Overhead & Underground Communication Cabling

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Telecommunications Service Point

February 26, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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Today we get down in the weeds to examine the point of common coupling between a building and a telecommunication service provider.  In many cases the TSP is the university itself.

TIA-758-C (2021) Customer-Owned Outside Plant Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard. Covers direct-buried cable, conduit systems, duct banks, handholes, manholes, burial depths, warning tape, backfill, and route planning. → Includes minimum bend radii, pulling tensions, separation from power, and environmental protection.  Applies to copper, coaxial, and optical fiber in underground pathways.
TIA-590-B (2015) Standard for Physical Location and Protection of Below-Ground Fiber Optic Cable Plant.  Focuses on fiber optic underground protection. → Specifies burial depths, marker tape, locator wires, armored vs. non-armored cable, and risk mitigation (e.g., flood zones).

 

Higher education settlements often require a more diverse approach to designing and implementing ICT systems than that of a typical commercial building.  First of all, educational settlements are frequently one building. That means not only does the ICT infrastructure need to meet the varying demands of a specific building, but multiple buildings must all be integrated into one cohesive design.

In an environment of providing multifunctional spaces within one building, it is common to find a combination of commercial, industrial, data center, health care and entertainment environments within just a few buildings; hence our preference for the word “settlements” over the more widely used word “campus”.

TIA Standards

ANSI/TIA-568-C series: Telecommunications Cabling Standards.  Specifies the requirements for various aspects of structured cabling systems, including cabling components, installation, and testing.

TIA-569-B: Telecommunications Pathways and Spaces.  Provides guidelines for the design and installation of pathways and spaces for telecommunications cabling.

TIA-606-B: Administration Standard for Commercial Telecommunications Infrastructure.  Specifies administration practices for the telecommunications infrastructure of commercial buildings.

Our inquiry cuts across the catalogs of several other standards developers:

NEC (National Electrical Code).  NEC Article 800 specifically addresses the installation of communications circuits and equipment.

ISO/IEC 11801: Information technology — Generic cabling for customer premises.  Defines generic telecommunications cabling systems (structured cabling) used for various services, including voice and data.

IEEE 802.3: Ethernet Standards. Defines standards for Ethernet networks, which are commonly used for data communication in buildings.

UL 497: Protectors for Paired Conductor Communications Circuits. Addresses requirements for protectors used to safeguard communications circuits from overvoltage events.

GR-1089-CORE: Electromagnetic Compatibility and Electrical Safety. Published by Telcordia (now part of Ericsson), this standard provides requirements for the electromagnetic compatibility and electrical safety of telecommunications equipment.

FCC Part 68: Connection of Terminal Equipment to the Telephone Network. Outlines the technical requirements for connecting terminal equipment to the public switched telephone network in the United States.

Local building codes and regulations also include requirements for the installation of telecommunication service equipment.


Last update: October 12, 2019

All school districts, colleges, universities and university-affiliated health care systems have significant product, system, firmware and labor resources allocated toward ICT.   Risk management departments are attentive to cybersecurity issues.   All school districts, colleges, universities and university-affiliated health care systems have significant product, system, firmware and labor resources allocated toward ICT.

The Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI) is a professional association supporting the advancement of the ICT community.   This community is roughly divided between experts who deal with “outside-plant” systems and “building premise” systems on either side of the ICT demarcation point.   BICSI standards cover the wired and wireless spectrum of voice, data, electronic safety & security, project management and audio & video technologies.  Its work is divided among several committees:

BICSI Standards Program Technical Subcommittees

BICSI International Standards Program

BICSI has released for public review a new consensus document that supports education industry ICT enterprises:  BICSI N1 – Installation Practices for Telecommunications and ICT Cabling and Related Cabling Infrastructure.    You may obtain a free electronic copy from: standards@bicsi.org; Jeff Silveira, (813) 903-4712, jsilveira@bicsi.org.

Comments are due November 19th.

 

You may send comments directly to Jeff (with copy to psa@ansi.org).   This commenting opportunity will be referred to IEEE SCC-18 and the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets 4 times monthly in American and European time zones and will meet today.  CLICK HERE for login information.

Issue: [18-191]

Category: Telecommunications, Electrical, #SmartCampus

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Michael Hiler

Readings:

What is Grounding and Bonding for Telecommunication Systems?

 

 


Adhiyamaan College of Engineering

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Installation Practices for ICT Cabling

February 26, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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BICSI G1-2023, Outside Plant Construction | Outside Plant Design Reference Manual (OSPDRM), 6th Edition

North Dakota State University

Information and communications technology (ICT) is a fast-moving economic space in which a mix of consensus and open-source standards form the broad contours of leading practice.   ICT standards tend to follow international developments — more so than, say, fire safety standards which are more familiar to education facility leadership.  All school districts, colleges, universities and university-affiliated health care systems have significant product, system, firmware and labor resources allocated toward ICT.   Risk management departments are attentive to cybersecurity issues.   All school districts, colleges, universities and university-affiliated health care systems have significant product, system, firmware and labor resources allocated toward ICT.

The Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI) is a professional association supporting the advancement of the ICT community.   This community is roughly divided between experts who deal with “outside-plant” systems and “building premise” systems on either side of the ICT demarcation point.   BICSI standards cover the wired and wireless spectrum of voice, data, electronic safety & security, project management and audio & video technologies.  Its work is divided among several committees:

BICSI Technical Information & Methods Subcommittee

BICSI International Standards Program

As of this date one title has been released for public consultation:

Building Information Modeling (BIM) Practices for Information Communication Technology Systems (Page 52)

The change is largely administrative.  Comments are due December 10th 

You may send comments directly to Jeff (with copy to psa@ansi.org).   This commenting opportunity will be referred to the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets 4 times monthly in American and European time zones and will meet today; typically on Tuesdays.  CLICK HERE for login information.

Issue: [18-191]

Category: Telecommunications, Electrical, #SmartCampus

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Michael Hiler

Representative ICT Design Guidelines:

University of Tennessee Knoxville: Telecommunications Design and Installation Standards

Dennison University: Telecommunication Standards & Design Guidelines

University of Florida Information Technology: Telecommunications Standards


Adhiyamaan College of Engineering

Wires

February 26, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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Ampere current flows through copper or aluminum conductor due to the movement of free electrons in response to an applied electric field of varying voltages.   Each copper or aluminum contributes one free electron to the electron sea, creating a vast reservoir of mobile charge carriers. When a potential difference (voltage) is applied across the ends of the conductor, an electric field is established within the conductor. This field exerts a force on the free electrons, causing them to move in the direction of the electric field.  The resulting current flow can be transformed into different forms depending on the nature of the device.

Heating: When current flows through a resistor, it encounters resistance, which causes the resistor to heat up. This is the principle behind electric heaters, toasters, and incandescent light bulbs.

Mechanical Work: Current flowing through an electric motor creates a magnetic field, which interacts with the magnetic field of the motor’s permanent magnets or electromagnets. This interaction generates a mechanical force, causing the motor to rotate. Thus, electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy; including sound.

Light: In an incandescent light bulb, a filament heats up ( a quantum phenomena) due to the current passing through it. This is an example of electrical energy being converted into light energy; including the chemical energy through light emitting diodes

Today we dwell on how conductors are specified and installed in building premise wiring systems primarily; with some attention to paths designed to carry current flowing through unwanted paths (ground faults, phase imbalance, etc).   In the time we have we will review the present state of the best practice literature developed by the organizations listed below:

International Electrotechnical Commission

60304 Low voltage installations: Protection against electric shock

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

National Electrical Safety Code

Insulated Cable Engineers Association

International Association of Electrical Inspectors

National Fire Protection Association

National Electrical Code

Code Making Panel 6

Transcript of CMP-6 Proposals for 2026 NEC

Other organizations such as the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, ASTM International, Underwriter Laboratories, also set product and installation standards.  Data center wiring; fiber-optic and low-voltage control wiring is covered in other colloquia (e.g. Infotech and Security) and coordinated with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee.

Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.


Related:

2017 National Electrical Code § 110.5

Neher-McGrath Calculation: Cable Calculation ampacity and Thermal Analysis

ETAP: Cabling Sizing – Cable Thermal Analysis

 

System Aspects of Electrical Energy

Impedance Grounding for Electric Grid Surviability

Electric Power Availability: Cold Weather Preparedness

Architecture of power systems: Special cases

Outdoor Deicing & Snow Melting

Campus Outdoor Lighting

High Voltage Electric Service

Campus Electric Bulk Distribution

Grandfather Provisions

February 25, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
No Comments

Today at the usual hour we examine a few proposals for the 2028 National Electrical Safety that involve the degree to which merchant utilities should be required to replace system elements with elements meeting a higher standard than the standard to which the system element was originally built.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

NESC 2028 Call for Comment

Current Issues & Recent Research

NESC 2028 Call for Comment

February 25, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
No Comments

The NESC Subcommittees have specifically requested public comment on ten proposals from affected interests.   Today at the usual hour we will discuss them in detail and draft responses to be submitted before the April 9th deadline.

CP6007

CP6008

CP6026

CP6117

CP6292

CP6317

CP6327

CP6581

Part 3: Safety Rules for the Installation and Maintenance of Underground Electric Supply and Communication Lines CP6253

Part 5: Safety Rules for the Installation and Maintenance of Electric Generating Stations and Equipment 

The new Part 5 was developed to focus on developing and enhancing procedures to safeguard persons during the installation, operation, or maintenance of an electric generating station and their associated equipment. These responsibilities used to be part of Subcommittee 3, which deals with electrical substations. Part 5 is placing particular emphasis on renewable energy, grid storage batteries, and distributed energy resources. The submitted change proposals produce updates to the Code in these areas.

 

High Voltage Electric Service

February 25, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
,
No Comments

Federal Power Act of 1920  Ω  Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.

IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee Ω Current Issues and Recent Research

Representative Sample of Merchant Utility Interconnection Requirements for Customers

2023 National Electrical Code Article 490 Bibliography

Ahead of the April close date for comments on the Second Draft of the 2026 revision of the NEC we examine thought trends on the following:

  1. How does “high voltage” differ among electrotechnology professionals?  Signaling and control systems workers have a much lower criteria than a merchant utility lineman than a campus bulk distribution engineer.  In other words, “high voltage” is generally understood in practice and essential for worker safety.  Labeling counts.
  2. What is the origin of the apparent “confusion’ about high voltage in the IEEE, IEC, NFPA and TIA electrical safety catalogs?  Is the distinction functionally acceptable — i.e. a term of art understood well enough in practice?
  3. How can the 2026 NEC be improved for engineers, electricians and inspectors?  There has been some considerable re-organization of low, medium and high voltage concepts in the 2023.  It usually takes at least two NEC revision cycles for workable code to stabilize.  Since education communities purchase and distribute higher voltage power on large campuses; how can power purchasing and customer distribution system best practice be improved?

This is plenty to talk about.   Join us today at 15:00/16:00 UTC with the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

AC Power Distribution Systems & Standards | Credit: Power Quality Blog

2028 National Electrical Safety Code


IAEI Magazine: The Evolution of Electrical Services in the National Electrical Code®

2026 National Electrical Code Workspace

Time Synchronization of Medium Voltage Substations

NESC & NEC Cross-Code Correlation


National Electrical Definitions

Snow Load Calculator

February 24, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
No Comments

“Among famous traitors of history one might mention the weather.”

Ilka Chase, The Varied Airs of Spring

 

Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE/SEI 7-22)

ASCE Hazard Tool

Quick & Dirty Snow Load Calculator

Call for public proposals for the 2028 edition

Structural Design

 

 

Provision of Slip Resistance on Walking/Working Surfaces

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