Update Posted 10-18-19 at 6:45pm
The communications outage that started around 8:20am this morning continues in Klamath Falls. Klamath Alerts has been monitoring the incident and here is what we know.
The outage is due to a CenturyLink fiber optic line that was damaged this morning by a boring machine about 10 miles outside of Ashland, OR. A spokeswoman with CenturyLink has told us tonight that there are several cuts in the fiber optic cable that need to be repaired. We were told that repair crews are on scene repairing the lines at this time.
At the present time there is no way to estimate when the repairs might be completed. Fixing a fiber optic line is no easy task and requires many smaller lines inside the cable to each be repaired individually.
Charter Internet, CenturyLink phone and data services, AT&T Cellular, and other local networks rely on this cable to function. We have been told by a local business owner that Oregon Lottery is down along with some credit card processing services and ATM machines.
Klamath Alerts will continue to monitor the situation and we are in direct contact with CenturyLink who owns the fiber optic cable that is cut. We will update you if they pass any additional information to us.
Looks like ODOT didn’t have to observe the same government regulations about “checking for utility lines before you dig” that the rest of us must do!!
And to think… most (if not all) of the people that were working on the lines had to have some sort of college before they got the job with the city! ROFLMAO!
5 guys standing around watching and one guy working… yet nobody could see? LOL!
So who gets the BILL for this blunder? If us homeowners did this and didn’t CHECK BEFORE YOU DIG… HOO BOY! You can bet the city would have the bill collector on your butt before the repairs were even calculated.
Some businesses in Klamath Falls closed early because thier credit card machines couldn’t work. Some still weren’t yesterday. How much is that going to cost? Ultimately the tax payer gets the bill – as usual.
And why only ONE line? There’s no back-up? It apparently knocked out cell service too (or so I heard – I don’t have a cell phone)… So if that’s the case, did that affect people from calling 911 if they had to? ONE LINE?
I guess now everyone knows how to cripple business and major communications into an entire city/region in one fail swoop.