Judge Cans AT&T Boxes

There is a reasonable possibility that the AT&T utility boxes will have a significant impact on the environment.The battle over broadband took yet another turn this week as Superior Court Judge Harold Kahn halted the permit process for those infamous AT&T utility boxes until the question of their environmental impact can be decided at a trial next year. The central problem is AT&T's unwillingness to bring fiber-optic cable to individual subscribers like any normal cable company, relying instead on above-ground boxes linking to existing copper telephone lines already in place in subscriber's homes. Not only are they big muthas, they'll hum at you- their switching mechanisms require cooling fans 24/7. [SF Appeal, and previously at Curbed SF]