Extending Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) Provisioning of Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) (DPoE) to EPON over Coax (EPoC) Multicast Key Management

An optical line terminal (OLT) comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a transmitter coupled to the processor configured to:
• send a first encrypted fiber to coax unit (FCU) operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) message containing an optical domain multicast key to an FCU via an optical network, wherein the optical domain multicast key is associated with encryption in an optical domain associated with the optical network;
• send a second encrypted FCU OAM message containing an electrical domain multicast key to the FCU;
• and
• send an encrypted coax network unit (CNU) OAM message containing the electrical domain multicast key to a CNU via the FCU and a coaxial network, wherein the electrical domain multicast key is associated with encryption in an electrical domain associated with the coaxial network.

A fiber to coax unit (FCU) comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a receiver coupled to the processor configured to:
• receive a first encrypted fiber to coax unit (FCU) operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) message containing an optical domain multicast key from an optical line terminal (OLT) via an optical network, wherein the optical domain multicast key is associated with encryption in an optical domain associated with the optical network;
• receive a second encrypted FCU OAM message containing an electrical domain multicast key from the OLT;
• and
• relay, from the OLT, an encrypted coax network unit (CNU) OAM message containing the electrical domain multicast key to a CNU, wherein the electrical domain multicast key is associated with encryption in an electrical domain associated with a coaxial network.