Fiber Deployment Update Report (1997)

This report, which presents data about fiber optic facilities and capacity constructed for use by certain telecommunications common carriers, has been issued annually since 1986.  In the first part of the report we provide an overview of the data and we discuss the methods and procedures we used to collect the data.  We also discuss certain shortcomings of the data as received and how these shortcomings may affect the significance of the data as presented.  The following parts of the report present selected statistical data that may illustrate trends in fiber deployment by surveyed carriers.