Bulk fiber optic cables might not be the most expensive thing in the world, but that probably doesn’t make ATandT or Humboldt County, CA residents any happier about a recent accidental mishap. A crew of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) workers were taking care of some maintenance between Fortuna and Rio Dell working on storm cleanup when they unintentionally cut fiber optic cables run by ATandT Wednesday (12/9) morning. The result of which was disrupted phone and internet service in Humboldt County, according to the areas local news site KRCRTV.com.
?This isn?t the first time this crew has cleared this culvert this way,? said Eli Rohl, a representative for Caltrans. ?There was no indication that utilities existed under the ground near the culvert.?
In addition to the general inconvenience the severed fiber optic cables caused local residents, businesses, and government organizations, the incident occurred before another storm was scheduled to hit later that day. Instead of being able to check power strip surge protectors local residents were left to figure out how to operate in a world increasingly dependent on internet and phone services.
?Our local crews are working to repair the equipment and restore service as soon as possible. We apologize for this inconvenience,” ATandT spokesperson Matthew Cross told North Coast News.
Fiber optic cables are networking lines that can transmit data at higher bandwidths than other metal or wire cables, like an HDMI. There are three types of HDMI Standard cables: plain old HDMI Standard, HDMI Standard with Ethernet, and HDMI Standard Automotive. Lastly, there are two types of HDMI High Speed: regular HDMI High Speed and HDMI High Speed with Ethernet. Most people believe HDMI cords run at least $50, but they can be found for much cheaper outside of big-box retailers.
Another reason fiber optics are preferred is because of their durability. The average life expectancy of fiber optic cables is typically 20-25 years compared to something like a CAT 5 Cable, which can be expected to last between five and 10.
