NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Cable Companies want to keep their locations secret from ... terrorists!
Cable Companies want to keep their locations secret from ... terrorists! http://j.mp/eAT2lE (This posting on Google Buzz) - - - http://j.mp/hOVCjs (Public Knowledge) - - - Greetings. I love this one. NCTA -- the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, wants permission to keep their "headend" facility locations secret -- to protect them from terrorist attacks, of course! Problem is ... well, almost everybody knows where they are anyway, and even if you didn't know before, they're typically really easy to find. Just like with phone company facilities, these buildings have often been in use by these firms and their monopoly ancestors since the dawn of the telecommunications age, and are usually very clearly marked. For example, take the Time Warner Cable headend that serves my location. Not only is the address listed and the building well marked with Time Warner signage, but the main customer service center (where I've been many times to exchange defective set top boxes) is part of the same facility. And as you can see: http://j.mp/h8TVah (Lauren's Blog) the array of big receive dishes is not only obvious from the street, but the area is directly accessible from the public parking lot (in fact, note that the handicapped spaces are directly adjacent to the dishes themselves). Speaking of phone companies, if anyone running "critical infrastructure" was concerned about keeping their locations secret for security reasons, it would likely be the telephone companies. But let's see how a couple of my favorite telco facilities here in L.A. are "hidden" from the public. First we have some "inconspicuous" AT&T switching facility buildings here in the San Fernando Valley: http://j.mp/gPSSo3 (Lauren's Blog) Now, it might be argued that gigantic, windowless concrete "cubes" topped with AT&T logos don't attract attention, but then it also might be argued that the moon is made of green cheese. The smaller building on the right was the original Pacific Telephone building, then decades ago AT&T built the adjoining complex, which likely is mostly empty space these days given the demise of bulky electromechanical switching equipment. That massive structure -- which is still a very major regional communications hub -- was originally topped with tall microwave horns as well. Then we have the Verizon central office facility along the San Diego Freeway between Encino and West L.A.: http://j.mp/iewwTL (Lauren's Blog) Note how it keeps a "low profile" for security reasons -- with the giant FioS banners and the "Have Your People Call Our People" slogan (hey, it's L.A.!) As you might guess, this facility serves parts of West L.A. and most of Bel Air. I've lived in L.A. my entire life and I can't remember when that building wasn't there. Originally it sported the General Telephone logo, then GTE, now Verizon -- a monopoly-era resource that keeps on serving the profit centers! OK, enough of the tour -- and hopefully enough examples of why attempts to "hide" cable headend locations (or telephone company central offices, for that matter) from public records are silly, nutty, and just plain stupid. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org Founder: - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org - Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Google Buzz: http://bit.ly/lauren-buzz Quora: http://www.quora.com/Lauren-Weinstein Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com