Gunplay blamed for Internet slowdown ( fiber optic cables shot with guns)

Network World ^ | August 20, 2007 | Robert McMillan, IDG News Service

[El Gato]

That's what I was thinking. Some youngster/youngsters bringing in dove season early.

Along 2/3 mile of cable, around Cleveland?

[ikka]

That is true, L3 owned the cable. However, what I am saying is that the network built on top of the cables is better able to handle the case where one connection no longer works.

The Telia guys cheaped out, their network design could not accomodate the situation where that connection stopped working. With Level3, they have multiple pieces of fiber coming in from different places.

Contrived Example: they have a fiber that goes from Dallas to Chicago, and a different fiber going from Pittsburgh to Chicago. If the Pittsburgh to Chicago link goes down, they have enough extra capacity to reach Chicago by going through Dallas instead.

[El Gato]

Probably somebody shooting at a bird on a wire

And affected 2/3 of a mile of cable? Cable which had to be "pulled up"?

[ozzymandus]

If you want to think terrorists are going around shooting fiber optic cables, be my guest.

[El Gato]

If you want to think terrorists are going around shooting fiber optic cables, be my guest.

Never said it was terrorists, but I don't think it was a couple of guys accidentally shooting the cable while hunting or plinking. Vandalism, sure, but in absence of any other information a "trial run" is a possibility that can't be completely discounted either.