Hardware for operating the bandwidth of fiber optic telecommunications lines in a shared user environment, namely, fiber optic connectors and cables, undersea cables, undersea cable systems in the nature of repeaterless, regional, and intercontinental undersea fiber optic cables, undersea repeaters, optical amplifiers, fiber pairs, transmission line cards, reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexers (ROADMs); initial loading equipment, namely, computer hardware and software in the nature of firmware to establish the proper operating levels for data carrying signals, power controls, and switches; Computer hardware for operating the bandwidth of fiber optic telecommunications lines in a shared user environment, namely, terminals and terminal data carrying transponders; Computer software in the nature of firmware for operating the bandwidth of fiber optic telecommunications lines in a shared user environment; computer hardware and software for monitoring and protecting against input signal loss or equipment failures; and computer software and hardware for providing alarms in association with a fiber optic communication system