Here's a probing questionnaire to gather the necessary details and understand the

desires of the Electric Cooperatives for their FOC backbone project:

1. Fiber Optic Cable: a. Do you have any preferences or specifications in mind for
the fiber optic cable? (e.g., single-mode, multi-mode, armored, non-armored) b.
What distance is expected between the substations, remote offices, and the main
headquarters? c. Would you like to accommodate future growth and scalability in
terms of fiber count? If so, approximately how many cores do you anticipate
needing initially and in the long term?
2. Cabling and Installation Materials: a. Are there any specific requirements or
standards for cabling and installation materials that need to be followed? (e.g.,
fire-rated, outdoor-rated) b. Are there any environmental factors to consider,
such as extreme temperatures, moisture, or exposure to chemicals? c. Do you
have any preferences for installation methods? (e.g., aerial, underground, direct
burial)
3. Connecting Active Devices and IT Systems: a. Which types of active devices or
equipment will be connected to the FOC backbone? (e.g., switches, routers,
servers) b. Are there specific IT systems or applications that will run over this
network? (e.g., data, CCTV, SCADA) c. What are the anticipated bandwidth
requirements for each system or application? d. Are there any special
considerations for power requirements or backup power solutions at the remote
sites?
4. Number of Sites: a. How many substations and remote offices are there in total
that need to be connected to the main headquarters? b. Do you have any
information on the geographical locations of these sites? Are there any
challenging terrains or specific right-of-way requirements?

Additionally, it would be beneficial to gather more specific details about their current
network infrastructure, any existing fiber optic cabling or related equipment, and any
performance or reliability expectations they have for the new FOC backbone.

Remember, these questions are intended to guide the conversation and gather the
necessary information for the high-level design and solutions architecture. Depending
on the responses, further discussions may be required to dive deeper into specific
requirements and constraints.