Call for Qwest to conduct a training stand-down

Wed May 5 04:48:22 UTC 1999

I'm seeing a disturbing pattern develop.  Qwest contractors seem to be
involved in an unusual number of cases of damaging other providers
fiber.  I understand that everyone makes mistakes, and a wide-variety of
other equipment operators have caused many fiber cuts.  But Qwest's name
seems to show up with unusual frequency in the last year.  Here are the
ones I found in my notes.

Milwaukee-to-Chicago	May 4, 1999
Smyrna, GA		March 11, 1999
Gurnee, IL		November 19, 1998 (drilled fiber three times over
						a mile)

Anyone have notes about others?  I have a vague recollection of a couple
of more, but couldn't find them in my notes.

I don't know who Qwest is hiring to bury its fiber, but I would like
to call on Qwest to conduct an immediate stand-down until it can review
its fiber installation practices, training and supervision with its
contractors. Including review of safe digging/drilling practices around
other providers' fiber.
-- 
Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO
  Affiliation given for identification not representation