Telco Pirates Hold Silicon Valley Hostage

[ Thanks to Tom
Dunlap for this link. ]

“Speculation about who cut the wires was running
rampant. Terrorists? Extreme hackers? A union spokeswoman
vehemently denied it, but some wondered if it was disgruntled
members of the Communications Workers of America, as the Chronicle
reported:

“The vandalism comes as AT&T is in talks with the [union]
for a contract covering more than 80,000 employees, who have been
working under their old deal since it expired at 11:59 p.m.
Saturday. Union members voted in late March to authorize a strike
but have not scheduled one.

“The blackout had a huge ripple affect. “Keep Santa Cruz Weird,”
is a popular slogan in this beach and college town, and there was
much weirdness today. Here are some scenes from the Great
Communications Blackout of 09.

* Frustrated ATM button punchers, staring blankly at the
non-responsive screen. A long line to get into the bank behind
them.
* Gasoline seekers counting their change, because the credit card
machines didn’t work (that was me, actually.)
* People overheard talking to each other at Internet cafes, rather
than ignoring each other/staring at their screens.”

Complete
Story