On Apr 9, 2009, at 3:58 PM, Robert M. Enger wrote:
That AT&T has stopped provisioning protection fiber for automatic
restoral is mind boggling.
That our crack (or on crack) govt contracting/emergency-preparedness
staff didn't demand protected facilities for 911 is another mind
boggling issue.
This costs $$$ and usually isn't a problem as there are other ways to
communicate. The law-enforcement folks qualify for GETS so get
priority on wired/PSTN. They can also get radio priority w/ WPS.
That there is no over-under wide-area back-up coverage for the
cellular canopy ...
The problem is how do you back up such a large area. WPS can get you
priority.
We posture and orate about being prepared for terrorist attacks and
natural disasters, and then events like these reveal the reality:
The emperor has no clothes.
I think the problem is there are clothes, some people/areas have
none, some have an abundance. If people don't plan for going out in
public, there is a chance you'll walk outside naked ;)
Roy wrote:
Service to South Santa Clara county is completely down: Internet,
landline, and cellphones. Both Verizon and AT&T are affected. 911
is
also down.
My cellphones show one or no bars. Normally they are all four bars.
If you're an ISP, you may be able to obtain GETS or WPS for your
engineers. This would allow you a better chance of getting a channel
to respond to issues. This is a good test to see how your backup
plans might work for communication in the case of a larger distaster
(earthquake, or other).
Make sure you test the tools you have. The people I know with GETS
cards are encouraged to test them regularly and verify they work. If
someone has one, I'd be interested to know if it proved to be of value
today.
- Jared
