Purpose
Each Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) applying for physical collocation under FCC tariffs has the option of installing an individual cage for equipment security. Verizon no longer provides this security pursuant with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Tariff No. 1, Section 19. It is the responsibility of the CLEC to install this structure if so required, except in states where the local tariffs mandate cage installation by Verizon. This publication provides the building construction standards and requirements for installation of wire-mesh partition cages and the associated electrical components within Verizon facilities. These standards and requirements specify the process, roles, and responsibilities of Verizon and the CLECs with respect to the design and construction of these cages.

It is the intent of this document to define the process, facilitate communication, and dictate proper design and construction. These standards are based on other Verizon documents and governance publications such as the Real Estate Collocation Guidelines, Building Officials & Code Administrators (BOCA) National Building Code, National Electric Code (NEC) and local building codes. As applicable, these publications are to be used in conjunction with these standards. This document covers Verizon locations in the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and Virginia.

Process
The Verizon Local Collocation Coordinator (LCC) shall provide the central control for the information flow between Verizon and the CLEC, including all official communication between the CLEC and Verizon employees or representatives. The Verizon Space and Frame (S/F) Team Leader shall determine the placement of the cage and assign the space. The Verizon Real Estate Representative shall mark the floor appropriately and develop a sketch illustrating the space assignment. The sketch is to be provided to the CLEC within ten (10) business days after Verizon receives a deposit of fifty percent (50%) of the construction cost estimate, the appropriate pro-rata charge, or receipt of the application as applicable.

The CLEC may hire any contractor to conduct cage construction within the Collocation Room in Verizon's Central Offices. The CLEC may gain access to the central office building and commence cage construction thirty (30) business days after Verizon receives a deposit of fifty percent (50%) of the construction cost estimate, the appropriate pro-rata charge, or from receipt of the application whichever is applicable. When the application received involves the construction of a new Collocation Room, the CLEC may gain access to the building and begin cage construction after forty-five (45) business days after the receipt of the application. Verizon may authorize an earlier construction start date depending upon the complexity of the required Collocation Room construction site. The CLEC Project Manager and Contractor must submit a Verizon Real Estate CLEC/Contractor Requirements document with the appropriate signatures for approval to the Verizon Real Estate Representative prior to beginning any work. The Verizon Real Estate CLEC/Contractor Requirements document is attached in Appendix "A". The Verizon Real Estate Representative shall provide the CLEC and Contractor with the required information pertaining to the Verizon stakeholders for the Methods Of Procedure (MOP) and Emergency Information sheet preparation, shown in Attachments "A" and "B". The Verizon Real Estate Representative will insure adherence to the documents and insure information concerning construction activity is properly communicated to all stakeholders. This includes sending a copy of the approved document to the LCC. An approved, signed copy of the document must be displayed within the Collocation Room during all construction activities.

The CLEC Project Manager will submit a sketch illustrating the termination points of all fiber, power, and communications cable within thirty-eight (38) days after Verizon receives a deposit of 50% of the construction cost estimate, the appropriate pro-rata charge, or from receipt of the application as applicable. If required by the CLEC, Verizon Real Estate shall provide a 1-1/2" conduit for fiber cabling from the installed cable pull box to the CLEC assigned location. The CLEC is to designate where the vertical run for the fiber conduit is to enter the CLEC assigned space on the sketch. This conduit will be installed by Verizon Real Estate at the conclusion of the cage construction unless mutually agreed upon prior to cage construction.

The CLEC Project Manager must contact the Verizon Real Estate Representative at the conclusion of the cage construction for a closeout inspection. The Verizon Real Estate Representative shall provide the CLEC Project Manager a Confirmation of Completion document upon satisfactory inspection. The Confirmation of Completion document is attached in Appendix "C". Occupancy may not be obtained prior to the receipt of the signed Confirmation of Completion.

Roles & Responsibilities

Permits and Code Compliance
The design and installation of the cage and its components must comply with national and local codes. The CLEC/Contractor is responsible for securing all required building permits for the project prior to construction.

Cage Design
The cage must be constructed of woven wire mesh or galvanized welded wire partitions. These partitions must be constructed of bolted wire-mesh panels composed of 10 gauge steel with 1-1/2" X 1-1/2" pattern or equivalent with factory applied finish and must be designated for the earthquake zone where the requested central office resides. The cage shall not be constructed of chain link fencing material. A representative listing of some wire-mesh partition manufacturers is contained in Appendix "B". Where possible, existing building partitions must be utilized as part of the cage construction.

The cage height is limited to 8'-0" AFF (Above Finished Floor) and shall not be exceeded. The installed cage must not exceed the outside edge of the floor marks indicating the CLEC's cage dimensions. The cage is to be constructed with a 3'-0" sliding gate. Hinged doors are allowed if space restrictions exist or cage dimensions are less than 100 SQFT. The CLEC Project Manager must submit two (2) keys of the cage door lock to the LCC. The CLEC may elect to install a cage ceiling composed of wire-mesh ceiling panels for added security.

All equipment in the CLEC's common area, within the cage, and the cage itself, shall be grounded as a part of the integrated (building's) ground plane. All grounding must meet the requirements of the latest version of the National Electric Code (NEC). The cage shall be equipped with a CLEC cage ground bar mounted on insulators approximately 7'-0" AFF on the outside portion of the cage in proximity to the door. The dimensions of the CLEC cage ground bar will be in accordance with the NEC. It must be visible and predrilled with 3/8" holes, 1" on center, to accommodate two hole lugs. Spacing between the holes shall be 2". The bus bar shall be labeled "Collocation Cage Ground Bar". The ironwork of the CLEC cage must be bonded to the CLEC cage ground bar using a minimum No. 6 AWG conductor. When continuity between sections of the cage is not evident, additional No. 6 AWG conductors will be required to bond that section of cage to the CLEC cage ground bar. These grounding conductors shall not be connected in a "Daisy Chain" fashion. Verizon Real Estate shall provide a No. 1/0 ground wire connecting the C.O. ground bar to the CLEC cage location. The CLEC contractor must connect this ground wire to the CLEC cage ground bar. Grounding of integrated ground plane apparatus such as air ducts, metal door and window frames, and metallic conduits within 6' of the cage is not required.

• Appendix A - Verizon Real Estate (VZRE) Contractor Requirements and Method of Procedure (MOP)

• Attachment A - Emergency Information - VZRE Contractor Requirements

• Attachment B - Method of Procedure (MOP)

• Attachment C - Welding, Cutting, Brazing, Soldering or Open flame Permit

• Attachment D - Early Warning Fire Detection (EWFD) Log

• Appendix B - Wire-mesh Partition Manufacturers/Distributors

• Appendix C - Verizon CLEC Cage Confirmation of Completion Document