If not for a small generator plugged into an extension cord and running on my deck outside, I would be totally without power. California is experiencing a new problem. We don t have enough power to keep our lights lit, our homes warm or our computers running. We are experiencing, for the first time in our lives, widespread blackouts. We take power for granted.
Broadband networks require lots of power.
Sure, there might be an area-outage, or the power might go off at the headend for a few minutes. That s the situation occurring in cities throughout California right now. California s experiment with a de-regulated power industry has fallen flat on its face. Rolling blackouts are occurring on nearly a daily basis in northern California, as demand for power exceeds available supply. As with soybeans, power is being speculated, bought and sold on the open market for whatever the market will bring.