A.T.&T. employees missed breakdown; power failure unnoticed for 6 hours, company says
Article Abstract:
AT&T's long-distance services in the New York City area were disrupted on Tuesday, Sep 17, 1991, because, says AT&T, technicians working at a switching station did not notice that a generator had stopped. The system drew its power from batteries for about six hours. When the technicians did notice what had happened, the batteries were almost empty. The system then 'crashed.' Consequently, five million telephone calls were interrupted and regional air traffic control could not be maintained. Officials representing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are especially surprised to learn that so critical a system could depend for several hours on batteries and no one would know. Use of battery power in so critical a circumstance is described as 'very, very low-tech stuff.'
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1991
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A.T.&T. employees missed breakdown; power failure unnoticed for 6 hours, company says
Article Abstract:
AT&T's long-distance services in the New York City area were disrupted on Tuesday, Sep 17, 1991, because technicians working at a switching station did not notice that a generator had stopped. The system drew its power from batteries for about six hours. When the technicians did notice what had happened, the batteries were almost empty. The system then crashed. Consequently, five million telephone calls were interrupted and regional air traffic control could not be maintained. Officials representing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are especially surprised to learn that so critical a system could depend for several hours on batteries and no one would know.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1991
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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