Silicon Valley 2.0 - Climate Preparedness Gap Analysis Communications Infrastructure Sector 37 Communications Sector Introduction: Climate change poses a threat to communications assets and function in the Santa Clara County region. Communications companies and their regulatory agencies will need to implement effective climate preparedness actions to minimize potential impacts. This section reviews existing plans, programs, and other initiatives that could help prepare the communications sector for future climate change. The communications sector within the county is comprised of various service providers and regulatory bodies. There are close to 50 residential communications service providers operating local residential voice services, wireless/cell communication services, DSL broadband connection services, cable broadband connection services, and non-DSL/Cable Broadband connection services within Santa Clara County jurisdictions. 1 The communications service providers own and operate various assets and infrastructure in Santa Clara County, such as office space, data centers, fiber-optics networks, hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) plants, cellular communication towers, switch locations, and micro-sites (also known as micro base stations). 2 They are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Subsequent sections in this chapter describe the various vulnerabilities faced by the communications sector as a result of climate change, and the extent to which these vulnerabilities have been addressed by this sector in Santa Clara County. Climate Change Vulnerabilities in the Communications Sector: The communications sector in Santa Clara County is vulnerable to five climate change variables: changes in precipitation patterns more extreme and frequent heat events sea level rise storm surge wildfires For more information on the nature and projected trends in these variables, refer to the Silicon Valley 2.0 – Climate Variable Memorandum. The assets and services of the communications sector that are affected by these climate change variables, and the nature of impacts on the assets and services are summarized below in Table 1: 1 This figure was obtained in late 2013 from the CPUC’s Telco Carrier Services Database. < http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/Telco/Consumer+Information/carrierlists.htm> As of writing, the CPUC is no longer publishing this database. 2 This list of infrastructure and assets has been compiled based on interviews conducted with communications industry representatives in Santa Clara County, and may not be comprehensive.
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Silicon Valley 2.0 - Climate Preparedness Gap Analysis
Communications Infrastructure Sector 37
Communications Sector Introduction: Climate change poses a threat to communications assets and function in the Santa Clara County region.
Communications companies and their regulatory agencies will need to implement effective climate
preparedness actions to minimize potential impacts. This section reviews existing plans, programs, and
other initiatives that could help prepare the communications sector for future climate change.
The communications sector within the county is comprised of various service providers and regulatory
bodies. There are close to 50 residential communications service providers operating local residential
voice services, wireless/cell communication services, DSL broadband connection services, cable
broadband connection services, and non-DSL/Cable Broadband connection services within Santa Clara
County jurisdictions.1
The communications service providers own and operate various assets and infrastructure in Santa Clara
County, such as office space, data centers, fiber-optics networks, hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) plants,
cellular communication towers, switch locations, and micro-sites (also known as micro base stations).2
They are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
Subsequent sections in this chapter describe the various vulnerabilities faced by the communications
sector as a result of climate change, and the extent to which these vulnerabilities have been addressed
by this sector in Santa Clara County.
Climate Change Vulnerabilities in the Communications Sector: The communications sector in Santa Clara County is vulnerable to five climate change variables:
changes in precipitation patterns
more extreme and frequent heat events
sea level rise
storm surge
wildfires
For more information on the nature and projected trends in these variables, refer to the Silicon
Valley 2.0 – Climate Variable Memorandum. The assets and services of the communications sector
that are affected by these climate change variables, and the nature of impacts on the assets and
services are summarized below in Table 1:
1 This figure was obtained in late 2013 from the CPUC’s Telco Carrier Services Database. <
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/Telco/Consumer+Information/carrierlists.htm> As of writing, the CPUC is no longer publishing this database. 2 This list of infrastructure and assets has been compiled based on interviews conducted with communications
industry representatives in Santa Clara County, and may not be comprehensive.
Silicon Valley 2.0 - Climate Preparedness Gap Analysis
Communications Infrastructure Sector 41
Existing Climate Change Preparedness Efforts
No specific initiative exists to prepare the sector assets for sea level rise or a climate change-related
increase in storm surge and coastal flooding. The communications sector, however, does have existing
frameworks to deal with current coastal flooding threats, which could be adapted to incorporate climate
change considerations. These existing efforts are described in the section entitled “Other Parallel Efforts
with Climate Change Preparedness Benefits” below.
Efforts Addressing Wildfires
Description of Communications Sector Vulnerability
As a result of climate change, wildfires in the Santa Clara County region are expected to increase in
frequency and intensity, and the duration of the fire season is expected to lengthen. Any
communications assets such as cellular communication towers or data transmission lines that might be
located in the direct path of wildfires are at risk of structural and functional damage from wildfires.
Additionally, given the communications sector’s dependence on the energy sector for uninterrupted
services, any damage caused to energy sector infrastructure by wildfires could potentially affect the
communications sector.
Existing Climate Change Preparedness Efforts
No specific initiative exists to prepare the sector assets for a climate change-related increase in wildfire
frequency or extent. This sector, however, does have existing frameworks to deal with the current
threat of wildfire, which could be adapted to incorporate climate change considerations. These existing
efforts are described in the section below.
Other Parallel Efforts with Climate Change Preparedness Benefits Previous sections in this chapter have shown that communications service providers exhibit to some
extent, an existing capacity to be able to withstand current and anticipated impacts of specific climatic
changes such as flooding and extreme heat events. This section describes the general, common
framework that communications service providers have in place to prepare for and respond to multiple
natural disasters that might be exacerbated as a result of climate change.
Contingency Plans for Relocation of Assets
Description: Some communications service providers in Santa Clara County have put in place
contingency plans to relocate specific critical infrastructure and assets. For example, Sprint has
site recovery plans for critical assets such as switch locations, which includes options for
relocation of these assets if necessary. In addition, Sprint also has strategies in place to provide
alternative work locations and remote access to resume operations during natural disasters. In
time, it is possible that these plans may be applied for permanent relocation of assets in
response to sea level rise, or temporary relocation of assets in response to short-term climate
change variables such as flooding, wildfires, landslides, or erosion.
Implementation level: Parallel Effort with Climate Preparedness Benefits
Relevant agencies: Communications Service Providers
Documentation of efforts: Sprint Business Continuity Plan
Silicon Valley 2.0 - Climate Preparedness Gap Analysis
42 Communications Infrastructure Sector
Risk Assessment and Disaster Mitigation Strategy Planning
Description: Communications service providers in Santa Clara County such as Sprint have
conducted assessments of their assets to rank the criticality of the functions that these assets
provide, and to identify the risks that these assets face from various natural disasters. Based on
these criticality and risk assessments, Sprint has identified specific mitigation strategies to reduce
the risk to prioritized assets.
Implementation level: Parallel Effort with Climate Preparedness Benefits
Relevant agencies: Communications Service Providers
Documentation of efforts: Sprint Business Continuity Plan
Infrastructure Improvements
Description: Communications service companies have made various improvements to
infrastructure to minimize the chances of service interruption which may result from various
reasons. For example, most Sprint hub locations are placed on their SONET bi-directional fiber
rings, which reduce the chance of network failure due to third party fiber damage, equipment
failures, or other potential causes of service interruptions. Additionally, Sprint’s radio network
provides significant overlapping of coverage areas, which allow cell sites to fully or partially
compensate for a poorly functioning neighboring cell site. Finally, Sprint applies extremely
stringent industry standards (e.g. standards on structural design, engineering, technology,
redundancy, security, maintenance and continuous operations) to exceptionally critical assets
such as data centers.
Implementation level: Parallel Effort with Climate Preparedness Benefits
Relevant agencies: Communications Service Providers
Documentation of efforts: Sprint Business Continuity Plan
Emergency Response
Description: Communications companies have a robust emergency response framework in
place, consisting of standard procedures and guidelines, expert personnel, and equipment,
which enables an efficient response to natural disasters. For example, during emergencies,
Sprint forms Emergency Operation Centers, and staffs them with cross-functional Emergency
Response Teams consisting of trained personnel. Additionally, Sprint maintains state-of-the-art
technology such as satellite phones, direct talk units, (off-network unit-to-unit communications)
GPS hand held units, camera phones, laptop wireless cards, and smart phones to aid in response
communication, situation assessment and resource tracking. Lastly, Sprint provides tools such as
Satellite backhaul SatCOLTs (Cell on Light Truck) and COWs (Cell on Wheel) that enable
restoration of service when a traditional circuit is not available, or provide additional capacity in
the vicinity of an incident. In addition responding effectively to emergencies that directly impact
Sprint’s infrastructure and assets, the company’s emergency response framework also provides
support to federal, state and local public safety, law enforcement, military agencies and private
sector organizations during declared emergencies.
Implementation level: Parallel Effort with Climate Preparedness Benefits
Relevant agencies: Telecommunication Service Providers
Silicon Valley 2.0 - Climate Preparedness Gap Analysis
Communications Infrastructure Sector 43
Documentation of efforts: Sprint Business Continuity Plan
Monitoring
Description: Communications service providers in Santa Clara County have continuous
monitoring systems in place to ensure the proper functioning of their operations. For example,
Sprint’s Network Monitoring Centers and local switching offices track the performance of the
company’s network throughout the year.
Implementation level: Parallel Effort with Climate Preparedness Benefits
Relevant agencies: Communications Service Providers
Documentation of efforts:
o Sprint Business Continuity Plan
Inclusion of Natural Disaster Response and Recovery in Business Continuity Plans
Description: Communications service providers in Santa Clara County such as Comcast and
Sprint have Business Continuity Plans and Programs in place, which are responsible for effective
natural disasters response and recovery. For example, The Business Continuity Program at Sprint
has adapted key principles from entities including the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), NFPA 1600, and the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII). These business
continuity plans are revisited at least annually, and adapted accordingly, upon the availability of
new information. For example, Sprint routinely conducts Business Impact Analyses to evaluate
the criticality of its operations at the regional level, and if changes in risks are encountered, the
company adapts accordingly.
Implementation level: Parallel Effort with Climate Preparedness Benefits
Relevant agencies: Communications Service Providers
Documentation of efforts:
o Phone interview with Comcast and Sprint representatives
o Sprint Business Continuity Plan
Internal Staff Trainings and Exercises on Natural Disaster Preparedness, Response, and
Recovery
Description: Communications service providers conduct thorough trainings of employees on
various aspects of disaster preparedness and response. For example, at Sprint, annual training
cycles are followed to ensure familiarity with systems, processes and peer organizations. Ad-hoc
training is also conducted for new team members on procedure changes. In addition to trainings,
employees at Sprint also undergo hands-on exercises to evaluate plans, educate personnel, and
test functions and operational capability of Sprint’s response organizations. The most common
types of exercises conducted are: Tabletop, Walk-through, Functional drills, and Full-scale. Full-
scale exercises are simulated to be as close as possible to a real-life disaster and may involve a
combination of response teams, management, field operations, and outside agencies.
Implementation level: Parallel Effort with Climate Preparedness Benefits
Relevant agencies: Communications Service Providers
Silicon Valley 2.0 - Climate Preparedness Gap Analysis
44 Communications Infrastructure Sector
Documentation of efforts: Sprint Business Continuity Plan
Regional Collaboration
Description: Communications service providers have collaborated with various public and private
agencies with the common goal of improving services. For example, Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s
Wireless Communication Initiative is a partnership between the wireless industry, local
governments, businesses and residents working to improve the wireless infrastructure in Silicon
Valley and eliminate dead spots. The consortium builds on existing relationships with local
governments to lead a coordinated public-private sector effort and mounts a highly strategic
campaign to transform Silicon Valley’s wireless data and communications infrastructure. Cities in
Santa Clara County such as Mountain View recognize in their general plan, the importance of the
communications sector to the regional economy, and have set goals to work with
telecommunication service providers to ensure high-quality products and services for residents
and businesses, and develop guidelines for the deployment of wireless and emerging
communications technologies. Communications companies have also collaborated with public and
private agencies to respond effectively to emergencies caused by natural disasters. For example,
Comcast routinely collaborates with power utilities such as PG&E, as well as other
telecommunication service providers such as AT&T, in times of regional power outages to
minimize service interruption time. Similarly, in recognition of the critical role that the
communications sector plays in emergency response during natural disasters, Sprint encourages
local governments to identify critical facilities or locations where the restoration of network
services following a natural disaster is a high priority. Additionally, Sprint participates in
coordinated situation drills with FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and state
emergency management agencies to ensure coordinated preparedness and response during a
disaster.
Implementation level: Parallel Effort with Climate Preparedness Benefits
Relevant agencies: Communications Service Providers, JVSV, PG&E, Local Governments, FEMA,
DHS
Documentation of efforts:
o Phone interview with Comcast and Sprint representatives
Silicon Valley 2.0 - Climate Preparedness Gap Analysis
Communications Infrastructure Sector 47
Helio
Hello Depot
Lightyear Network Solutions
Matrix Telecom
MCImetro Access Transmission Services
Nextel Of California
Quality Telephone
Ridley Telephone Company
Sage Telecom
Southern California Tele.
Sprint Telephony Pcs
Talk America
TC Telephone
Telco Partners
Tracfone Wireless
Verizon California
Virgin Mobile USA
Summary of Existing Efforts to address Vulnerabilities Table 3 summarizes the existing efforts in the communications sector to address impacts on Communications Sector assets and services from specific climate change variables relevant to Santa Clara County. These efforts indicate the level of existing capacity in the communications sector to withstand climate change impacts. The identification of these existing efforts is critical in determining the extent of additional capacity needed in the communications sector to build resilience against climate change.