Verizon and Team Fishel Bring FTTP to California

Verizon Communications, the nation’s largest telecommunication provider, is the first major telephone company to roll out “fiber to the premise,” or FTTP, in its service areas. By overbuilding its existing copper network, Verizon will be able to offer customers voice, video, data, and other advanced services over high-speed fiber-optic cable.

Teammates from Arizona and Texas are working alongside California Teammates on this project. Verizon had also awarded FTTP projects to Team Fishel in Texas last year.

Team Fishel is one of six prime contractors working across California to install 18 million feet of fiber optic cable in 2005. Fishel Teammates are currently working in the residential neighborhoods of Riverside, Ontario, Murrietta, Chino, Huntington Beach, Montclair, and Sun City.

“Team Fishel is a professional company, [and] definitely appreciated for stepping up in Huntington Beach, when other primes declined,” said Miles Dattilo, Verizon OSP Section Manager.

This project spans from San Jose in northern California to Temecula in the south, and inland to the Arizona border.  Verizon has set aggressive goals with plans to pass 300,000 homes in California in 2005.

According to California Area Manager David Ruff, 14 to 18 directional drills are used on this job every day. Hand digging and hole hogs are used in other areas.

“We drill and pull back up to four ducts at a time, placing vaults and handholes as part of the path creation,” explained Ruff. “We won a portion of the placing and splicing, which was awarded separately.”

Mark Brady, Division Manager and 23-year Team Fishel veteran, is the lead on this build with Verizon supplying all of the material.

“Mark Brady and [Supervisor] Jesse Adame are great people to work with,” said Bill Padilla, a Contract Administration Manager for Verizon. “Both are professional and have a great deal of knowledge in the field of construction.”

The California FTTP project is expected to continue into 2010.