July 26, 2007 -- Superior Essex Inc. announced that its latest Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) drop cable product line has been accepted for listing by the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Program (RDUP).
With the addition of these cables, the company's full portfolio of fiber-optic drop cables is now part of the RDUP "List of Materials Acceptable for Use on Systems of USDA Rural Development Telecommunications Borrowers."
The newly listed cable products include the company's series 57 FTTP cables, which are designed to meet recently developed RDUP performance specifications for fiber-optic drop cables.
The FTTP cable series provides both a small diameter and an Optical Fiber Nonconductive Riser (OFNR) flame/safety rating from Underwriters Laboratories (UL); this combination allows for high versatility for installations, contends the company.
Also, the OFNR flame/safety rating allows the cable to be installed outdoors as well as inside most commercial buildings and within typical residential buildings in the U.S.
"Most people will quickly recognize the advantages of being able to use one cable for both indoor and outdoor applications," remarks John Armistead, director of OSP fiber cable product management for Superior Essex. "What is often overlooked, however, is the value that an OFNR safety rating provides for outdoor applications. Cables that lack an OFNR rating typically contain materials that are considered flammable, which can advance the spread of a fire to the home."
RDUP (formerly RUS) is a government agency that provides grants and low interest loans to qualifying rural communities and companies for funding the costs of listed products and other construction expenses.
