Why don't large carriers use alternate communication routes?

[Sean Donelan <sean () donelan com>]

This is an op-ed, but most California internet folks know about recurring 
outages for a decade on this fiber route.  What was unusual is the local 
governments eventually used public funds to help pay for an east-west 
alternate fiber route.

Instead of leasing capacity on alternate routes, the dominate carrier 
continued to use the single fiber route (which it owns).  And the customer 
outages continue.

Are the penalties for subscribe outages so minimal that it makes business 
sense not to use backup alternate routes?


https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2017/oct/10/two-years-ago-t-promised-end-mass-telecommunicatio/

Two Years Ago, AT&T Promised to End Mass Telecommunication Outages. How’s 
That Working Out?