These fortress-like AT&T buildings are central to a secret NSA program that has monitored billions of communications, documents and sources reveal.
theintercept.com
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That tower in the thumbnail of it even has an old relay pictured here that's likely been taken down since.
Another frame here makes it more obvious.
These holes in the top could've also housed microwave arrays.
Though was probably just venting.
The article covers some of the major hubs but misses out on some of the smaller ones. Remember that RV bombing from last year? That was done at another old bell site. Most other buildings don't have sheer windowless walls or these giant vent covers.
One of the features to look for when in decently dense towns that are almost cities, or cities in general in the US. An ATT hardened site will usually have vents, large concrete sections, and if it no longer has an antenna array will probably feature a noticably blank looking spot on it's roof where one would have sat. One of the most noticable of these is in Oklahoma City, there's this old looking art deco-ish structure that used to have this massive nest of antenna that was dismantled sometime in 2013. There's a stark difference between what it looks like now and what it did then.
While this isn't a particularly hardened building in any sense of the word, you see that massive featureless slab behind it?
Hmm.
And I didn't notice before but a major portion of the old building seems to have had it's windows removed, but it's only visible from one side. Very weird. Partially hardened facility? The building was actually constructed prior to the cold war, so it had to have been later.