Charles Industries' Fiber Distribution Pedestals First to Be Granted RUS Listing.

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. -- Rural Utilities Service Acceptance of Charles Fiber Distribution Pedestals Will Aid Rural Phone Companies' FTTP Initiatives

Charles Industries, Ltd., a leading provider of network edge innovations for telecommunications providers, today announced that its Charles Fiber Distribution Point (CFDP) and Buried Distribution Optical (BDO) series of fiber optic pedestal enclosures have been granted product acceptance by the Rural Utilities Services (RUS), a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. RUS acceptance allows rural telecommunication service providers to purchase and install this equipment using RUS loans and grants.

CFDP and BDO Series Buried Distribution Pedestals are the first pedestal-type fiber splice housings to be listed in the USDA's "List of Materials Acceptable for Use on Telecommunications Systems of RUS Borrowers." Charles' fiber distribution pedestals offer weather-tight environmental protection of fiber optic loop distribution cable and customer service drops in fiber-to-the-premises deployments. Service providers use these pedestal housings to protect and provide access to fiber splice points, those places in the network where individual fibers are separated from larger bundles and routed to specific homes and offices.

"RUS acceptance of our CFDP and BDO pedestal series is a tremendous asset for our customers," said Dick Hood, director of Charles' Outside Plant Products Business Unit. "Rural service providers want to provide their customers with the best service possible, and are embarking on FTTP initiatives to do so. Having an RUS listed distribution pedestal at their disposal helps them to achieve their fiber deployment plans."

The Rural Utilities Service has promoted universal service throughout America for more than 50 years and continues to provide many programs for financing rural America's telecommunications infrastructure. Rural providers that receive RUS funds are encouraged to use RUS equipment, and contractors use the list as a reference for reliable, field-proven technologies.

RUS listed five sizes of CFDP and BDO pedestals in its Buried Plant Housings category, including 6", 8", 10", 12" and 14" diameters. The full list of RUS accepted materials can be found on the USDA's website at www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/index.htm.

"We developed our CFDP and BDO fiber pedestal series after listening to the concerns of rural service providers. Many of their ideas for functional fiber splice protection were worked into the design," said Al McGovern, director of engineering for Charles' outside plant products. "We're pleased that RUS has recognized the standards-based protection our fiber pedestals provide and chosen to include them in their accepted materials list, making them available to our rural provider customers that utilize RUS programs."

About Charles Industries, Ltd.

Charles Industries, Ltd., is a privately held, diversified manufacturing and technology company servicing telecommunications, marine and industrial markets. The company is ISO 9000 and TL 9000 certified and employs more than 600 professionals in its Rolling Meadows, Illinois, corporate headquarters and five U.S.-based manufacturing plants. For further information, please visit www.charlesindustries.com or call [phone].