Fiber optic in shift indicator?!?

[COBALT]

Yesterday I (yet again) took the non-tilt steering column apart and adjusted it. One thing I noticed when I was cleaning the shift indicator. What I thought was a busted wire to a bulb in the indicator looks more like a fiber optic! There's no bulb, and strands of what looks like glass fiber run inside a sheath, and look like it should run down the length of the column and attach somewhere under the dash, then to the fuse box!

Is this really a fiber optic cable? Is that truely stock? If so I didn't know they were using this stuff as early as '69. Surprising.

How do I replace it? Once these are broke they're not fixable. Where do I get a replacement? Where does it connect?

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'69 3/4 ton C20 2wd w/ 350ci/400THM and a wood bed!
'69 3/4 ton Custom 20 2wd w/ ORIGINAL 350ci/4sp Manual and a wood bed (parts beast).
Seattle, WA.

*See pics of my trucks and project at www.webshots.com!