Re: Russian diplomats lingering near fiber optic cables

[Sean Donelan <sean () donelan com>]

On Thu, 1 Jun 2017, Rod Beck wrote:
> And even in Kansas most fiber optic cables are probably next to roads, gas
> pipelines, and railways. Pretty easy to find.

Unlike cable landing stations and satellite earth stations, which are 
documented in public FCC licenses, usually to 6 decimal points of 
longitude & latitude; and and included in navigation maps....

Finding the exact cable routes in the middle of the country requires 
on the ground surveying and locating cable markers. Piecemeal maps exist at 
the local level, and high-level maps are available from various providers. 
But as anyone familar with cable accidents or network planning knows, 
those marketing maps are aspirational.  I had real estate people try to 
convince me that "fiber was available" at specific sites because there was 
a railroad across the road, and everyone "knew" that fiber was always 
next to railroads.

Yes, its fairly simple to find a cable marker, if you put people (i.e. 
diplomats) on the ground in remote areas across the country.

But, its odd to send diplomats to remote areas of the country, if you are 
not trying to survey geographic infrastructure in the middle of the 
country.