Reference · Glossary · 20 Terms
Glossary: C
Outside plant terms that start with C, in plain language, with links to the OSP map and the operations steps.
Cable Block
Also Called: Stringing Block · Corner Block
A pulley hung on the strand that supports the cable while it is pulled out along the span. Corner blocks keep bend radius at angles.
- SOP Step: AE-09 Cable Placement and Lashing
- See Also: Bend Radius, Lashing
Cable Blowing
Also Called: Air-Blown Fiber · Jetting
Placing cable in microduct with compressed air and a pushing machine, using the manufacturer's settings. The microduct is pressure-tested first.
- SOP Steps: UG-10 Duct Proving and Pull Tape, UG-11 Cable Placement Underground
- See Also: Microduct
Cable Lasher
Also Called: Lasher
A machine pulled along the strand that wraps lashing wire around the cable and strand together.
- On the Map: Lashed Fiber Cable
- SOP Step: AE-09 Cable Placement and Lashing
- See Also: Lashing, Cable Block
Cable Tag
Also Called: Cable Marker
An identification tag on the cable at each pole or enclosure, showing owner and cable id per owner spec.
- On the Map: Cable Tag
- SOP Steps: AE-12 Labeling, Inspection and As-Builts, UG-11 Cable Placement Underground
- See Also: As-Built
Capstan Effect
Tension multiplying around a bend during a pull. Each sweep multiplies the tension that reaches it, which is why pull direction matters.
- SOP Step: UG-11 Cable Placement Underground
- See Also: Pulling Tension, Figure-8
Central Office
Also Called: CO · Hub
The building where provider electronics, such as the OLT, meet the outside plant. Cable networks call it a headend.
Clearance
Also Called: Separation
The required distance between a line and the ground, roads, buildings or other lines; separation is the distance between facilities on the same pole. NESC, the edition your state adopted and the owner set both.
Cleave
Also Called: Cleaver · Cleave Angle
A controlled break that leaves a flat, perpendicular fiber end, made with a precision cleaver. A bad cleave makes a bad splice.
Climbing Space
The clear vertical path on a pole a lineworker uses to climb past attachments. Hardware and slack storage stay out of it, and communication risers are grouped together so it stays open (NESC; owner spec).
Closure Basket
Also Called: Express Basket · Storage Basket
The space inside a closure where uncut express tubes are stored in a loose loop, separate from the splice trays.
- On the Map: Closure Interior
- SOP Steps: SPL-04 Mid-Span Access and Expressing Tubes, SPL-09 Tray Organization and Labeling
- See Also: Express Fiber, Splice Tray
Comm Space
Also Called: Communication Space
The section of a pole set aside for communication attachments, below the power space and separated from it by the safety zone. Spacing between attachers follows the owner's rules.
- On the Map: Communication Space
- SOP Steps: AE-02 Field Survey and Make-Ready Engineering, AE-05 Framing Poles
- See Also: Supply Space, Communication Worker Safety Zone, Attachment Height
Communication Worker Safety Zone
Also Called: Safety Zone · Comm Worker Safety Zone
The required separation between the lowest supply facilities and the highest communication attachment on a pole, set by NESC and the owner. Nothing may be placed in it except as the NESC and the pole owner allow.
- On the Map: Communication Worker Safety Zone
- SOP Steps: AE-02 Field Survey and Make-Ready Engineering, AE-05 Framing Poles
- See Also: Supply Space, Comm Space, Clearance
Compaction
Also Called: Lifts · Density Test
Packing backfill in layers (lifts) so it will not settle. Permits may require density tests to prove it.
- On the Map: Surface Restoration
- SOP Steps: UG-08 Other Placement Methods, UG-09 Handholes, Vaults and Pedestals, UG-12 Restoration and Cleanup
- See Also: Restoration, Open Trench
Competent Person
Under OSHA excavation rules, a person who can identify hazards in an excavation and has authority to correct them. They inspect excavations daily and after rain.
Complex Make-Ready
Make-ready in the communications space that is reasonably likely to cause an outage or facility damage, such as splicing an existing cable or relocating a wireless attachment. Work in the supply space is separate and is done by the pole owner's qualified crews. The FCC or state rules that apply define it.
Conduit
See duct. Pipe that houses cable underground.
- On the Map: HDPE Conduit
- See Also: Duct
Conduit Bundle
Also Called: Bundled Conduit
Several conduits pulled together on one pulling head, often in different colors so each can be told apart at both ends. The reamer is sized from the bundle's outside diameter, not one conduit's. The pull may not split evenly across the conduits, so the breakaway link is rated on a written basis from the conduit and pulling-head manufacturers or the engineer, or, as a fallback still under SME review, below the lowest safe pull strength of any one conduit; confirm with the engineer.
- SOP Steps: UG-05 Bore Planning and Rig Setup, UG-07 Reaming and Pullback
- See Also: Product, Pulling Head, Breakaway Link, HDPE Conduit
Confined Space
Also Called: Permit-Required Confined Space
A space large enough to enter but with limited entry and exit, such as a manhole or vault. Test the air, and ventilate and keep an attendant as the applicable OSHA rule and the employer's confined-space program require (29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA for construction work; 1910.146 or 1910.268(o) otherwise).
- SOP Steps: SPL-02 Safety for Splicing, UG-09 Handholes, Vaults and Pedestals
- See Also: Vault, Manhole
Corner Pole
Also Called: Angle Pole
A pole where the line changes direction. The unbalanced pull acts on the bisector of the line angle.
- On the Map: Corner Pole and Bisect Guy
- SOP Steps: AE-07 Down Guys and Guy Guards, AE-08 Strand Placement and Tensioning
- See Also: Bisect Guy
Crossbore
Also Called: Cross Bore
A new bore that passes through an existing utility, such as a sewer lateral. It can stay hidden until a plumber clears the drain and hits a gas line or cable.
- On the Map: Sewer Main and Lateral
- SOP Step: UG-06 Pilot Bore and Tracking
- See Also: Sewer Lateral, Potholing