A long span ADSS fiber optic cable has an outer jacket, a central tension rod member, and gel-free buffer tubes stranded around the rod member. Each tube is made of a flexible material having a determined elastic modulus, and optical fibers are contained in each tube with a water absorbent material. Water blocking yarns fill voids between the buffer tubes and surround the tubes. An inner jacket envelops the tubes and the yarns, and additional yarns are provided between the inner and the outer cable jackets. The elastic modulus of the buffer tubes is sufficiently high so that the cable sustains a compressive load of at least 220 N/cm over ten minutes with not more than a 0.1 dB increase in attenuation in any fiber. The rod member and the yarns enable the cable to span a distance of approximately 500 to 1050 feet in a NESC Heavy Load district.