Optimum Fiber Cut Triggers St. Joseph Outages, Threatening 911 Service
Updated
Updated · KCTV 5 · Jul 16
Optimum Fiber Cut Triggers St. Joseph Outages, Threatening 911 Service
2 articles · Updated · KCTV 5 · Jul 16
Summary
St. Joseph businesses and residents lost internet Thursday after criminals damaged Optimum’s fiber network near S. 22nd and Southwest Parkway overnight; the company expects full restoration later in the day.
Optimum said the attackers likely were hunting for copper to resell, but the line was fiber-optic cable with no resale value once cut, leaving a destructive outage instead.
Repair crews were on scene and police were notified, but Optimum said restoring service is slow because each hair-thin fiber strand must be individually spliced.
911 emergency calling can also be disrupted by such cuts, Optimum said, as it urged residents to report suspicious people or unmarked vehicles near network infrastructure.
February and April saw similar incidents in the same area, underscoring a recurring threat to local communications service.