klee said:
"Humboldt County, California lost internet, cellular and long distance service due to a severed fiber optic cable
(Why both DSL and Cable modems went out is beyond my cyber expertise)"

That fibre optic cable uses a technology called Sonet. Sonet links can be configured to offer multiple OCX, DS3 and sub-rate interfaces to carry both voice and data.

Most DSL systems (in Verizons footprint) aggregate net traffic and send it over an ATM connection carried by a Sonet link.

Obviously, the cable modem provider used the same fiber/Sonet link for all of its aggregated net traffic. As did the cellular and long distance providers.

Lobby the owner of the fiber optic connection (usually the phone company) to provide a survivable BLSR Sonet ring.

Thanks for the info Sandor. I will pass it on.