Gatlinburg Tennessee/ Chimney Top No. 2 Fire State of Emergency
Gatlinburg Tennessee suffered severe damage as a result of the Chimney Tops No. 2 fire that began on November 28, 2016. BellSouth Telecommunications LLC d/b/aAT&T Tennessee filed its Disaster Relief Plan with the State of Tennessee on December 1, 2016 for Sevier County.[1] On December 2, 2016, AT&T Tennessee notified the Tennessee Regulatory Authority that it declared a force majeure event as a result of the fires. President Obama declared Sevier County a federal disaster area on Dec. 15, 2016. AT&T Tennessee has a total of 11 Distribution Areas in the Gatlinburg, TN wire center (GTBGTNMT) that were impacted by the Chimney Tops No. 2 and AT&T Tennessee suffered irreparable damage to its copper facilities. AT&T Tennessee began immediate restoration of its facilities after the fire.
Network Disclosure Number: ATT20170201C.2Issue Date: 02/01/2017
Carrier: BellSouth Telecommunications LLC d/b/a AT&T Tennessee
Carrier Address: 1120 20th Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036
Contact:Your Account Manager or Service Representative
or
For technical issues contact:
Terry McKenzie
2800 W 10th St. Rm 208
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
605-530-9456
Public Notice Available on the internet at:
Implementation Date: December 2016
Description of Planned Network Changes:
BellSouth Telecommunications, LLC d/b/a AT&T Tennesseereplaced Route 2 and 4, copper feeder facilities from three existing remote terminal/cross connect boxes (XBOX) in the Gatlinburg WC (GTBGTNMT). The approx. 10,200’ of primarily aerial copper cables that ran along Roaring Fork Rd, Ski View Dr, and Ski Mountain Rd and that fed these three locations from the Gatlinburg WC (GTBGTNMT)were damaged beyond repair in the Chimney Tops wild fire. To restore service as a result of fire damage, AT&T Tennessee replaced the copper feeder with fiber facilities behind existing SLC5, SLC96, and Fujitsu Digital Loop Carrier systems. The Digital Loop Carrier systems provide Pair Gain facilities through feeder fiber.
Description of Reasonably Foreseeable Impact of the Planned Changes:
Copper feeder facilities from the Central Office to the affected area will no longer be available. Unbundled loops that are defined as compatible with Digital Loop Carrier (DLC), e.g., those defined to transport POTS-grade service, were transferred to the new DLC system without consequence. Unbundled loops that are defined to require copper facilities, e.g., Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or line sharing circuits will no longer be available. Currently, there are no Competitive Carrier circuits of this later type on the affected copper facilities.
Description of Changes to Rates, Terms and Conditions:
Unbundled loops that are defined to require copper facilities, e.g., Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or line sharing circuits will no longer be available.
[1] In the event of disasters that prompt the triggering of a disaster recovery plan, the Commission granted AT&T Tennessee a limited waiver (of up to 180 days) of the advanced notification and waiting period requirements contained in its network disclosure rules (47 C.F.R. §§ 51.325-335) so as to allow AT&T Tennessee to concentrate on restoration efforts. See Petition of BellSouth Corporation for Special Temporary Authority and Waiver to Support Disaster Planning and Response, Order, 21 FCC Rcd 6518 (2006). This waiver became operative when AT&T Tennessee filed its Disaster Relief Plan on December 1, 2016.