TELECOM CARRIERS PREPARE FOR WORST AS HURRICANE APPROACHES

Verizon said low-lying equipment locations were being sandbagged and the company was preparing to send extra crews into storm-damaged areas. The company said all its central offices and other critical parts of the network were equipped with backup batteries and generators that would kick in automatically. It also said it was checking generators and making sure their fuel tanks were full. Verizon said its network was monitored “round the clock” and it had the ability to reroute traffic around some areas that might be damaged by the storm, ensuring the continued flow of intercity and long distance voice and data traffic. Verizon also warned its local phone consumers that cordless phones probably wouldn’t work if electrical power were lost: “A good solution is to keep handy a standard phone that does not need to be plugged into an electrical outlet.”

AT&T said it was completing preparations to make sure that its local, long distance and data networks would withstand the hurricane and that its Network Disaster Recovery capability was on alert and ready to restore service following any storm damage. AT&T’s Internet Data Centers and voice and packet data switching centers “are housed in buildings designed to withstand the most adverse conditions,” said Reed Harrison, AT&T’s senior vp-network engineering & operations: “All of these facilities are equipped with 2 levels of emergency backup power.” He also said most of AT&T’s fiber cable was “buried several feet underground and so [was] protected from the ravages of bad weather.”

Sprint said it had begun preparing for Isabel “months ago because preparation for hurricane season is an annual event for the company.” It said late Wed. it was focused on the “final preparations” for wireline and wireless sites, such as making sure generators were completely filled with fuel, PCS cell site batteries were fully charged and all emergency suppliers were available.

Nextel said Wed. it had “hundreds of backup generators ready for deployment.” How the wireless industry depends on the electrical grid was among the focuses of a Network Reliability & Interoperability Council (NRIC) meeting at the FCC this week (CD Sept 16 p1) that provided an update on the impact of last month’s Northeast power outage on wireline and wireless networks. Some cell sites had spotty coverage as the blackout wore on as backup batteries wore down and portable generators were being redeployed, officials said. Nextel said it now had Satellite Cellsite on Wheels (SatCOW), which it said could provide network capacity for public safety and first responders on a national level and could deploy “in less than 45 minutes simultaneous communications to multiple agencies.”

Verizon Wireless said that in preparation for Isabel, “all personnel” have been placed on standby and backup generators have been readied. “Damage assessment teams have been designated and will be dispatched as soon as the storm has passed,” the carrier said. It said “thousands” of loaner wireless phones and additional batteries were being prepared for use by emergency personnel. Extra phones and batteries have been shipped to East Coast retail stores, it said. If power failures close customer care centers, Verizon Wireless said it was making plans to have calls rererouted to alternate offices.

The House concluded its legislative work for the week Wed. to permit members to leave town before the projected arrival of Hurricane Isabel today (Thurs.). The early departure postpones the House Telecom Subcommittee markup of E911 originally scheduled for this morning. The panel rescheduled the markup for Tues., Sept. 23, at 2:30 p.m., Rm. 2123, Rayburn Bldg. At least 2 Senate committees are taking a business-as-usual approach to the hurricane, however. As of our deadline Wed., the Senate Judiciary Committee still was planning a markup at 10:30 a.m. today (Thurs.) that included S-1293, an antispam bill by Chmn. Hatch (R-Utah) and ranking Democrat Leahy (Vt.).

As Washington girded for high winds and rain from Hurricane Isabel’s predicted arrival later today (Thurs.), numerous events were canceled, particularly those requiring out-of-town attendance. Among them: (1) NPR cancelled a board meeting at its hq in Washington scheduled for Thurs. and Fri. A spokeswoman said no new dates had been announced. (2) NARUC’s Triennial Review Implementation Process (TRIP) Task Force canceled a Fri. workshop at the FCC. TRIP Task Force Chmn. Rebecca Klein said the group was looking for another date “in the relatively near future.” (3) The American Enterprise Institute announced earlier in the week it was postponing a wireless regulation conference in Washington at which Comr. Abernathy and House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) were to speak. On schedule at our deadline was a day-long FCC Rural Wireless ISP showcase and workshop Thurs., which starts at 9:30 a.m. at Commission hq with comments by Chmn. Powell.