Telcom/ Service Entrance Protection

[philbrickc]

Recently we have installed a 50 pair copper trunk cable to connect to telecommunication closets in separate buildings (A & C). The cable was installed underground to another building (B) on campus, travels continuously through this building via cable tray and goes back underground to get to the remote Comm. closet in Building (C). The owner's said that they "believed" that this was a code problem because we didn't install entrance protection (e.g. Commscope 489 BEPs) within 50' of where the cable enters and leaves Building B (the building in the middle). Is this necessary?

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Phil,
Look at 800.90(A). You also may have a problem with the cable itself within the building if it is "outside plant" cable and not a listed communications cable. 800.113 and its exceptions.
Don

 

[dereckbc]

Yep you got a problem with code and practice. Ideally the cable should enter the same vicinity as the electric service, cut and terminated as soon as it enters the building on protectors. Then cross-connected to in-house cables. If the cable cannot enter/leave the same vicinity as the electric service, the protectors should be directly connected to the same GES as the AC service like a ground ring where it enters/leaves a building.