by
dane » Wed Aug 16, 2023 12:01 pm
All of the fiber COs are physically diversely connected, in multiple directions.
The most common cause of failures is equipment issues, or human error. We build in a lot of redundancy and physical diversity in order to create and manage the most reliable network that we can.
And as you note, fiber itself is far more reliable than old copper bas d services. Because it’s glass it’s not subject to corrosion or interference, and because it’s a passive network, there are generally no outside cabinets, so fiber is generally not affected by power outages.
This is an Achilles heel for cable, the thousands of cabinets on poles that have batteries in them only last a little while. They try to put their best foot forward in this filing, but they opposed a requirement for 72 hours of battery backup. Good reading about why cable can’t be made reliable when power isn’t always reliably available:
https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/ ... 045570.PDF
With the PG&E public safety power shutoff (PSPS) regime today, I anticipate the Cable will continue to frustrate people.