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Networks & Infrastructure
Cable Cut Conundrum
Better Call Before You Dig!
by Sean Buckley
Even though it does not feel much like spring here in New England, April not only brings showers for May flowers but, in the telecom service provider industry, it’s a time when underground cables are accidentally cut by people gardening and doing construction.
While natural disasters can’t be avoided, I am amazed by the lack of preparation by construction companies and individuals who don’t call ahead to determine where communications cables are buried.
I became more aware of how rampant this problem is during a recent conversation with Embarq, Sprint’s former local telephone division. With a widely dispersed footprint that extends into year-round construction states such as Nevada and Florida, Embarq made a plea to the public: Call before you dig (see EMBARQ Reminds Everyone To Call Before You Dig). Todd Bell, Embarq’s manager of contract labor and administration, told me August and May are the busiest.
“In 2006, we had a total of 3,489 cable damages,” Bell said. “Our biggest month was August with 378 damages, and our second biggest month was May.”
But help is on the way for service providers and utility companies alike. With the debut of a new government-mandated 811 call-before-you-dig number, any entity or individual anticipating a dig can dial these three digits and be routed directly to a specific state’s call-before-you-dig contact center.
Cable cuts, however, are not just caused by construction companies and gardeners. The most recent headline I found was somewhat amusing, yet also disturbing, and came from the town of Nashua, N.H.’s The Telegraph: “Two NH men electrocuted in apparent theft gone bad.”
These two gentlemen, looking to cash in on stealing and selling copper wire to an area recycling plant, dressed up in telephone company work clothes, cut into a live wire and electrocuted themselves. And, according to reports from the Aluminum Association Web site, there’s a good amount of money to be made from selling unshielded copper wire: $2 to $3 per pound.
Although selling copper by the pound could put a couple extra bucks in my—or anyone else’s—pocket, this story should serve as a cautionary tale to those trying to steal copper wire and sell it.
So, as I get into my yard to plant new rose bushes—an activity held up by early spring snow and lower-than-usual temperatures—I will be vigilant about calling 811 before fetching my shovel from the shed.
Sean Buckley
Editor in Chief
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