Ugh. Reminds me of doing some testing of a 3201 (poll-select) communications system with (as it turned out) my ex-employer. There would occasionally be system failures, and one of them was explained away (during the Winter) as 'Snow on the lines'. I was gobsmacked. This was the last 90's. I had nothing.

Fortunately, there was a tech at ex-employer that I'd played hockey with, and he was totally on the ball. When I had him on the phone with a problem, I got it solved right away. So at least there were *some* competent people there. That was a weird period of employment -- leading a major communications project with a company that had .. laid me off as being 'below standard'. Huh.