B.3.23 Communications requirements
B.3.24.1 Outside Plant
Outside plant includes all cable, splicing, trenching, plowing, pole mounting hardware, duct banks, cable vaults,
pedestal and pot holing, main distribution frames and building entrance conduits.
Building Entrance Protectors (BEP), Copper:
(a.) The BEP shall consist of a self-contained wall-mounted unit providing a housing for termination of entrance cable, protector modules and access for cross-connecting to horizontal wiring. The
BEP shall be securely mounted to the communications backboard and connected to the facility ground with a #6 AWG
(green jacket or insulation) copper wire. BEP protection capacity shall equal the cable count of the entrance cable.
(b.) Protection modules have the industry standard 5-pin module
footprint. The modules feature a carbon air gap and fail-same
mechanism that shorts to ground under sustained faults or excessive
transients. The modules are available with a heat coil to protect
against sneak currents. Protection modules shall be classified as
heavy in the categories of impulse life, maximum surge impulse and 60 Hz
current capacity as specified in RUS TE&CM 823.
Building Termination Patch Panels For Fiber Optic Cable:
(a.) The patch panel shall provide a location for maintenance and cross-connecting of fiber optic cables. The panel shall have type ST connectors. Panels shall be equipped with nameplates above each connector identifying strand count.
(b.) The patch panel can be of the type that is mounted directly to the communications backboard or a rack mounted style.
Underground And Direct Buried Copper Cable:
(a.) Copper conductor cable for direct buried or underground shall conform to REA PE-39
GR (Filled Solid Copper - Bearing Gopher Resistant Cable) for cable smaller than 400 pairs and REA PE-39 or REA PE-89 for cable larger than 400 pairs. All cable shall be 24 AWG solid copper.
(b.) Direct buried cable shall be placed at a minimum depth of 36 inches with
the warning tape placed at a depth of no less than 310 mm (12 inches)
below surface grade. All warning tape must be polyethylene (PE)
plastic tape, a minimum of 150 mm (6 inches) wide, IAW APWA Uniform
Color Code, and imprinted with the words "WARNING - TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLE BELOW" at not more than
1.2 m (48 inch) intervals. Per Technical Guide for Installation
Information Infrastructure Architecture (I3A).
(c.) Where direct buried cable will pass under sidewalks, roads or other paved areas, the cable shall be placed in a minimum 3-inch diameter rigid galvanized steel conduit. Roadways will not be cut to place cable. Push/bore
and or directional boring conduit under the roadway at a minimum of 42 inches below the surface.
(d.) When placing cable in a trench in rocky soil, the cable shall be cushioned by a fill of sand or selected soil at least 2 inches thick on the floor of the trench before placing the cable. The backfill for at least 4 inches above the cable shall be free of stones, rocks or other hard or sharp materials which might damage the cable. Buried cable shall be installed in accordance with REA TE&CM 641.
(e.) Underground cable installed in ducts and conduit will utilize a cable feeder guide between the cable reel and the face of the duct and conduit to protect the cable. Underground cable placed in new or existing duct banks or inner duct shall conform to REA TE&CM 644.
Aerial Copper Cable:
(a.) Lashed cable shall conform to REA PE-22. Self-supporting cable (6 to 100 pairs maximum) will conform to REA PE-89. Installation of aerial cable will be accomplished in accordance with the requirements in REA TE&CM 635. All cable shall be 24 AWG solid copper.
(b.) The following provides the basic clearance for power conductors and communications cables:
0-8700 volts over 8700 volts
| Power and comm cross arm, center to center |
48 inches |
72 inches |
| Power wires and comm lines conductors |
40 inches |
60 inches |
| Power cables and comm lines |
40 inches |
40 inches |
| Power conductors and comm equipment |
40 inches |
60 inches |
| Comm conductors and power equipment |
40 inches |
60 inches |
| Power equipment and comm equipment |
40 inches |
60 inches |
(c.) The following provides the minimum vertical clearance for communications lines.
| Public streets or roads, urban or rural area. |
18 feet |
| Driveways to residences and garages. |
10 feet |
| Alley |
17 feet |
| Walkways for pedestrians only. |
8 feet |
| Railroad tracks, measured from top of rail. |
27 feet |
(d.) All poles shall have a guy wire with anchor installed when a communications cable changes direction on a pole line or transitions from overhead to underground. Additional guidance can be obtained from
RUS 171F-630, Design of Aerial Plant and RUS forms 515c Specifications
and Drawings for Construction of Aerial Plant (RUS Bulletin 1753F-152).
Direct Buried, Underground And Aerial Fiber Optic Cable:
(a.) All outside plant fiber optic cable is single mode of 8.3 micron. 12 strands minimum will be installed for new and upgraded facilities.
(b.) Direct buried fiber optic cable will be placed in an innerduct and installed
or placed at a depth providing a minimum top cover of 42 inches, unless
otherwise changed by the Government Representative. In addition to the cable warning tape,
all OSP fiber optic cable will be Armor and metallic strength member and
must be bonded to the grounding system with a #6 AWG or larger ground
wire.
(c.) Aerial fiber optic cable is installed to the same standards as provided in
above paragraph "Aerial Copper Cable".
Manholes And Handholes:
(a.) Manholes shall be precast with a preferred size of 6’W x 12’L x 7’H standard type communication manhole. The shield of all cables in each manhole shall be bonded together by a bonding wire or ribbon. If the manhole has a bonding ribbon, the shields of cables shall be attached to it.
Each new MH must be equipped with a lid, sump, pulling-in irons, ground,
bonding ribbon, cable racks, ladder, and hooks.
(b.) Handholes shall be precast with a preferred size of 4’W x 4’L x 4’H standard type communications handhole.
(c.) Refer to ARMY FM-11-486-5 for installation procedures and a complete description.
Splices And Splice Cases:
(a.) Aerial copper conductor splice cases shall be free breathing and suitable for housing straight, butt and branch splices of nonpressurized communications cables. The case shall be constructed from very heavy PVC with ultraviolet resistance or stainless steel.
(b.) Buried copper conductor splice cases shall be suitable for enclosing a straight, butt and branch splice in a container into which can be poured an encapsulating compound. The case shall have adequate strength to protect the splice and maintain cable shield electrical continuity in the buried environment. The encapsulating compound shall be re-enterable and shall not alter the chemical stability of the closure. Filled splice cases shall comply with REA PE-74.
(c.) Underground copper conductor splice cases shall be suitable to house a straight, butt and branch splice in a protective housing into which can be poured an encapsulating compound. The case shall be of suitable thermoplastic, thermoset or stainless steel material supplying structural strength necessary to pass the mechanical and electrical requirements in a vault or manhole environment. The encapsulating compound shall be re-enterable and shall not alter the chemical stability of the closure. Filled splice cases shall comply with REA PE-74.
(d.) All copper cable splices shall consist of a moisture resistant, two or three-wire connector held rigidly in place to assure maximum continuity. The correct connector size shall be used to accommodate the cable gauge of the cable to be supplied. The connectors used shall be listed in REA Bulletin 1755I-100.
(e.) Aerial fiber optic splice cases shall be free breathing and suitable for housing splicer organizer of non-pressurized cables. The case shall be constructed from heavy PVC with ultraviolet resistance or stainless steel.
(f.) Buried fiber optic splice cases shall be suitable to house a splice organizer in a container into which can be poured an encapsulating compound. The buried fiber case will meet the same requirements as the buried copper case.
(g.) Underground fiber optic splice cases shall be suitable to house a splice organizer in a protective housing into which can be poured an encapsulating compound. The underground fiber case will meet the same requirements as the underground copper case.
(h.) Fiber optic cable splices shall consist of a fusion splice where two fibers are thermally fused together forming a continuous fiber length. The splice organizer shall be suitable for housing fiber optic splices in a neat and orderly fashion. All required splice organizer hardware, such as splice trays, protective glass shelves, and shield bond connectors shall be provided in the organizer kit.
B.3.24.2 Inside Plant
The premise distribution system shall consist of inside plant horizontal and riser cables (both copper and fiber optic) and connecting hardware to transport telephone and data (including LAN) signals within a building. Standard jack configuration shall provide two RJ-45 jacks at each user location. (See para. 5, "Cable Termination Equipment End".) Variations in the jack configuration shall be approved by the Directorate of Information Management (DOIM).
Horizontal Cable, Copper:
Horizontal wiring is that portion of the wiring system extending from the workstation outlet RJ-45 (RJ-11 in the case of wall phones) to the termination blocks or patch panels in the communications closet.
All cable shall be 4 pair category 6 (or greater), 24 AWG unshielded twisted pair (UTP) and shall meet the requirements of EIA 568 and EIA TSB 36. Cable shall be label-verified with the jacket marked at regular intervals indicating performance level.
All wall phones cable shall be level 6 cable for service. All cable will be "home run" and not contain splices from the jack location to the nearest
Telecommunication room. Each 4 pair cable will be dedicated to only one RJ45 jack.
Riser Cable, Copper:
Riser cable is that portion of the wiring system that extends vertically to provide connectivity between
telecommunication rooms or between the BEP and the telecommunications
rooms located on different floors.
Horizontal Cable, Fiber Optic:
Horizontal fiber optic cable is that portion of the system that extends from the workstation ST connector to the patch panel in the communications closet.
All cable will be multimode and meet the requirements of EIA 568 and ICEA S-83-596 for
50/125 micron cable or 62.5 micron cable multimode fiber optic
cable. Single-mode fiber optic cable may be substituted as required
by the user. Cable shall be imprinted with fiber count, fiber type and aggregated length at regular intervals. All cable will be "home run" from the jack location and not contain any splices to the nearest communications closet.
Backbone Cable, Fiber Optic:
Backbone fiber optic cable is that portion of the system that provides interconnections between the communications closets and the equipment rooms.
A minimum of 12-strands of 50/125-micron or 62.5/125-micron multimode
fiber optic cable and 12 strands of single mode fiber optic cable must be
installed between the main telecommunications room or main cross connect
and each telecommunications room. If requested by user, only 12
strands of one type of fiber may be used. Plenum cables must be
provided per IWA NFPA 70. Fiber optic cable shall be enclosed in
non-plenum innerduct or EMT between telecommunications rooms.
Cable Termination Equipment End:
One category 6, for general projects, UTP cable must be installed to
each standard 8-pin modular connector provisioned at the outlet. For
example, install two 4-pair UTP cables to a standard administrative
outlet, or one 4-pair UTP cable to each single connector outlet.
Plenum cables must be provided IAW National Fire Protection Association,
Inc (NFPA) 70. Each outlet location must be labeled with a unique
designator in sequence starting with "1" and proceeding
clockwise around the room. The left or top 8-pin (RJ-45 type ) Cat 6
or compliant connector should be designated for voice and be labeled
"V". The right or bottom 8-pin (RJ-45 type) Cat 6 or
compliant connector should be designated for data and labeled
"D".
Provide fiber optic cable to each outlet only if specifically requested
by the user, or the DAA. If used a quad modular is needed. The
following specifications pertain to copper, fiber optic, and coaxial cable
outlet/connector. The category for cable, jacks, termination blocks,
and patch panel must be the same throughout each system. The wiring
configuration will comply with EIA/TIA 568A for both voice and data.
The wiring enclosure shall be of a standard conduit type electrical box
for the in-wall installation. In-wall double gang electrical boxes
designer should be at least 4-11/16in (119 mm) square by 2-1/4 in (57 mm)
boxes for 1 in (27 mm) conduit installations and outlet boxed that have or
may require FO cabling.
The faceplate color shall be ivory of beige in color.
Installation:
Horizontal cable will be installed in conduit or approved wire mold from the equipment jack location and stubbed out above drop ceilings. Conduit size will be as follows: 3/4 inch minimum for two 4 pair copper cables. 1 inch for two 4 pair copper and 2 strands of fiber optic cable. It is acceptable to place two each 3/4 inch conduits, one for copper and one for fibers.
Cables will be "home run" to the nearest communications closet and supported by duct bank, cable ladders or other mechanical means and shall comply with EIA 568. Cables not installed in conduit or wireways will be properly secured, supported a minimum of every three feet and neat in appearance. Cables shall not be installed in the same cable tray, floor trench or conduit with ac power cables.
Telecommunications Room:
Telecommunications Rooms (TR) will be located on each floor of a
building. TR size will be a minimum of 10' x 10'. Room
location within a building will be dictated by the cable length which must
be limited to 295 ft (90m) (category 6) from patch panel termination in
the TR to the data outlet termination IAW TIA/EIA 568-B.1.
Exception: buildings with collapsed backbones that use FOCs for all data
and copper UTP for voice-only, may exceed the 295 ft length. Per
Technical Guide for Installation Information Infrastructure Architecture
(I3A) page 14 paragraph 2.5.15 Electrical Power.
Telecommunications Rooms will contain the following:
(1) Dedicated quad 110 VAC 20 amp outlet shall be installed on
backboard and equipment rack. Per Technical Guide for Installation
Information Infrastructure Architecture (I3A) page 17 paragraph 2.5.15
Electrical Power..
(2) Connectivity to the building ground.
(3) HVAC as required if active equipment (network hubs, routers, etc.) are located in the closet.
(4) All backboard material will be 3/4" flameproof plywood as required.
(5) Secure, lockable door with standard DOIM key core. Door hinges shall be installed in a manner that will prevent entry by removing door hinge pins in order to gain access.
(6) Provide adequate lighting with wall-mounted switch.
(7) The door shall be labeled with a sign stating "DOIM Comm Room, Authorized Personnel Only". "Room Number XXXX".
Communications closets will be the termination points for horizontal and backbone fiber optic and copper cable. Building entrance terminals and fiber optic patch panels will be mounted on the backboards or in racks in the closets. Outside plant communications cables will be terminated on the building entrance terminal mounted on the backboard.
B.3.24.3 Cable
Conduit (3/4") will be installed from the nearest communications closet or cable tray to a standard conduit box located at the customer location.
Conduit (3" minimum) will be installed underground from the nearest outside plant location for cable TV to the communications closet.
All coax cable will be the responsibility of Charter Communications, Cable TV of Fort Carson, 1519 McDonald Ave., P.O. Box 13261, (719) 576-7404.
To locate existing or suspected existing underground cable routes, initiate a dig permit through the Base OPS Contractor, (719) 526-3089
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