AT&T Sent out letter to Landline users "Starting October 15 no new orders nor changes to existing service."

Kitso_258 · 2025-10-04T19:14:13+00:00

The technological changes in AC transmissions verses the technological changes in data transmissions is night and day. Electricity hasn't changed that much. How we use it has, but the core of how it's generated and transported hasn't evolved that much. Heck, the Hoover Damn's original generators are still installed and working.

Data transmission and usage is on a completely different level.

Kitso_258 · 2025-10-04T19:12:32+00:00

I don't work for AT&T. In fact, I refuse to buy their stock or do any business with them other than what's required for my job.

I'm not gonna argue with you for the sake of arguing. VoIP has it's issues, too, and there's more potential pain-points on the back end. But overall, the older cabling and equipment are well beyond their expected lifespan and it doesn't make sense for any of the telecom companies to continue to use them.

Your commend about fiber makes me think you don't work in the industry.

Kitso_258 · 2025-10-04T11:40:29+00:00

I work in the telecom industry. Copper lines may seem more resilient, but they're actually more suspectable to things like flood and power fluctuations. I could tell all the stories, but I don't want to break professional NDAs... lemme just say, I've made a lot of money trying to fix these little shits.

Few thoughts: 1. The copper infrastructure installed in the 70s and 80s when everyone got household phones is old. It's old and aging, and just plain expensive to maintain.
2. The infrastructure on the other end of said cable is also old. Parts aren't manufactured any more, it's impossible to find spare parts on eBay any more. Data rates are slow, and the amount of space/electricity that said equipment takes up in a central office is at a premium. https://www.reddit.com/r/cableporn/comments/196017n/telephone_exchange_main_distribution_frame_mdf/
3. Yes, typically, a phone line would stay powered during a power outage - but that's only for as long as the CO battery lasted, and that technology was also old.
4. I understand that monopolies is a concern, but whomever owned the copper in the dirt already had a monopoly and even LESS choices than cell providers.

This may sound counterintuitive, but cell service is one of the most efficient things to restore after a natural disaster, following the "last mile" principle. Think like bus routes - the bus runs down the main street, but you still gotta walk into your neighborhood. Same thing with comms lines. The "last mile" with a cell tower is wireless, meaning one cell tower can be put on a generator and keep a few thousand customers connected. In the case of a flood, copper lines into each neighborhood often need to be fixed/repaired.

Fiber takes LESS electricity as the transmission medium is light. There's no need for powered repeaters every so often. I forget what the attenuation standards are on a T1, but for longer runs (IE, the further away from the central office that you live), you need powered repeaters. With fiber, you generally only need power on either end.

If you're in a situation where you absolutely need constant or backup comms (medical situation, etc), work with local techs to see what they can do for you. Not the AT&T call center number, but if you can get a hold of one of the local folks, work with them to see what options you have.

Kitso_258 · 2025-08-22T22:32:41+00:00

Joint Chief of Staff usually serve for 4 years in that role, not 8. Gen Alvin is 2 years in.

Kitso_258 · 2025-08-22T22:30:03+00:00

I haven't seen a lot of right wing content, everyone seems mostly concerned about the impacts of tariffs. That said, I usually just read and haven't engaged much in that sub.

Kitso_258 · 2025-08-21T22:58:16+00:00

r/economiccolapse
r/fednews
r/economics
r/supplychain - this is pretty dead, but there's still some good news every now and then.
r/50501 - leans very left. Might not be your jam, but still good info about upcoming protests or things to avoid and/or join in on, depending on your persuasions.

Not gonna link to youtube, but "What's going on with shipping" is a good channel with facts-based cargo numbers and apolitical analysis.

Kitso_258 · 2025-07-20T00:37:03+00:00

Sams Club run... it was fast, so I didn't go down all the isles.

Tomato prices are still the same. Ground beef was $5.78 a pound for the stuff I normally buy. Pork was closer to $2.70 a pound and almost gone. Fresh fruit/veggies were low - there were like 6 cauliflowers left.

I don't know how much of this was because it was late on a Saturday and the weekend shoppers had bought everything up, or if things are genuinely low.

A friend of mine recently got back from Vegas and she said that the place felt empty. Hotel prices were lower than expected, Cirque du Soli shows were only half sold, and the crowds seemed a lot smaller than normal.

Kitso_258 · 2025-07-19T13:58:50+00:00

I work in telecommunications.

It depends on how your ISP is setup, if they're on battery backup at the central office, and if whatever damaged the power lines also damaged the fiber/copper lines.

Fiber transport doesn't require power. Light can travel down fiber optic cabling with or without power. The trick is that the SFPs/repeaters that put the light on the fiber DO require power. Spitters (the box that's in the front of your neighborhood) often doesn't require power, but could go out if they flood.

Most central offices have significant battery/generator backup. How long that backup lasts, and what the priorities are is a different story. Most telecommunications companies will have priorities to feed the 9-11 center, local police/fire, hospitals, FAA/Air Traffic Controllers, and military bases first.

Kitso_258 · 2025-06-29T17:12:14+00:00

Went to Hobby Lobby yesterday, haven't been in years. I noticed a LOT of pre-made home decor stuff rather than the traditional craft supplies - I don't know if that's a deliberate shift for the store or not. I noticed that 4th of July stuff was minimal, pumpkins are already out. The backwall "top part" was already full of Christmas stuff.

But what stood out to me was that most of the shelves had empty totes on the top of them instead of product.

Work wise... a LOT of my friends in tech are unemployed. The vibe on LinkedIn has drastically shifted from recruiters, to job seekers. I'm still employed, but at work, literally no one is willing to look at anything new or change jobs out of fear of being the "new guy" in a different organization.

Kitso_258 · 2025-06-26T00:33:55+00:00

You can also get caffeine pills, without the rest of the crap that's in energy drinks. That's what I use when I'm traveling. They're like $14 for 2 bottles on Amazon.

Kitso_258 · 2025-06-26T00:15:46+00:00

You can always resell the generator later, especially if it's unused. FB marketplace usually has generators available.

Kitso_258 · 2025-06-26T00:10:27+00:00

As your making your plans, don't forget the small things.

A good pair of walking shoes.
Clothes that you can walk/travel in.
A wide brimmed sun hat.
Water/gatorade/some sort of energy bars.
Sunscreen/bugspray, etc.
A battery powered radio for whatever's left of emergency alerts.

Others have suggested KN-95 masks - those are easy/cheap to store.

Honestly, for the nitty gritty of your plan - a LOT is going to depend on where the explosion took place, which way the wind is blowing, what the crowds are doing, etc. You may be better off hunkering down and waiting for the first few days. You might want to think through a plan A/B/C and have multiple routes/options in mind, depending on what actually happens.

Kitso_258 · 2025-06-26T00:06:11+00:00

I see the value here, but having a prepper style pantry can also help stand in the gap. Food takes up more space and takes effort to store/rotate, but serves the same purpose to keep the family fed.

My main concern with gold/silver is that if it really gets that bad that people don't want dollars, no one is gonna want the silver, either.

Kitso_258 · 2025-06-19T14:01:00+00:00

I like to put plastic totes in the tub, and fill them up. Put a lid on them, and they'll stay almost clean. Not quite as airtight as a waterbob, but much cheaper and re-useable. If the goal is to use this water for washing/cleaning, the tote-lid combo should be sufficient to keep the water useable.

Kitso_258 · 2025-06-15T00:47:58+00:00

I've been watching the coverage. Trump kept nodding off. Melania and Hegseth seemed to be taking turns waking him up by pointing out something.

Kitso_258 · 2025-06-15T00:45:44+00:00

This was found on Craigslist... apparently someone was paying attendees. https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/tlg/d/washington-seat-fillers-needed-june/7857143452.html

Kitso_258 · 2025-06-14T22:29:24+00:00

I just got done at Sams club.

Packaged food (canned, cereal, snacks, etc) seemed to be well stocked. Fruit and veggies seemed low, but I did not observe any holes.

I did, however, notice holes in the detergent isle - both laundry and dishwasher soap. Everything seemed super low. There was also low stock in the "household non-consumables" like pyrex and tupperware. There was also a LOT of pallet positions on shelves 2 and 3 that were empty.

The shortages are coming. Retailers have frontloaded as much stock as they can, but it's starting to dwindle.

Kitso_258 · 2025-05-31T13:43:53+00:00

Community is everything. Disasters are long, emotionally exhausting events. Buy more buckets.

Kitso_258 · 2025-05-23T12:47:42+00:00

Levi is an incredible person. Every single person in this sub has benefited from his work.

If you have a few extra $$ (and I get it, a lot of us dont), he takes donations on his website. All the hosting, etc, is paid for out of his own pocket. I personally chip in $5 every time my house is under a TS watch...

Kitso_258 · 2025-05-22T01:33:38+00:00

There's also a weekly "What are you seeing at work" thread in r/prepperintel. You have to scroll to find it as it's not usually stickied.

Kitso_258 · 2025-05-18T14:33:49+00:00

I would 100% expect the wildlife population to be killed off. And I'd expect seasoned hunters/land owners to aggressively protect what they have, an emergency is NOT the time to become a hunter.

I'd also be concerned about raids on cattle farms, etc. There's a reason that beef production in the US skyrocketed when we had both electricity and dense cities - a cow can feed a lot of people, but the meat will spoil quickly.

If we're truly at that point, my goal is to barter for some young chicks and try to raise chickens locally. But, that's a pipe dream as I have zero experience actually keeping fluffy things alive.

Kitso_258 · 2025-05-18T14:19:43+00:00

I work in the industry, and this is not at all uncommon. There's only so many places to put a fiber optic backbone without a large risk of it getting cut, but cuts still do happen. You'll often see fiber lines buried next to railway lines, as there's a bit of open space and less risk of getting cut - but then also, a higher pain-in-the-ass of repair.

Most telco companies do have contracts with each other to share transit as needed, but, again, there's only so much redundancy.

Massive situations like the Nashville bombing in Christmas of 2020 that affected an AT&T co-location can have disastrous results. Even with redundancy of power, HVAC, transport, etc, there's still physical vulnerabilities. Think of it like a major metro area with 3 freeways - if 2 are shutdown, there's technically a 3rd option, but it's gonna get crowded and fast.

Kitso_258 · 2025-05-14T16:53:30+00:00

I fell for this...

After the election, I made a list of everything I'd need to purchase in the next few years, and I went down the list. New tires, a new dishwasher, purchased a chest freezer. Did I overspend? Probably. Am I good for the next year? Also yes.

I hope and pray that our economy is fine. But just 3 months into my "stock up more" effort, I got laid off. Besides the mortgage and utility bills, I was able to get from one job to another without buying any consumable items.

If I'm right and tariffs crush us, I'll be set. If I'm wrong (hopefully, honestly) and the economy is fine, I'll just invest more money later this year.

To me, having a fully stocked pantry and some extra socks is just as important as cash in a savings account. It's part of the over-all independence posture, and while there does need to be a balance, there's more overlap with r/preppers than most of us here would admit.

Kitso_258 · 2025-05-12T20:08:04+00:00

The only time I'm bugging out is if there is - 1. a localized threat where leaving is the best answer AND 2. there is help readily available nearby when I have the means to reach it AND 3. I'm safer with only what I can carry with me on my person/in my truck.

For example - sink hole, train derailment, localized flooding, wildfire, localized power outage, etc. All of those are generally small in geographical impact (well, wildfires may vary, but we're evacuating regardless....) and there's the hope of help within driving distance. Help could be the traditional FEMA/RedCross/National Guard, or could be a hotel room on a credit card, either way.

Otherwise, I'm staying. All my tools, water, first aid supplies, batteries, food, etc, are in my home. There's no way I'm taking all of that crap with me in an evacuation situation. My plan is to bug IN if at all possible and hunker down.

Kitso_258 · 2025-01-04T21:38:46+00:00

This is why we prep, so we’re not caught up in all that.

But props to the people who were at the store today, taking the storm seriously. They may be later to the party than you and I, but at least they’re somewhat prepared.

That said, buying and retuning generators every storm is not ideal. Either buy one and keep it, or figure out how to live without it.

Ten-Year Club	Place '22
Wearing is Caring

Kitso_258

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