Telecommunications grounding and bonding for small sites

Skills you'll practise

• Explain the difference between bonding and grounding and who does each
• Identify the parts of a TIA-607 bonding system by their current and older names
• Decide which items in a telecom room are bonded and which aren't
• Spot broken or improvised bonds on a drawing, checklist or install note
• Respond to a damaged bond or a request to skip bonding in the right way

Course outline

1. 1.Telecommunications grounding and bondingVideo · 2 min
2. 2.Why bond, and who does whatLesson · 15 min
3. 3.The parts and their namesLesson · 17 min
4. 4.Bonding racks and pathways in practiceLesson · 16 min
5. 5.Telecommunications grounding and bonding for small sites: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 18 questions
6. 6.Final exam9 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out

Sources it draws on

The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.

• US Department of Defense UFC 3-580-01, Telecommunications Interior Infrastructure Planning and Design (21 November 2024). One building owner's criteria applying TIA-568, TIA-569, TIA-606 and TIA-607; used here as a worked example, not as a universal requirement
• Fiber Optic Association: Premises cabling installation (power, grounding and bonding of metallic hardware, documentation and leftover components for the customer)
• Fiber Optic Association: Premises cabling design (telecom rooms, equipment rooms, power, data ground, air conditioning, documentation)