He wasn't getting it. My technical enthusiasm was lost on this frustrated civilian. I tried again. OK, this is it in a nutshell. They're blowing gobs of cash installing new network nodes to provide more local access numbers.
More numbers means fewer busy signals and random disconnects.
He had a point. While talk of infrastructure upgrades is downright titillating and inspirational to us on the inside, it's disquieting to the civilian world. Nobody really wants to know about the oft-tenuous connections that link our telecommunications systems, our power lines or our water supplies. Pick up the phone, and you want to hear a dial tone. Switch on a lamp, and you get light.