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The Telecom Digest for Sat, 29 Dec 2018
Volume 37 : Issue 297 : "text" format

Table of contents
911 emergency services go down across the US after CenturyLink outageMonty Solomon
Re: Nationwide internet outage affects CenturyLink, Verizon Jim Millick
Re: Nationwide internet outage affects CenturyLink, Verizon HAncock4
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <220D5DAA-3AE8-4556-9369-95F45E1A4E53@roscom.com> Date: 28 Dec 2018 13:01:34 -0500 From: "Monty Solomon" <monty@roscom.com> Subject: 911 emergency services go down across the US after CenturyLink outage 911 emergency services in several states across the U.S. remain down after a massive outage at a CenturyLink datacenter. The outage began after 12pm ET on Thursday, according to CenturyLink's status page <https://status.ctl.io/history/68d99a34-94e8-4fdf-af20-8612e335f97d>, and continues to cause disruption across 911 call centers. Some states have seen their services restored. CenturyLink has not said what caused the outage beyond an issue with a "network element," but said in its latest update - around 11am ET on Friday - that the company said that it was "seeing good progress, but our service restoration work is not complete." http://worldabcnews.com/911-emergency-services-go-down-across-the-us-after-centurylink-outage-techcrunch/ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <q06eg1$bma$1@reader2.panix.com> Date: 29 Dec 2018 00:18:09 +0000 From: "Jim Millick" <jsm@panix.com> Subject: Re: Nationwide internet outage affects CenturyLink, Verizon In article <20181228052211.GA31928@telecom.csail.mit.edu>, Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> wrote: >ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - Internet outages plagued several states >Thursday including New Mexico. This NBC story includes an outage map, and noted in Boston, when a man's cell phone couldn't call 911, he used a still- working (copper and battery) street-side red alert box system (from 1852) that used Morse Code (!) to contact the Boston Fire Department: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fcc-launches-probe-centurylink-wake-nation/wide-911-outage-n952681 ***** Moderator's Note ***** Oh, good grief. I wish that NBC would take the time to verify the facts in its stories: Gamewell boxes don't send Morse Code unless there's a Fire Department Telegraph Operator standing there using a Morse Code key. The internal mechanism that is engaged by pulling down the alarm hook sends a series of equal-length pulses that correspond to the number on the box. These boxes do NOT automagically send Morse Code. The difference is important: claiming that a McCulloch Loop uses Morse Code implies that it has mechanical intelligence, i.e., the ability to send different message depending on internal settings and/or external events. Neither is correct: the mechanism can only signal to the dispatchers that /something/ has happened, not what it is or whether the ambulance, police, or fire departments should be sent. Bill Horne Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <32a43508-d416-4586-bef8-877920a2aeea@googlegroups.com> Date: 28 Dec 2018 13:47:22 -0800 From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> Subject: Re: Nationwide internet outage affects CenturyLink, Verizon On Friday, December 28, 2018 at 12:31:52 AM UTC-5, Bill Horne wrote: > ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - Internet outages plagued several states > Thursday including New Mexico. > > Verizon and CenturyLink both reported service issues across the > country, affecting several major cities. > > https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/albuquerque-officials-report-verizon-outage-affected-911-call-center/1676481817 NBC News reported that the FCC wants to investigate. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fcc-launches-probe-centurylink-wake-nationwide-911-outage-n952681 Would anyone know why this would be a nationwide outage? I would think 911 service would be a local function. Back in 1966, the Bell System advertised about the high reliability of its network and usefulness in getting police help: https://books.google.com/books?id=WFYEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA80-IA2&dq=life%20%22one%20reason%20you%20can%20call%20for%20help%22&pg=PA81#v=onepage&q&f=false ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Sat, 29 Dec 2018

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