Fiber cut in SF area

Fri Apr 10 00:59:42 UTC 2009

No RF, no WPS.

If all the base stations are knocked out in a region, and there is no 
"over" coverage from towers out of the affected region then there are no 
channels to which priority access can be allotted.

A potential remedy (at least for conventional cell phones) would be to 
scatter back-up cell sites on high-vantage-point locations.  Each would 
need to be equipped with multiple narrow sectors using high gain 
antennas.  These lofty sites would form a secondary canopy over the 
region (hence the "over/under" naming).  Assuming the secondary sites 
are hardened, provided with back-up power and trunked with physical 
diversity (perhaps one links using 70/80Ghz), they should provide some 
additional protection in situations like this.   This would provide some 
service when primary towers in an entire sub-area are all knocked out.  
Who knows, in day to day routine usage they might even fill-in a few 
coverage holes that have been lingering in some systems.  From the 
reports of "zero bars" on cell phones, we can presume no "over" canopy 
is in operation in that region.

There are other radio systems, but their scope is limited.  Cellular 
provides wider availability.  Granny can use her Jitterbug to call for 
help.  Similarly, many business burglar/fire alarm systems use cellular 
to transmit alarms to the central station.  With terrestrial and radio 
alarm reporting knocked out, many businesses will be sitting ducks. 

But why waste the money on system improvements.  Best to conserve the 
funds to pay bonuses to the corporate executives. 
No matter how egregious the error or omission, they always walk away 
with big checks, and the rest of us waddle away looking for Preparation-H.

Charles Wyble wrote:
>
>
> Jared Mauch wrote:
>>
>> 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.
>>
>>>
>
> I didn't know about WPS.
>
> http://policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=839&issue_id=32006 
>
>
> Interesting stuff.
>