What the FAA is doing is responding to a congressional request for performance-based air traffic operations. It affects air traffic management in regional offices and technical operations management in regional offices.
Both incidents look to be air-traffic controller errors.
The telephone company is working on repairing the primary phone line that was damaged. We do not know at this time when the repairs will be completed.
The two planes were on the outer edges of getting closer than our separation standards allow, but this has not been determined yet.