3.26.09 — USDA Rural Development Lists Clearfield FTTH Pedestal Insert
FieldSmart Fiber Delivery Point Open Pedestal Provides Lower Cost Alternative for Rural FTTH Deployment
MINNEAPOLIS— (March 26, 2009) – Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLFD) a specialist in fiber management solutions for FTTH deployments, announced today its FieldSmart Fiber Delivery Point (FDP) Open Pedestal Insert is now accepted by the USDA Rural Development for use in telecommunications systems. The FieldSmart FDP Pedestal Insert joins other components of the FieldSmart Fiber Management Platform already listed by the USDA program. Product acceptance by the USDA Rural Development enables rural incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) to purchase the FieldSmart product using the agency’s loans or grants, part of the U.S. Government’s Broadband Stimulus funding program.
Users may choose to order the FieldSmart FDP Pedestal Insert as a turn-key package, with the fiber insert factory-installed within an industry-standard metallic pedestal, or they may choose to order the FDP Pedestal Insert independent of the pedestal. For those service providers who wish to field upgrade already installed copper pedestals to a fiber solution, a field-retro kit is available.
“Traditionally, fiber pedestals have incorporated a pedestal-within-a-pedestal design,” explains Johnny Hill, chief operating officer for Clearfield. “In working with
rural independent telephone providers, we found the traditional closed architecture was overkill for some environments. The FieldSmart FDP Open Pedestal Insert is one of a line of pedestal insert products provided by Clearfield that allows the user to choose the level of protection necessary for their environment.”
“Clearfield’s core focus is working with rural ILECs to bring broadband connectivity to under-served communities,” said Cheri Beranek Podzimek, president and CEO of Clearfield. “We’re pleased to offer our customers a lower cost pedestal alternative that will now, as a listed RUS component, help extend the Broadband stimulus initiative.”
About the FieldSmart FDP Open Pedestal Insert
The FieldSmart FDP Open Pedestal Insert incorporates field-tested designs to provide a solution that is easily installed and modified. The FieldSmart FDP Pedestal Insert teams an industry-standard metal pedestal with a Clearfield fiber routing and drop cable solution that permits up to 144 fiber splices, supports “ring-cuts” or “mid-spans,” and improves cable organization.
The product is currently shipping with more than 7,500 units already installed. Additional information, including part numbers and pricing, can be obtained at http://www.ClearfieldConnection.com.
About Clearfield, Inc.
Clearfield, Inc. designs and manufactures the FieldSmart Fiber Management Platform, which includes its latest generation FieldSmart Fiber Distribution System (FDS), FieldSmart Fiber Scalability Center (FSC) and FieldSmart Fiber Delivery Point (FDP) series. The FDS, FSC and FDP product lines support a wide range of panel configurations, cabinet and wall mount sizes, densities, connectors and adapter options, and are offered alongside an assortment of passive optical components for the inside plant, outside plant and access networks. Clearfield also provides a complete line of fiber and copper assemblies for inside and outside plant environments. Clearfield is a public company, traded on Nasdaq:CLFD.
More information about Clearfield, Inc., its products and its people can be found at http://www.ClearfieldConnection.com.
