The Fiber Optics Technology Consortium (FOTC) of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has elected its slate of officers for 2019. Serving for his twelfth consecutive term as Consortium Chair is Rodney Casteel RCDD/NTS/OSP/DCDC, CommScope; Vice Chair John Kamino, OFS; the Standards Co-Chairs are Cindy Montstream RCDD/NTS, CPLP, Legrand, and Dr. Paul Neveux, Superior Essex; Membership Chair is Jim Davis, Fluke Networks; and Communications Chair is Betsy Conroy, The Siemon Company.

“Increased interest in 5G and Smart Buildings is driving the need for a robust fiber infrastructure,” said Casteel. “The key to building a 5G-ready network is to bring the fiber as close to the end user as possible. As network designers, consultants, architects and end users explore the best way to create an advanced fiber framework, we see our role in the FOTC as providing vendor-neutral, standards-compliant information that will enable those networks to be built out.”

 In 2019 the FOTC will continue to focus on providing educational materials to the industry, including webinars, seminars and answers to Frequently Asked Questions. “In 2018 we launched a new, educational website to serve as a resource to users. It includes updated FAQs as well as information centers on some of the most pressing topics – smart buildings, MPO systems, and Passive Optical LANs, to name a few. Our webinar series also continues to be one of our most popular activities,” said Casteel. “In 2018 we held ten webinars, all of which earned BICSI Continuing Education Credits.” Casteel also said that the FOTC will be working more closely with TIA standards groups this year, especially as they address areas such as Edge Computing. “People look to the FOTC as a trusted resource to help them better understand and interpret standards.” 

Join the Fiber Optics Technology Consortium to help play a role in educating network installers, designers and end users about how to build networks of the future and the Telecommunications Industry Association to help develop the standards that will guide them.