RES 043 Draft 01 2020-2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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related to deep ocean communication cables is costly and may beslow, particularly in response to emergency situations. Although repairs are not often needed, annual maintenance contracts with undersea repair companies are necessary to ensure timely restoration of service when a repair is needed. In addition, the State's geographic isolation creates expense, difficulties, and delays in obtaining necessary supplies and equipment from outside the State. These issues are exacerbated when any interruption in transpacific transportation occurs, such as labor strikes affecting the airline and ocean shipping industry. Hawaii's surface terrain also present challenges for terrestrial communications infrastructure in a variety of ways. Because the islands were formed by volcanoes, the islands have perhaps the most diverse conditions in the world in a relatively small set of land masses. Hawaii has several mountains that are between 10,000 and 14,000 feet high from the depths of the ocean (Haleakala, Maui — 10,023; Mauna Loa, Hawaii — 13,678; Mauna Kea, Hawaii —13,796). The islands also have many gulches and valleys creating an uneven terrain that makes some areas inaccessible to land-based vehicles or that restricts the size and weight of vehicles that may be used to transport people and materials to deployment sites. Providers seeking to deploy and maintain infrastructure must deal with everything from rocky moon -like landscapes to lush sub- tropical forests to lava flows. In some rural and remote areas of the islands, providers must also overcome the lack of commercial electricity. Even the rainwater, soil, and ground itself present unique challenges in Hawaii. Hawaii's low mineral content "soft water" and the chemical composition of soil in some areas create conditions that make it difficult to ground equipment. In some cases, soil conditioning is required to create appropriate grounding conditions. In addition, there is the informally named "blue rock" found in the dense interior of old, thick lava flows. The U.S. Geological Service notes: "Blue rock" is the bane of contractors, especially road builders and pipeline installers, because it is difficult to break. The largest bulldozers and backhoes are regularly humbled by this dense rock, causing contractors to revert to expensive drilling and blasting techniques." While lava flows are perhaps the most spectacular and most publicized threat, there are other threats, both big and small, that create issues for designing, deploying, and maintaining a communications infrastructure. Hawaii is subject to an annual hurricane season from June to November of each year. Hurricane Iwa passed through the islands of Niihau, Kauai, and Oahu with wind gusts of over 100 mph in 1982. Ten years later, Hurricane Iniki, the most powerful recorded hurricane to strike the Hawaiian Islands, -27-