Vandalism in Arizona Shut Down Internet, Cellphone, Telephone Service Across State | Washington Free Beacon

[Rob Seastrom]

Tom Azlin W7SUA <tom at nilza.org> writes:

> Hi Rob,
>
> Indeed there are two major roads and one railroad north through the
> mountains from Phoenix then several long way around loops. Plus we are
> close to I-40 north of us.  Given most of Northern AZ was without
> internet must be no CenturyLink routes along I-40 so Flagstaff and
> Prescott served by a stub? Might be that Verizon has completely
> different physical layer.
>
> I thought that that SONET was in fact being done cheaply with folded
> loops on single cables ( stubs?) in the ground with multiple fiber
> bundles.

The term of art is "collapsed ring".  People certainly do this, with
the deleterious effects noted above.  You might think of it as a "WCP"
(Worst Current Practice, as distinguished from Best Current Practice).

> And that some out here in the West had years ago switched to
> mesh networks since SONET to economize.

Not sure what "mesh networks" means in this context.  Patched paths
with ROADMs?  

> Next event was that power for most of the two counties that contain
> Prescott and Flagstaff was out for several hours last night due to
> major storm. We are getting heavy rain and snow depending on elevation
> out here. Best rain in several years.

Hooboy.

-r