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Date: Wed, 23 Sep 2015 22:22:22 -0400

> From: Julian Thomas > To: snipped-for-privacy@remove-this.telecom-digest.org. > Subject: Re: Any details about the Verizon outage in Raleigh NC > yesterday? > Message-ID: > >> >> >> The outage was caused by a construction >> crew inadvertently severing a Time-Warner Cable fiber line. That line >> was also used to provide backhaul service for various local Verizon >> towers. > > Deja vu all over again - back in the 1970's, the IBM internal > telephone network timeline from Poughkeepsie to Raleigh was wiped out > for about a day by a backhoe! >

In television, we used to call that a "backhoe fade."

Harold

Reply to
Harold Hallikainen
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There is no excuse for "inadvertently" cutting a buried cable these days. Every state now has a "Dial before you dig" law. These laws require every contractor (or anybody else planning to dig a hole) to call 811 at least three business days before digging. Failure to call

811 is a violation of state law that can result in fines and/or liability for any resulting damage or personal injury.

On the other hand, the owner of a buried cable also must meet certain requirements. It must be able to demonstrate that it has legal permission to put the cable there in first place. It must have placed the cable in accordance with the requirements of the National Electrical Safety Code and by applicable state and local laws. It must have responded to every 811 notification by accurately marking the location of the cable on the surface of the ground (by paint, flags, or other means) and it must have monitored the situation to remark any marks obliterated as a result of the contractor's work. Failure to meet any these requirements can relieve the contractor of liability.

If both the contractor and the cable owner obey these requirements, there will be no cut cables. If a cable is cut "inadvertently", one party is legally at fault.

Neal McLain

Reply to
Neal McLain

On Sat, 26 Sep 2015 19:31:34 -0700, Neal McLain wrote: ........

....... Question:

In these days of mega-paranoia about protecting "critical" infrastructure then surely marking out buried fibre cables essentially paints a big , fat target on them saying "Come and get me"?

Much easier to cripple telecoms with a couple of stolen diggers than blow up a building.

Reply to
David Clayton

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