gas pipeline system. First is the creation of a downloadable toolkit to help renewable gas producers and developers who are interested in in..

Kansas City Selects Electro Scan Technology to Assess Sewer Mains

The City of Kansas City, Missouri has selected Electro Scan’s Next Generation leak detection technology for condition assessment of 15-inch and smaller diameter sewer mains as part of a pilot project. The partnership with Electro Scan will include the assessment of 100 pipe segments with an approxim..

Failed Communications Hampered Response to Wildfires Last Fall

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Newly released records show failed communication systems hampered the response to deadly wildfires in Tennessee last fall. Records that Sevier County began to release Wednesday that wind and fire on Nov. 28 combined to disable cell towers, melt fiber-optic cables and di..

Clearfield's Fiber Optic Technology Now Telcordia Certified

Clearfield, Inc. today announced that its fiber termination process used to manufacture Clearfield LC/UPC 900 μm 1.6 mm and 2.0 mm jumpers and fiber assemblies have been tested by an independent test lab compliant to the Telcordia, GR-326-Core requirements. With the Telcordia GR-326 achievement, the..

Better Broadband Coming to 7 Vermont Towns Thanks to Grants

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — People in seven rural Vermont communities will be getting better broadband internet service thanks to a series of grants through Connectivity Initiative distributed by the Department of Public Service. The Connectivity Initiative works to expand high-speed broadband service s..

BICSI Revises, Updates Telecommunications Project Management Program

BICSI, a worldwide association committed to advancing the information and communications technology (ICT) community, has released its newly revised Registered Telecommunications Project Management (RTPM) Program. The role of an effective project manager is crucial to the outcome of any successful p..

CommScope Completes Acquisition of Cable Exchange

CommScope, a global leader in infrastructure solutions for communications networks, has completed its acquisition of Cable Exchange, a privately-held, quick-turn supplier of fiber optic and copper assemblies for data, voice and video communications. Cable Exchange, based in Santa Ana, Calif., manuf..

Amphenol Telect Unveils New Fiber Distribution Chassis

Amphenol Telect has launched the C2LINX 1RU, a high-density fiber distribution chassis with cable management features designed to fit hyper scale networks in a variety of network environments, including enterprise, telecommunications and cable TV. “We’ve developed a panel that hits the high-den..

GE’s Wastewater Treatment Technology Honored

Federated Co-Operatives Limited’s Co-op Refinery Complex in Regina, Saskatchewan, was named Industrial Water Project of the Year, as the 2016-commissioned project representing the most impressive technical or environmental achievement in the industrial sector of the international water industry. Us..