When the cord is cut - Silicon valley area lost connection due to vandalism

Updated on Friday, April 10, 2009 at 9:35PM by Jon Arnason

As you may have heard, areas of San Francisco’s South Bay and coast lost their landline, cell phone, and Internet connectivity because an individual or individuals unknown deliberately sliced four fiber optic cables in San Jose, California. This action (currently termed “vandalism”), in addition to unplugging over 50,000 area residents, caused many businesses to shut down and threatened lives because 911 services were out for the better part of the day.

This was a serious business, and my hope is that whoever thought this one up will spend the most productive years of a lifetime in a cramped jail cell mulling over the consequences of their decision. AT&T is posting a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator(s). In a tight economy I can’t think of a more worthwhile way to make a buck.

Now, let’s talk about me (because, as my family and friends routinely remind me, it’s always about me).

I was among those affected and it was an enlightening experience. I’m accustomed to power outages given that a single drop of moisture touching a power line after the first day of spring is enough to short out the works in my neighborhood. However, I have a couple of uninterruptible power supplies that keep my Internet connection alive and a MacBook Pro with an always-charged battery. If necessary I can keep the wheels turning for a couple of hours. And if push comes to shove, I can drive to where I can receive a cell signal and work from my iPhone.

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