Farmers Telephone Cooperative Bringing Fiber to 10,000 South Carolina Homes

Clearfield to Assist in the 400 Mile Fiber Management Initiative

MINNEAPOLIS, June 23, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Over the course of the next two years, approximately 10,000 South Carolina homes will be experiencing technical differences – of a highly positive nature – due to a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) initiative launched by Farmers Telephone Cooperative. With the fiber management assistance of Clearfield, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLFD), residents along a 400 mile corridor of new fiber will be realizing the benefits of fiber based communications for phone service, digital TV, high-speed Internet, security and wireless service. Farmers Telephone (FTC), which is the country's second largest telephone cooperative, will be utilizing Clearfield's full range of FieldSmart products in the 24-month Passive Optical Network (PON) deployment. Included within the deployment plan are the FieldSmart Fiber Scalability Center (FSC) for the outside plant and the FieldSmart Fiber Crossover Distribution System (FxDS) in various port counts for the inside plant as well as associated optical component technologies. To optimize performance and reduce energy consumption, FTC will be deploying Clearfield's FiberDeep OSP fiber pigtails throughout the build. FTC Plant Design Supervisor Mark Brown said, "FTC has purchased fiber management panels from Clearfield for years. We were always pleased with the quality of the products and the speed in which we received them. But, frankly, they were just like all of the other management panels. Once Clearfield introduced the Clearview Cassette, we instantly saw the value in a scalable product group that could be grown to the need instead of just being built to last."

"The cassette also eliminated a failure point in protecting the vulnerable back side of the panel to fiber breaks due to improper assembly or installation," Brown added.

About Farmers Telephone Cooperative FTC has been a trusted telecommunications provider since 1951. It is the second largest cooperative in America, backed by cutting-edge technology and unparalleled customer service. For nearly 60 years, FTC has been committed to providing communication services to the businesses and residents of Clarendon, Lee, Lower Florence, Sumter and Williamsburg counties.

The capability to provide phone service, digital TV, high-speed Internet, security and wireless service has shifted FTC from a traditional telephone company to a full-service communications, entertainment and security provider. FTC is a cooperative, working with its members and community to provide the latest information, most up-to-date technologies and quality customer service.

About Clearfield, Inc. Clearfield, Inc. sets the standard for fiber performance with FiberDeep, while lowering the cost of broadband deployment with the FieldSmart fiber management platform and the CraftSmart OSP enclosure system. FieldSmart is the only fiber management platform to be designed around a single architecture – the Clearview Cassette and xPAK— for the inside plant, outside plant and access network. Scaling from 1 to 1728 ports, FieldSmart supports a wide range of panel and cabinet configurations, densities, connectors and adapter options, and are offered alongside an assortment of passive optical components. CraftSmart is the industry's only field enclosure system optimized for fiber deployment. FiberDeep is a new class of fiber patch cords that guarantees performance at .2dB insertion loss — fully half that of the industry standard. Clearfield provides a complete line of fiber and copper assemblies for inside plant, outside plant and access networks. Clearfield is a public company traded on NASDAQ: CLFD.

CONTACT: Gary Young 612-247-8123
         garydyoung@comcast.net

Released June 23, 2011