AT THE COMPANY:

AT JOELE FRANK, WILKINSON BRIMMER KATCHER:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OPTICAL CABLE CORPORATION

ANNOUNCES SHARE REPURCHASE PLAN

Up to 200,000 Outstanding Shares May be Repurchased

Roanoke, VA, November 3, 2011 – Optical Cable Corporation (Nasdaq GM: OCC) (“OCC^®”) today announced that the Company’s Board of Directors has approved a plan to purchase and retire up to 200,000 shares of OCC’s common stock, or approximately 3 percent of the current shares outstanding. OCC anticipates that the purchases will be made during the next 12 to 24 months.

“The repurchase plan announced today underscores the Board of Directors’ continuing confidence in OCC’s long-term prospects and value proposition for shareholders. OCC’s strong balance sheet and cash flow from operating activities give us the flexibility to invest in our business and institute this repurchase plan, while simultaneously continuing to provide tangible return to shareholders in the form of a regular quarterly dividend,” stated Neil Wilkin, President and CEO of Optical Cable Corporation.

OCC expects to purchase shares from time to time in open market transactions. The timing and the amount of any purchases will be determined by the Company’s management based on its evaluation of market conditions, capital allocation alternatives, and other factors. The new share repurchase program does not require the Company to acquire any specific number of shares and may be modified suspended, extended or terminated by the Company at any time without prior notice. OCC will execute purchases only during periods during which the executive team and

the Board of Directors are not aware of material inside information that would likely affect a seller’s decision to sell. The share repurchase plan is designed to comply with U.S. securities laws, rules and safe harbors for purchases that do not constitute tender offers. These restrictions can lengthen the time it may take for OCC to acquire its shares under this repurchase plan.

As of November 1, 2011, Optical Cable had approximately 6.3 million common shares outstanding.

In July 2011, OCC completed the purchase and retirement of an aggregate of 325,848 common shares pursuant to a plan announced on November 17, 2009.

Company Information

Optical Cable Corporation (“OCC^®”) is a leading manufacturer of a broad range of fiber optic and copper data communications cabling and connectivity solutions primarily for the enterprise market, offering an integrated suite of high quality, warranted products which operate as a system solution or seamlessly integrate with other providers’ offerings. OCC’s product offerings include designs for uses ranging from commercial, enterprise network, datacenter, residential and campus installations to customized products for specialty applications and harsh environments, including military, industrial, mining and broadcast applications. OCC products include fiber optic and copper cabling, fiber optic and copper connectors, specialty fiber optic and copper connectors, fiber optic and copper patch cords, pre-terminated fiber optic and copper cable assemblies, racks, cabinets, datacom enclosures, patch panels, face plates, multi-media boxes and other cable and connectivity management accessories, and are designed to meet the most demanding needs of end-users, delivering a high degree of reliability and outstanding performance characteristics.

OCC^® is internationally recognized for pioneering the design and production of fiber optic cables for the most demanding military field applications, as well as of fiber optic cables suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and creating a broad product offering built on the evolution of these fundamental technologies. OCC also is internationally recognized for its role in establishing copper connectivity data communications standards, through its innovative and patented technologies.

Founded in 1983, OCC is headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia with offices, manufacturing and warehouse facilities located in each of Roanoke, Virginia, near Asheville, North Carolina and near Dallas, Texas. OCC primarily manufactures its fiber optic cables at its Roanoke facility which is ISO 9001:2008 registered and MIL-STD-790F certified, its enterprise connectivity products at its Asheville facility which is ISO 9001:2008 registered, and its military and harsh environment connectivity products and systems at its Dallas facility which is ISO 9001:2008 registered and MIL-STD-790F certified.

Optical Cable Corporation, OCC^®, Superior Modular Products, SMP Data Communications, Applied Optical Systems, and associated logos are trademarks of Optical Cable Corporation.

Further information about OCC is available on the Internet at www.occfiber.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release by Optical Cable Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company” or “OCC”) may contain certain forward-looking information within the meaning of the federal securities laws. The forward-looking information may include, among other information, (i) statements concerning our outlook for the future, (ii) statements of belief, anticipation or expectation, (iii) future plans, strategies or anticipated events, and (iv) similar information and statements concerning matters that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown variables, uncertainties, contingencies and risks that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from our expectations, and such known and unknown variables, uncertainties, contingencies and risks may also adversely affect Optical Cable Corporation and its subsidiaries, the Company’s future results of operations and future financial condition, and/or the future equity value of the Company. A partial list of such variables, uncertainties, contingencies and risks that could cause or contribute to such differences from our expectations or could otherwise adversely affect Optical Cable Corporation and its subsidiaries is set forth in Optical Cable Corporation’s quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the heading “Forward-Looking Information.” OCC’s quarterly and annual reports are available to the public on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. In providing forward-looking information, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update this information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by applicable laws and regulations.

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