AT&T Tweets Updates During Massive Outage; Offers Reward for Sabotage Info

Yesterday's massive AT&T outage, which also affected other carriers who use AT&T lines (such as Sprint, Verizon), showed San Francisco Bay Area customers a couple of things: just how tuned into "The Matrix" we really are, and just how useful Twitter can be in an emergency.

With no other way to reach many people, AT&T resorted to posting updates to its Twitter stream. Janine Popick, CEO of VerticalResponse, whose company has been affected by the outage, said:

"All of my real time updates have been coming from the AT&T Twitter feed."

The outage showed just how connected, and through how few connections, we really are. The cables were vandalized in South San Jose and on the Peninsula in San Carlos.

While you might think, big deal, that would just affect landlines, you'd be wrong. While it did affect landline phones, it also affected DSL, wireless, and all the people and businesses that rely on them.

For example:

• people had to be driven to hospitals because they were unable to summon ambulances
• businesses that need the connections for ATMs, Internet and bank card transactions were shut down
• hospitals rescheduled elective surgeries due to concern about reaching doctors in the event of a problem
  
• banks closed, after police recommended the move, because 911 calls might fail

The saboteurs (or vandals, rather) involved in the incidents did not care about not just the inconveniences, but the possibility of causing loss of life.

AT&T has offered a $100,000 reward in the crimes. Their press release reminded us (and perhaps the criminals) that these guys, if caught, will face some serious jail time:

Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, AT&T's networks were declared National Critical Infrastructures in recognition of their importance to the nation's security. Anyone who tampers with, destroys or disrupts the company's network or its components is in violation of federal and state laws and AT&T will assist with any prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.

Tips can be given to the San Jose Police Department at 408-277-4161 (ask for Detective Carlos Melo or Detective Dan Phelan); the San Carlos Police Department at 650-802-4423; and anonymous tips for either incident can be made to CrimeStoppers at 408-947-STOP.

Update: AT&T has raised the reward to $250,000.