In the topmost of five subbase-ments at 140 West Street in Lower Manhattan, Verizon phone and data lines wind in from the surrounding neighborhood to connect customers with switches and network hubs upstairs. The thick, black sheaths house copper cabling, which the telco giant is working to phase out. The yellow tubes tucked up close to the ceiling hold the new fiber-optic lines . These conduits manage the same data haul as copper, but in far less space.
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