Matthew Botos

Verizon’s been digging around the neighborhood installing their new fiber optic service the last couple of weeks. They call it FIOS, which actually isn’t an acronym for anything, but an Irish word for “knowledge”, according to Wikipedia. The process is a mix of the mechanical and manual. They’ve pulled most of the conduit using a Ditch Witch JT921 Directional Drill (Yes, I had to over and checked it out over the weekend while it was in the parking lot.), but have spent just as much time hand-digging the connection boxes and tying it all together.

The conduit some tough stuff; it’s hard plastic about a quarter-inch thick. There’s no way you’re going to “accidentially” cut through it with anything less than a backhoe or jackhammer. The inside is very slick for pulling the actual fiber, which it looks like they’re just starting. Instead of pickup trucks with big orange spools, we now have truck with big black spools. The real question, of course, is whether Verizon will actually offer a better deal than Comcast on TV, Internet, and phone service.