9 Optical communication systems and components, comprising communications apparatus and appliances, namely, optical transmitters, optical receivers, amplifiers, preamplifiers, power supplies; status monitoring and control units; splitters, combiners, access, interface, and multiplexer nodes; digital compression units and computer hardware and software; modulation units; headend compression devices, multiplexers, scramblers, and modulators; transmitters for use with broadband networks, namely fiber optic, cable, satellite, and wireless networks; headend software for the management and transmission of data; broadband network interfaces; network element management hardware and software; and manuals and parts related thereto