Cable/Wireless-Tower Map for the San Francisco Bay Coastside?

Sun Jan 13 23:29:27 UTC 2019

Hey All,

Does anyone know whether there's a map that shows the cable/wireless-tower
map for the San Francisco Bay Coastside (i.e., from Montara to Half Moon
Bay)?

A few days ago, a truck hit a PG&E post on Highway 92, which traverses from
San Mateo to Half Moon Bay. The accident caused the post to fall to the
ground.

The Coastside has one Comcast-owned, fiber-optic cable that crosses the
mountains from Silicon Valley to the Coastside. I guess the cable must run
on PG&E posts because not only did the accident cause a blackout in some
areas of the Coastside but also the entire Coastside was left without
almost any Cable TV, Internet, or mobile phone connectivity for practically
24 hours.

I only have anecdotal evidence, but it seems that there was no Comcast or
Verizon service whatsoever because Verizon leases the fiber-optic line from
Comcast. It also seems that DirecTV and AT&T were not affected, and the
theories vary as to why. Perhaps AT&T uses a combination of copper wire and
wireless to service the area. DirecTV allegedly leases connectivity from
AT&T.

I've also heard that Sprint PCS paid the owner of a building near the El
Granada post office to use it to relay a mobile signal from there. But when
I asked on Nextdoor about the incident no one mentioned Sprint. In prior
discussions, Coastside residents say they avoid Sprint and AT&T due to
their spotty service. And I know nothing about T-Mobile.

The reason I ask is because this is not the first time that Coastside
residents have been left without mobile service, cable TV, and Internet
connectivity. In fact, it seems to be a frequent phenomenon, making me
wonder that if the infrastructure here is so fragile what would happen in
the case of the "Big One" or, God forbid, a Tsunami or major storm surge.

I understand that there's a plan for emergency responders to maintain
Internet and mobile connectivity that includes microwave connectivity, but
I have yet to obtain the details. So I'm trying to get as much data as I
can to help local decision-makers figure out how to make the Coastside more
resilient before the next disaster strikes.

Thanks,
Yosem
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