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Concord MLP schedules overnight fiber maintenance after discovering damaged splice case
Summary
CMLP staff discovered a splice case with 288 exposed fiber strands and scheduled a maintenance window for Nov. 20 (8 p.m.–7 a.m.) expected to affect about 220 customers; staff also reported an unrelated ONT failure overnight that impacted about 22 customers and has been repaired.
CMLP staff told the board they found a splice case on Laws Brook Road at the Conant intersection where 288 strands of fiber had been exposed to sunlight, leaving many fibers brittle and at risk of breaking in high winds. To avoid a longer, unplanned outage, staff scheduled planned maintenance for Nov. 20 from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., with most splicing work expected to occur around midnight to 1 a.m.
Jason (director) said staff will prioritize feeder fibers and ISP traffic when working, will label fibers to speed repairs, and expects the direct splice repair window (from cut to splice completion) to take about five documented hours under normal conditions. He said about 220 customers are definitely on fibers that traverse that case and that one ISP also routes through the same splice case.
Separately, staff reported an ONT failure the prior night that disrupted about 22 customers; technicians resolved that outage between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. and replacements were scheduled the following morning.
"We discovered there's a splice case... many fibers have been exposed to sunlight for many years and they've become very brittle," Jason told the board, adding that proactive repair now should reduce the risk of a longer, unscheduled outage in winter conditions.
Staff will widely notify customers in the affected area, prioritize ISP and feeder fibers during the maintenance window, and may temporarily throttle speeds if needed to preserve capacity while repairs proceed.
Next steps: notifications to affected customers, an audit of the splice case inventory, and execution of the planned maintenance window on Nov. 20.
