How much would "Our NOC has it's act together" be worth when recruting?

Every sales person I've ever talked to has told me their NOC has it's act together. So the question is how much would a "Our NOC is lousy" be worth when recruting? Ask the Internetweather sites. In the past, some NOCs have ignored requests until the story hit the front page of the New York Times. In most cases the people who can make decisions don't know what's going on, and the people who know what's going on can't make decisions. I've talked to many of the engineers/techincal geeks at such providers. They were often as upset about the problem as I was, but corporate culture wouldn't let them take any action. If you look back all the hot issues have simmered for a long time before they finally caught management's attention usually on CNN or the front page of the New York Times. Forget the FBI, sometimes I think having John Markoff's phone number is the only effective method of getting inter-provider NOC communication. The following is not legal advice, although I did swip it from a presentation by a lawyer on how to plan for emergencies. 1. Planning is less hazardous to your legal health than not planning 2. PPPPP--Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance 3. Don't plan in a vacuum, involve the community 4. Plan, Practice the plan, Perform the plan 5. Revise and update the plan as necessary 6. Successful lawsuits are less likely when you have considered all factors in advance, prepared for what you can anticipate, and organized to exercise sound discretion on the unexpected 7. Financial loss is unlikely if you plan and maintain the requirements for statutory indemnity/immunity -- Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO Affiliation given for identification not representation