Patent ID: 7630606

Claim:
A telecommunications cable comprising: a distribution cable including a cable jacket and at least a first buffer tube positioned within the cable jacket, the first buffer tube enclosing a first optical fiber, the distribution cable including a mid-span location where a portion of the cable jacket has been removed and where at least the first buffer tube includes a fiber access location through which the first optical fiber is routed out of the first buffer tube; a tether that branches from the distribution cable at the mid-span location, the tether including a tether jacket, at least one strength member positioned within the jacket, a tether buffer tube positioned within the jacket, and a second optical fiber that extends through the tether buffer tube, the second optical fiber being spliced to the first optical fiber at a splice location; and a tether retention block affixed to the distribution cable, the tether retention block including a first portion and a second portion that is configured to cooperate with the first portion to secure the tether buffer tube and at least the strength member of the tether, each of the first and second portions defining at least a first half-channel configured to cooperate with the first half-channel of the other portion to receive the strength member of the tether; wherein the retention block defines a groove along which the distribution cable extends when the retention block is affixed to the distribution cable.