[governance] FW: [1st-mile-nm] Arizona CenturyLink Fiber Cut

Thu Feb 26 14:26:42 EST 2015

What happens when the Internet goes out for a few hours.

M

From: 1st-mile-nm
[mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces+gurstein=gmail.com at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of
Richard Lowenberg
Sent: February 26, 2015 10:28 AM
To: 1st-Mile-NM
Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Arizona CenturyLink Fiber Cut

Yesterday's massive network outage in Arizona, 

demonstrated our increasing dependency on reliable,

fail-safe communications capabilities.

RL

---------

Outage cuts Internet, phone service across northern Arizona

The Associated Press

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102456398 

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - People across northern Arizona couldn't use the
Internet, their cellphones or landlines for several hours Wednesday after
someone vandalized a fiber-optic line that brings communications to a large
part of the state, officials said.

Businesses couldn't process credit card transactions, ATMs didn't function,
law enforcement databases were unavailable, and even weather reports were
affected in an area stretching from north of Phoenix to Flagstaff, about 100
miles away.

CenturyLink spokesman Alex Juarez said the problem was first reported around
noon. Internet and phone service started to come back to some residents and
businesses in Flagstaff by 6:30 p.m.

Juarez said all customers should be back online by 3 a.m. Thursday. He
didn't have an estimate of how many were affected.

Phoenix police said CenturyLink employees found that the fiber-optic cable
in far north Phoenix had been completely cut through.

The cable, which CenturyLink owns, is near a riverbed in an area that isn't
accessible to vehicles. It carries signals for various cellphone, television
and Internet providers that serve northern Arizona.

According to Juarez, technicians from Monroe, Louisiana-based CenturyLink
had to go through a long, tedious process of inspecting the line "mile by
mile." Meanwhile, Flagstaff's 69,000 residents tried to go about their daily
business.

Zak Holland, who works at a computer store at Northern Arizona University,
said distraught students were nearly in tears when he said nothing could be
done to restore their Internet connection.

"It was kind of a slap in the face if the Internet goes down," Holland said.
"It just goes to show how dependent we are on the Internet when it
disappears."

Many students told Holland they needed to get online to finish school
assignments. University spokesman Tom Bauer said it was up to individual
professors on how to handle potentially late assignments.

Kate Hance and Jessie Hutchison stopped at a Wells Fargo ATM to get cash
because an ice cream shop couldn't take credit cards without a data
connection. They left empty-handed because the outage also put cash machines
out of service.

"It's moderately annoying, but it's not going to ruin my day," Hutchison
said.

Staff at Bookmans Entertainment Exchange in Flagstaff said they tried for
about 45 minutes to restore their Internet connection before employees
realized their equipment wasn't the problem.

People often go to the popular bookstore and cafe to do homework, listen to
music, watch movies and browse jobs online. Some set down their computers
Wednesday only to walk out minutes later after learning Internet service was
down.

Staff suggested to kids bewildered by the technical problem that they should
read a book.

Cordell Charley just finished some online banking when the outage happened
and shut off his computer to grab lunch.

"You just feel lost," he said. "It's like, what happened?"

Mark Goldstein, secretary for the Arizona Telecommunications and Information
Council, said CenturyLink's cable likely has bundles of fibers that can be
leased to multiple service providers. If the line follows only one direction
with no alternative paths to reroute service, then any damage to the line
will wreak havoc.

At Flagstaff City Hall, employees were unable make or receive calls at their
desks.

"It's quieter than usual," said Stephanie Smith, assistant to the city
manager. "The good thing is there is still lots of work to get done even
without phones ringing."

The city was relying on the Arizona Department of Public Safety to assist
with dispatching police and fire services.

In Prescott Valley, about 75 miles north of Phoenix, authorities said 911
service was being supplemented with hand-held radios and alternate phone
numbers. Water and sewer facilities switched to manual operations, and
residents needed cash to make utility and court payments.

Yavapai County spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn said 911 lines were limited
Wednesday afternoon and authorities couldn't access law enforcement
databases.

Weather reports from the region weren't able to reach anyone. During their
evening newscasts, Phoenix television stations showed blank spaces on their
weather maps where local temperatures would normally appear.

Associated Press writer Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report.

---------------------------------------------------------

Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director

1st-Mile Institute          www.1st-mile.org <http://www.1st-mile.org>   

P. O.  Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM    87504

505-603-5200                 rl at 1st-mile.org <mailto:rl at 1st-mile.org> 

---------------------------------------------------------

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/governance/attachments/20150226/9ea55bc9/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.igcaucus.org
To be removed from the list, visit:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing

For all other list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance
To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/

Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t