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TMCNet: Quick facts about Lake Wenatchee south-shore fiber

[January 17, 2013]

Quick facts about Lake Wenatchee south-shore fiber

Jan 17, 2013 (The Wenatchee World - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- When was the south shore fiber line installed August 2008 at a cost of $300,000.

Why can't they just fix it The fiber cable contains 144 strands of glass fiber. Each strand in use carries data for Internet, telephone and cable TV service. When a cable breaks, each of these strands must be repaired individually. Each fix, called a "splice," may restore service only to a few customers. Fiber splices take far longer than electric wire splices. When a fiber cable has many breaks, replacement is the fastest, cheapest option, PUD officials say.
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Why is the south shore fiber line so expensive to fix at Lake Wenatchee Replacement costs are higher than new installation costs because they involve removing damaged fiber equipment from poles before new equipment can be installed.

Doesn't the PUD have insurance The PUD has insurance to cover property damage, but its deductible is $1 million, officials say.

Why not bury fiber in the ground PUD officials say burying fiber would increase its installation costs six- to 10-fold.

Why is the PUD "take rate" of 26 percent along the lake's south shore so much lower than LocalTel's 50+ percent The PUD figure is calculated on 244 total area addresses, which include vacant lots. The LocalTel figure is calculated on a base of 157 actual area homes, about 80 of which take fiber service.

Does the PUD have a legal obligation to rebuild the line PUD lead attorney Carol Wardell says no. The utility's service contract doesn't require it to rebuild or reimburse for lost revenue "in connection with any failure or deficiency of the District's System caused by or associated with: Circumstances beyond the District's reasonable control..." Lack of legal obligation doesn't necessarily mean the PUD won't rebuild the line, Wardell said.

Source: Chelan County PUD ___ (c)2013 The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.) Visit The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.) at www.wenatcheeworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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