AOL modem banks rely on local power

[Sean Donelan <sean () donelan com>]

AOL's modem banks, which relay data over phone lines in New York City
and Detroit and other affected regions, had gone down after local
electricity grids blinked off Thursday evening.

AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham. "Most of the power at our modem banks rely
on local power supplies."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63923-2003Aug15.html