This page is a brief tutorial on

This page is a brief tutorial on dealing with contractors in the field and recognizing

whether or not they are doing bargained for work.

First and foremost be respectful to the contractors, they are not stealing your job. Verizon is giving them your work. They're just out to make a living like you are.

You may be working with or for one of these folks in the future. We have a number of people in Verizon that we worked with as contractors and some now supervise people they once dug holes for!

Fiber optic cable (foc) is generally small, that is the back of a standard id card included for scale.

Contractors should not be placing foc in the air or in any duct-line, per the broadband agreement.

The innerduct (or structure according to our contract) is much larger whether it is the self supporting type shown here, with the same card shown for scale, or not. Innerduct also comes in various colors although typically the company uses orange for buried or underground runs and black for aerial. As you can see in the picture it is hollow and will most likely have a piece of "mule tape", which is the white thing with the numbers on it here. You may also see a webbed "sleeve" that contains multiple "mule tapes" in the duct or being pulled through it. The sleeve is Maxcell flexible textile innerduct.

Contractors can place any of the structure in addition to pulling the mule tape through.

The textile innerduct looks like this on the reel.

Fiber optic cable (foc) comes on a solid sided reel like this one, although it may be wood or steel.

Compare it to the large open sided reels, behind it and pictured below, that innerduct comes on.

The reel with the blue side is a reel of textile innerduct. The sides are a corrugated plastic Maxcell label, the reel is a standard open side.

This is a reel of "VATS", or Verizon Advanced Terminal System, foc. It is a pre-connectorized foc that the company is using to cut down on labor and should not be placed by a contractor. It comes on a plastic reel (so far) and has a bar coded plate on the side normally including the word VATS. This is a small example.

These small heavy reels that appear to have steel cable on them actually contain the messenger strand the phone company has used for years. The strand is what supports the cables between poles poles and/or other structures. Copper and fiber optic cables as well as non self supporting innerduct may be lashed to to the strand.

Contractors can place strand and lash copper cable or innerduct to it.

Your officers appreciate you calling to advise us of this activity and anything else the company is doing to violate our contract but it's not enough. We simply don't have the time to check out every report ourselves. You have to help police our (your) contract. After all you are on the scene now and in position to do the most good.

If you see contractors placing fiber optic cable, in the ground or in the air, stop and take a picture of the activity while it is happening (you probably have a camera phone). Get a picture of the contractors vehicle. Ask the contractor what they are installing. Note the date, time and location and file a grievance with your steward.

If you see contractors placing structure in an area you are frequently in, check back to see who is placing the fiber.

In this picture Mastec, a Verizon contractor, is placing aerial innerduct. Note the open sided reel. Some of these trucks are capable of holding multiple reels. You can't see the small reel on the other side of this one (a large fiber reel would be obvious) but there is a small reel containing what was described as "white stuff", meaning they were also carrying mule tape or "sleeve".

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