Updated
Updated · Fox Carolina · Aug 4
Spectrum Restores Buncombe Internet After Fiber Vandals Trigger Outage, Offers $25,000 Reward
Updated
Updated · Fox Carolina · Aug 4

Spectrum Restores Buncombe Internet After Fiber Vandals Trigger Outage, Offers $25,000 Reward

3 articles · Updated · Fox Carolina · Aug 4

Summary

  • 4:05 p.m. marked the restoration of Spectrum internet service in Buncombe County after a Tuesday morning outage disrupted county phones and services.
  • Vandals pulled wires down from a utility pole near London Road, causing the large-scale fiber cut that knocked service offline.
  • 911 service was not affected during the outage, county officials said, and the disruption was not tied to a downed tree reported earlier by the sheriff’s office.
  • Spectrum is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest and asked tipsters to call 833-404-TIPS.

Insights

How did Buncombe County's 911 system survive a crippling internet blackout that completely disabled the rest of the region's communications?
Was the massive Buncombe County fiber cut a simple accident, or is it connected to recent intentional infrastructure attacks in the area?
Could the county's urgent search for a new communications director be driven by these recurring and costly infrastructure vulnerabilities?