Re: Not just O2
>Ma-Bell approved reliability and resilience - as of a few years ago anyway. In other words, have a landline backup if you care about 24/7/365 availability guarantees for 999 service.
Outside of core downtown areas, you haven't had Ma-Bell approved reliability since the early 1990s.
Better than the cable company to be sure. But the neighborhood concentrators used to reduce the number of copper lines running back to central offices and expand the availability of DSL rely on batteries that die in 24-48 hours. And I live in an area that hurricanes or ice storms produce widespread one to two week long power outages one to two times a decade.
My state has been slowly building out its own fiberoptic network connecting public buildings for this reason (loss of reliable telecommunication service). As long as the fiber is not cut (unusual from storms, since the the power lines usually take the brunt of the hit) and you have power (generator) for the optical network terminals, voice and data will continue to work.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
