Here is the 2026 benchmark for cost of laying fiber optic cable per foot by method: Open trench (lawn/field): $0. 80 per ft – fastest, lowest cost. Directional boring (road crossing, driveway): $3. The price ranges reflect both ongoing improvements in fiber deployments and regional differences in permitting and crew rates. fiber projects, we've assembled current material rates, labor burdens, and hidden fees. These fibers are thin strands, often as small as a human hair, that transmit data as pulses of light. (FOA) was founded in 1995 to help develop the workforce to build the fiber optic networks to support a rapid expansion in communications and the Internet.