This is the average value over the current performance-monitoring interval of the accumulated chromatic dispersion measured on this channel during the current performance-monitoring interval, expressed in picoseconds per nanometer (or per picometer for the averaged/min/max readings), reflecting how much the fiber has spread the signal's spectral components apart in time. The average dispersion over the interval is the value an admin compares against the modem's specified compensation range when qualifying a new fiber route for a given modulation format. For example, an admin planning to upgrade a route to a higher baud-rate modulation format would compare chromaticDispersionAvg against that format's supported dispersion range before approving the upgrade.