3. Overview of the Project
Level 3 is in the process of installing within California a fiber optic telecommunications network, which includes approximately 2,000 miles of cable. The network will stretch south from the Oregon border to Sacramento and then on to the Mexican border. At Sacramento, the route south divides into two legs; one generally follows the coast and the other passes through the Central Valley. According to Level 3, the California network will form part of a 15,000-mile state-of-the-art national network "that will change the way people across the U.S., and ultimately, the world, communicate" by offering, among other things, faster and more reliable data transmission. (PEA, p. 5.)
The reason for this application, Level 3 states, is that fiber optic network design and engineering undertaken since D.98-03-066 have revealed the need to undertake several categories of off-ROW network construction for long haul cable placement or support facility development at various California locations.3 As finally proposed, this application seeks authorization for a project which consists of 21 project elements -- four kinds of "facility" construction (19 facilities, in all) and two "workarounds". The four types of facilities are:
· In Line Amplification (ILA) Facilities -- the technology used in Level 3's fiber optic network requires amplification of the light signal being transmitted through the fiber approximately every 60 miles along long haul network.
· Retime, Reshape and Regeneration (3R) Facilities -- the 3R process (re-shaping, re-timing, and re-modulation) converts an optical signal to an electrical signal and then back to an optical signal, filtering it of noise and directing it to the end destination along the optical fiber. A 3R station is integral to a fiber network's operation, since under current technology, an optical signal must go through the 3R process approximately every 300 miles.
· Distribution Nodes (D-Nodes) Facilities -- the long haul fiber optic network is connected to local telecommunication systems through D-nodes. Depending upon its location along the fiber network, a D-node can also perform the ILA or 3R functions.
· Terminal Facilities - a terminal typically marks the point where two segments of the running line come together. A terminal is designed to direct traffic (signals) to major distribution centers and elsewhere on Level 3's network and to allow other telecommunication customers to co-locate within the facility. Depending upon its location along the network, a terminal will also perform ILA, 3R, or D-Node functions.4
The remaining two project elements are:
· Workarounds (fiber optic cable reroutes) - this term refers to fiber optic installation outside of an approved ROW in areas where space constraints or environmental resources prohibit installation within the ROW.
The 19 facilities Level 3 proposes to build include nine facilities within existing structures on developed sites, five facilities on the existing foundations of demolished or removed structures on developed sites, two facilities on vacant developed sites, and three facilities on disturbed undeveloped sites. As finally proposed, the project avoids off-ROW construction on undisturbed sites. Attachment A to this decision is Table 2-2 of the Initial Study, which describes the location and other attributes of each of the 19 facilities. The two workarounds are not included in Attachment A, but full descriptions of them (as well as fuller descriptions of each of the 19 facilities) can be found elsewhere in the PEA and in the environmental document. Brief descriptions of the two workarounds follow.
Dibble Creek workaround. Located in a rural portion of the City of Red Bluff, this workaround is necessary to comply with Union Pacific Railroad setback requirements, and will result in a permanent easement on private property, approximately 1,600 feet long by 5 feet wide after construction. The northern 500 feet of the workaround passes through natural savannah habitat. A seasonal, non-jurisdictional wetland swale meanders through this savannah.
Cuesta Grade workaround. Located in rural, unincorporated San Luis Obispo County northeast of the City of San Luis Obispo, this workaround is necessary to avoid Union Pacific Railroad tunnels along part of the route and because no other utility ROWs exist along part of the route. The workaround will result in an easement 20 feet wide and approximately 5.6 miles long.
3 "Long haul" refers descriptively to the long stretches of fiber optic cable which function as the backbone connecting the local fiber optic networks (urban "loops" and "rings") concentrated in and around cities and major metropolitan areas. 4 Level 3's PEA explains that "...while an ILA per se may not exist at every 60-mile interval along the long haul running line and a 3R per se may not exist at every 300-mile interval, their functions are accomplished at these intervals by other support facilities." (PEA, p. 11.) Not all ILAs, moreover, will be located off-ROW. Level 3 plans to construct 13 ILAs within existing ROWs, under the authority of D.98-03-006.
