Updated

Updated · WPVI-TV · Jul 31

Verizon Restores FiOS in Gloucester County After 3-Day Outage as Fiber Cut and Storms Delayed Repairs

Updated

Updated · WPVI-TV · Jul 31

Verizon Restores FiOS in Gloucester County After 3-Day Outage as Fiber Cut and Storms Delayed Repairs

Q: Could a simple phone call before digging have prevented a multi-day digital blackout for thousands of New Jersey residents?

Yes—quite possibly, if the digging that cut Verizon’s fiber line was excavation work covered by standard utility-marking rules. Verizon said the outage was caused by an accidental third-party cut to a fiber line. In cases like that, a call to 811 before digging is the basic safeguard in the United States. That service alerts utilities so they can mark the approximate location of underground lines, including communications cables in many areas. If the party that damaged the line failed to call 811 or ignored utility markings, a preventable strike could have triggered the multi-day outage. That said, a phone call is not a guarantee. Even when 811 is used, fiber can still be damaged if markings are inaccurate, outdated, incomplete, or if excavation extends beyond the marked area. The reports available do not say who cut the line, whether 811 was contacted, or whether the fiber was properly marked. Without those facts, it cannot be said with certainty that one call would have prevented the blackout. What is clear is that the outage exposed how vulnerable homes and businesses are to a single infrastructure hit. The disruption shut stores, forced some restaurants into cash-only service, and left residents relying on mobile hotspots. Verizon also said repairs were slowed by the need to access areas near the New Jersey Turnpike and by severe weather, which helps explain why one fiber cut turned into a multi-day service failure.

3 articles · Updated · WPVI-TV · Jul 31

Around 8 p.m. Thursday, Verizon FiOS restored internet service to Gloucester County homes and businesses after customers lost connections for several days.
A third party accidentally cut a fiber line, and severe weather slowed repair work on the damaged network.
Deptford stores including Dick's Sporting Goods and Macy's reopened after earlier shutting down because the outage disrupted technical systems.
The disruption had stretched back to Monday in areas including Deptford and Woodbury, with repairs also complicated by access needs near the New Jersey Turnpike.