In regulation, the Federal Communications Commission has mandated schedules for the introduction of network features such as equal access. Hinsdale was one such site and, unfortunately, the fire's impact was greater than it would have been without such regulatory intervention because of the resulting traffic concentration. In my opinion, the most important lesson learned in the recent past regarding telecommunications infrastructure integrity is that we must not be complacent and assume that major failures or network intrusions cannot happen. In addition to past measures, new metrics must be developed to measure the societal impact of network integrity and bring the scientific method of specification and measurement to the problem 10 . Fires cause multiple failures, as do backhoe dig-ups, viruses, and acts of God.
Software is another issue.
We have learned that testing software to remove all potential bugs is difficult if not impossible. Software does not wear out like hardware, but it is a single point of failure that can take down an entire network. In recent years, efforts to improve network robustness have been redoubled. In addition to the work of individual common carriers, there are many organizations that are addressing these problems, including Bellcore, the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, the FCC, the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and American National Standards Institute Committee T1. Exhaustive testing of new systems and new generic software programs has been instituted by manufacturers and by Bellcore.