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.'

---

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.

New York, New York, New York

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: F.C.C. proposes limited privacy for callers in number ID system. Administration seeks profits in plan to auction airwaves
• Abstracts: A.T.&T. admits alarms failed in cutoff. Theories narrowed in phone inquiry. String of phone failures perplexes companies and U.S. investigators
• Abstracts: Apple-I.B.M. pact is said to be near. A.T.& T. contract is blocked

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.