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While PG&E is responsible for a lot of things; their past decisions to not adequately inspect/maintain transmission lines makes them responsible for a lot of th

by pdkl95 7y ago

While PG&E is responsible for a lot of things; their past decisions to not adequately inspect/maintain transmission lines makes them responsible for a lot of the expenses and damages caused by the resulting blackouts. However, cell towers (and telephones in general) are important infrastructure. They should have been designed and maintained with the expectation that power failures will happen and failed safely over to battery/generator backup power. The traditional POTS infrastructure was[1] designed to work without power for weeks. That involved no only battery backup, but also longer-lasting backup power (e.g. big tanks of diesel) for when the batteries ran out. Cell towers going down when the power was out for a few days is evidence that those towers were not designed to be critical infrastructure and shouldn't be used as a replacement for POTS or other actually-reliable communication methods. [1] I have no idea if that reliability still exists, or if AT&T ruined that reliability in the name of "efficiency" and profit.

thaumasiotes 7y ago
> The traditional POTS infrastructure was[1] designed to work without power for weeks. That involved no only battery backup, but also longer-lasting backup power (e.g. big tanks of diesel) for when the batteries ran out. > [1] I have no idea if that reliability still exists, or if AT&T ruined that reliability in the name of "efficiency" and profit. This is addressed in the article. It's unclear to me whether AT&T lines go down due to external power failure, but other providers don't use powered lines: > Residents said even their once-reliable landlines and Internet, such as those operated by Frontier Communications, weren’t working. Comcast/Xfinity also was down. > In the era of traditional phone service, Ma Bell’s lines were themselves energized and very reliable. > But companies’ transition to Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) – with phone calls over the Internet – is dependent on outside electricity. VOIP calls fail when either the company’s facility or the resident’s home lacks backup power. > Comcast customers lose service where the power is out at their home, because the services need energy to operate, according to Comcast’s Joan Hammel. Comcast service also stops if power is disrupted elsewhere in the network, she said. Comcast’s service, like all other companies who have transitioned to Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephony, fails when either the company’s facility or the resident’s home lacks backup power. > “Like all PG&E customers, we are also affected by this power shutdown, said Vince Bitong of AT&T. “We are aware that service for some customers may be affected and we continue to move quickly to keep our customers, FirstNet subscribers and public safety agencies connected.”

by pdkl95 7y ago

thaumasiotes 7y ago

> The traditional POTS infrastructure was[1] designed to work without power for weeks. That involved no only battery backup, but also longer-lasting backup power (e.g. big tanks of diesel) for when the batteries ran out. > [1] I have no idea if that reliability still exists, or if AT&T ruined that reliability in the name of "efficiency" and profit. This is addressed in the article. It's unclear to me whether AT&T lines go down due to external power failure, but other providers don't use powered lines: > Residents said even their once-reliable landlines and Internet, such as those operated by Frontier Communications, weren’t working. Comcast/Xfinity also was down. > In the era of traditional phone service, Ma Bell’s lines were themselves energized and very reliable. > But companies’ transition to Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) – with phone calls over the Internet – is dependent on outside electricity. VOIP calls fail when either the company’s facility or the resident’s home lacks backup power. > Comcast customers lose service where the power is out at their home, because the services need energy to operate, according to Comcast’s Joan Hammel. Comcast service also stops if power is disrupted elsewhere in the network, she said. Comcast’s service, like all other companies who have transitioned to Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephony, fails when either the company’s facility or the resident’s home lacks backup power. > “Like all PG&E customers, we are also affected by this power shutdown, said Vince Bitong of AT&T. “We are aware that service for some customers may be affected and we continue to move quickly to keep our customers, FirstNet subscribers and public safety agencies connected.”