Re: Central Office Emergency Power [WAS Re: [PLUG] Re: FIOS]

[Kevin Brosius <cobra@compuserve.com>]

William H. Magill wrote:
> On 01 May, 2006, at 10:38, TuskenTower wrote:
> > While reading articles about emergency recovery (after Hurican
> > Katrina), I came across some interesting information about the power
> > capacity of the local central offices that serve telephone lines.
> > Central offices are equipped with battery backups and (maybe) backup
> > generators. During an emergency, without power these COs can last for
> > a some days (I'm hoping some is more than 7 days).
> >
> > Maybe we should be asking for FIOS _and_ POTS (plain old telephone
> > service).
> 
> I don't know exact numbers these days for ALL CO's, however primary
> switching centers
> maintained a full set of batteries and standby-generators with 7 day
> fuel supply on site and 15-30 day supply within a 6 hour delivery
> distance.
> [Historically they were 9th and race and 24th and South, but I also
> know that Evergreen (38th and Chestnut) is similarly equipped now.]
> 
> The classic POTS system carries 48v DC on the lines - virtually all
> the time. There is, or at least there was, a special number one could
> dial which would allow tapping the battery directly, used routinely
> by field linemen back in the days of Ma Bell for powering soldering
> irons while up on a pole! This 48 volt current is supplied by the
> batteries "in the basement." They are on-line all the time, under
> constant "trickle charge" -- basically a submarine system. In the
> event of a mains outage, a stand-by generator would kick-in and spin
> up within 15 minutes to keep the charge up. (We're talking about a
> stand-by generator here the size of a 40 foot trailer.) Historically,
> 9th and race simply would pull the plug on the Mains once a month and
> run on the Stand-by system for a 4-12 hour period as part of
> "standard operating procedures."
> 
> How those systems have evolved over the past 25 years is hard to say.
> Minimally, if one takes Evergereen as an example, the power
> requirements went from powering equipment spread out over 6 floors to
> powering equipment on less than one floor. So, theoretically, the
> generator and tanks they have installed there will last a LOT longer
> than in the past. (Note that the Verizon Mobile operation at 40th and
> Chestnut has a completely separate stand-by generator capacity.)
> 
> The real question about Fibre based systems is how is the equipment
> "in the loop" powered. Any kind of repeater, switch or similar device
> in the loop outside the CO needs to be powered.
> 

Well, the ONT (house mounted fiber termination, like your NID, but for
the new fiber) connects to a backup battery that is claimed to last 4-8
hrs for phone service alone.  From my understanding, it doesn't back up
the internet or tv ports on the ONT.  So that's one of the first places
you'd need a UPS or generator.  It sounds like that will not last
anywhere near 7 days.  There is a lot of discussion about this over on
broadbandreports Verizon fiber forum.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiber

A few people seem to have been able to get FIOS installed for internet
service, and still retain their copper pair for phone (POTS) service. 
Others report that the Verizon tech made them switch phone service to
the ONT phone port.

(snip)
> 
> One interesting question about FIOS would be -- how does it (if it
> does) qualify for "life-line" service? "Life-line" service is a
> specific tariff with the PUC available to elderly, disabled and
> similarly defined individuals. I don't know the specifics of the
> tariff, and it may be only a "low-cost," not "level of service"
> definition.

It sounds like initially, it's only being offered for installs of Fiber
internet or Fiber TV service, so I don't think it will include life-line
until Verizon wants to stop supporting the remaining copper pairs.

-- 
Kevin
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