STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

Looking Glass Networks'
Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Metropolitan Area Network Serving Areas of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles Basin
(Application No. A.02-05-029)

Project Description

The Applicant: Looking Glass Networks

Looking Glass Networks (LGN) is proposing to install conduit and related facilities to create a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) to serve the California metropolitan areas of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles Basin. Looking Glass builds, owns and operates metropolitan fiber optic networks using flexible optical platforms and operational support systems to provide a broad range of data transport services in the largest U.S. metro areas. Looking Glass consistently provides fast provisioning of SONET, Wavelength and Ethernet-based lit services, high-capacity dark fiber and carrier-neutral collocation services for carrier and enterprise customers. Looking Glass' redundant, physically diverse networks provide customers with reliable connections to primary carrier hotels, ILEC Central Offices, key enterprise buildings and other major data aggregation facilities.

Formed by proven telecommunications executives with successful metro network management experience, Looking Glass provides focused local network connectivity, flexible service options and fast delivery times that customers need to keep pace with growing market demands.

Purpose of the Project

LGN's objectives for the proposed project include the following:

• Provide greater bandwidth, multiple modes of communication compatible with existing and evolving systems, more predictable delivery of bandwidth, and greater control over the ordering, provisioning, and management of this bandwidth to allow Internet-centric service providers such as broadband access network providers, hosted services providers, and backbone carriers to better meet the growing bandwidth needs of customers
  
  
• Expand and enhance California's national and international telecommunications access and the reliability thereof using high-quality, state-of-the-art fiber optic technology throughout multiple metropolitan areas within California.
  
  
• Expand and enhance California's national and international telecommunications access and the nation's existing and future demands for telecommunications services by enabling more networks to exchange traffic across California's metropolitan areas and the reliability thereof using high-quality, state-of-the-art fiber optic technology.
  
  
• Where possible, minimize or mitigate construction affecting avoid major streets in an effort to maintain impacts on traffic and circulation at less than significant levels.
  
  
• Avoid or mitigate to less-than-significant levels any significant impacts the project would otherwise have on California's environment.

Additional project objectives are to:

• Increase competitive pressures among existing telecommunications carriers; and
  
  
• Promote opportunities for economic growth in California as businesses shift focus to information services and technology.
  

The San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles Basin Networks

The project consists of (1) the construction of facilities including tie-ins and manhole installation, and (2) the repair or replacement of existing conduit through which LGN would pull fiber optic cable.

LGN's targeted connections or network nodes are located in major aggregation points in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles Basin. It is expected that the laterals required to reach targeted customers will utilize State and local ROWs and other designated utility corridors. As mentioned above, study zones in these two areas encompass major aggregation points and planned backbone networks.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, LGN has identified aggregation points of immediate interest, as well as many potential enterprise business locations that LGN predicts may be connected at a later date to satisfy future customer service orders. Nearly all buildings to which LGN would like to connect are adjacent to LGN's planned MANs. In the San Francisco Bay Area, LGN has identified gaps in the planned backbone networks that will likely require new construction. The exact conduit alignments of these new build locations have not yet been determined, but all potential construction zones have been identified.

Fifteen study zones were developed that encompass the area around the potential targeted buildings and the MANs in which they would connect to in order to provide potential future build connections and locations. The study zones extend at least a quarter mile from each build location and, in some cases, larger areas are created by the cluster of build locations in downtown areas. Future lateral builds to connect targeted buildings that would involve new conduit installation by LGN networks would fall within the study zones identified in this document. In the Los Angeles Area, LGN has identified the aggregation points of immediate interest as well as many business locations to which LGN may connect in the future to satisfy customer service orders. Similar to the presentation for the San Francisco area, nearly all buildings to which LGN would like to connect are adjacent to LGN's planned MANs.

In the Los Angeles Area, LGN has not yet identified areas where new construction may be required to complete planned backbone routes; however, the environmental analysis described in this document analyzes the potential target buildings and their surroundings (at least 1,000 feet to either side of them) for potential future implementation. In addition, study zones were outlined around the areas of other identified potential future build locations. The study zones encompass the planned network backbones including existing conduit systems to which LGN proposes a potential connection. There are 9 study zones in the Los Angeles Basin. The study zones extend at least a quarter mile from each target location and, in some cases, larger areas are created by the cluster of target buildings in downtown areas. Future lateral builds to connect targeted buildings that would involve new conduit installation by LGN networks would fall within the identified study zones.

Project Construction

The construction process for the installation of new underground conduit typically involves conduit installation, fiber optic line installation, and splicing of the fiber optic lines. For conduit installation, the Applicant proposes to utilize a mixture of company-owned outside plant (OSP) facilities. Potentially leased conduit and/or fiber would be deployed in one of three fashions: underground facilities, aerial facilities, or leased structures, depending on geographical location and whether sensitive resources could be encountered.

• Underground facilities would be installed primary via trenching in dense urban areas and via directional boring methods in suburban or less dense urban areas. In trench installations, LGN would install two 4-way 1.5-inch rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC) conduit packs buried at a depth of 36 inches (top of conduit). In directional boring installations, 8 high-density polyethylene (HDPE) conduits would be pulled through the borehole.
  
  
• LGN's basic method of installation for aerial facilities would be to install suspension clamps at each pole or supporting structure location. Cables would then be supported (lashed) to high-strength galvanized suspension strands held in place by the suspension clamps. Aerial facilities could also be in the form of a bridge attachment; bridge attachments commonly occur either by hanging the conduit to the exterior of the bridge structure or by installing the conduit within an existing cell or continuous void that runs the entire length of the bridge.
  

LGN's proposed use of leased structures involves leasing existing subsurface conduit and/or fiber from a telephone company, municipality, or other third party entity. Once the conduit is in place, fiber optic cable would be installed, generally by using a powered pulling device with hydraulic-powered assist wheels. A pull line would be attached to a plug that would be pushed through the conduit by air pressure. When the plug emerges at the end of the conduit section or access point, the pull line would be attached to the fiber optic cable. The pull line would then be pulled back through the conduit section, threading the cable through the conduit as it returns to the point of entry. The cable would be spliced in splice cases located in handholes or manholes with sufficient slack allowed.

LGN's primary approach to implementation of the proposed project would be avoidance of impacts. This approach would include designing the project to completely avoid permanent alteration of wetlands and waters of the United States and avoiding or minimizing temporary construction-related activities in sensitive resource areas, such as biological or cultural resources, to the extent practicable by selecting a route through previously disturbed habitats and by boring under highly sensitive resources. Where complete avoidance of construction-related disturbance to sensitive resource (biological, cultural, noise, traffic, etc.) areas is not practical or feasible, LGN states that it would minimize the effects of the proposed project in those specific areas through construction timing, implementation of environmentally sensitive construction practices, training and education, and compliance monitoring. No new access roads, either temporary or permanent, would be created. Specific mitigation measures have been identified in this document and LGN has committed to adopting them to avoid or reduce the impacts of the project to less than significant levels..

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