prediction for fiber..dark fiber

My prediction going forward for fiber. Centurylink will take orders from Business customers that want point to point fiber services. They will make these all dark fiber services. The Legacy Centurylink techs only involvement will be running Central office fiber cross connects .

Then a second order will be written and sent to the Legacy level 3 techs. To come in on the traditional Centurylink customers property and install and maintain the customer located equipment (i.e. muxes). Using a work force that is non union and lower paid.

Further, why would you need a Legacy Centurylink Carrier Tech to run the central office fiber cross connects. When that could be done with Switch (Network techs) techs. Or they could cross train carrier techs and get rid of Network switch techs. With only cross connect work and no equipment installation work, many of the Legacy Centurylink techs are not needed.

Perhaps this is why there seems to be a big push to cross train the carrier field techs and the central office network techs. If this dark fiber service order manipulation comes to fruition, the Legacy Centurylink Carrier tech force Or Network techs could be drastically impacted. As in needing way less Legacy Centurylink techs.

What is the ultimate goal of the dark fiber projects? Are there provisions in the Centurylink union contract to prevent this from happening?

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I'm level 3 employee. I work out of CenturyLink offices. I'm sorry you guys have so much hostility towards us. Its company decisions not ours. Hope the best for you guys when all said and done.

So you make $2.50 an hour more. Does that $2.50 an hour more pay for the benefits that you don't get by having a union contract?

Same company yes. Some union. Some non union. Obviously your non union. Grab the contract book. It’s written in there.

The union would prevent L3 techs from working in a CTL office??? Hahahaha thats a good one. Maybe you haven't gotten the word but we are all the same company now.

There is Union verbiage that would prevent L3 techs working in our offices unless its only in their co-locate. The last comment might be valid in a non-union area, not with an area that has a union contract.

Ummm it's all Level 3 or CenturyLink equipment now or did that memo get missed?

Maybe in your area the union techs make more, but not the case where i am. We make $2.50hr more than the union guys.

Also, the BSTs were just all made National Field Operations Techs and sat in a meeting with the regional VP who says we will be performing all the same tasks as L3 techs that used to run into CTL territory so they don't have to come into our area. The only difference is we are not going to have to locate or splice fiber.

Well said.

..What if traditional centurylink circuits (DS0, T1, Fiber) are all run to co-locate level 3 equipment. Thus eliminating the need for centurylink techs for many services. Level 3 would be installing the customer end and the office end. Centurylink would only be providing the transport. Whether that is fiber or conditioned copper.

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prediction for fiber..dark fiber

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