Internet back in Beaufort County after 10-hour outage. What we know
This article was updated at 3:40 p.m. to include new information.
After the day-long internet outage on Monday, Sparklight — formerly known as Hargray — has restored service in Beaufort County. The outage, which lasted about 10 hours, bought heavy disruption to both residential and business customers, with most services restored before the night ended.
The outage was caused by four separate third-party fiber cuts in Georgia and South Carolina, said Jane Shanley, Hargray’s senior director, regional operations southeast. Each cut was made by a different entity, including a Bushwacker tractor, a contractor for another utility and road construction work. The fiber cuts occurred in multiple locations: by Ogeechee River off U.S. Route 17, which runs north and south along the coastline from southern Georgia through Savannah across the Talmadge Memorial Bridge; near Midway, Georgia; near Statesboro, Georgia; and on the South Carolina–Georgia border.
“It was just sort of the perfect storm of everything hitting at really close timing-wise,” she said. “The investigation is still ongoing into each one of them to see what exactly caused them to hit our fibers and what could have been done to prevent it.”
The fiber damage affected both Hargray’s primary and redundant lines, according to a press release sent out Tuesday morning. Due to the complexity of the repairs, which involved locating, excavating, splicing and reburying the damaged fiber, technicians worked throughout the day and overnight to restore service.
One of the primary lines was repaired by 7:30 p.m. Monday and all lines were repaired by 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, Shanley said. Sparklight has since contacted the Department of Transportation in Georgia and South Carolina to report the damages and alert them to the repairs.
Sparklight, part of the Cable One family of brands, has served the community for over 30 years, providing internet to more than 1 million customers across 24 states, according to Sparklight’s website. In a Facebook statement on Monday, the company apologized for the inconvenience, noting that a portion of Hargray customers experienced slow or no internet access due to fiber damage caused by a third party.
It is unknown the number of residential and business customers affected by the outage.
Check for bill credit
All impacted customers will receive automatic credits on their upcoming bills for the duration of the outage., according to the release. Customers do not need to call to receive the credit, but if issues persist, they are encouraged to contact Hargray’s Technical Support Team at 877-HARGRAY.
“We understand the frustration our customers experienced due to the recent disruption and sincerely apologize. We know how vital internet connections are for staying in touch with loved ones, working, education and enjoying online activities,” said Jane Shanley, Hargray’s senior director, regional operations southeast. “While we strive to prevent disruptions, unexpected incidents can sometimes occur in our growing community, and when this happens, we work hard to resolve those disruptions as quickly as possible.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2024 at 3:03 PM.
