News Summary
Verizon experienced significant phone service outages across the United States, particularly affecting users on the West Coast. Problems began early Friday morning due to multiple fiber cuts linked to acts of vandalism in Greater Los Angeles County. Customers reported issues such as dropped calls, failed texts, and disrupted internet service. Verizon confirmed the outages and attempted to restore services while emphasizing safety concerns related to the vandalism. This incident adds to the recent trend of disruptions affecting telecommunications infrastructure.
Los Angeles, CA – Verizon customers across the United States, primarily on the West Coast, experienced major phone service outages on Friday morning, October 10, 2024. Service issues began around 5:30 a.m. PT, as indicated by user reports to DownDetector. The disruptions affected both mobile phone service and 5G home internet access, with Verizon’s network status website confirming known issues at the time.
As the morning progressed, by approximately 9 a.m., Verizon officially acknowledged the outages, stating they were actively working on a solution as the stream of new outage reports appeared to slow down. Late Friday morning, company officials revealed that the service interruptions were due to “multiple fiber cuts due to acts of vandalism” in Greater Los Angeles County. The details surrounding the perpetrators or their motives remain unclear, and local law enforcement, specifically the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed they were unaware of any ongoing investigation into the vandalism.
Verizon highlighted the seriousness of these acts, stressing that they pose a “direct threat to the safety and security of Angelenos.” The company is engaging with community leaders to implement measures that would prevent similar incidents in the future. The current outage marked the second disruption in just two days, as some users faced service losses early Thursday morning.
Reports of service interruptions spiked significantly, exceeding 1,000 by 8 a.m. on Friday. Areas most affected included Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Woodland Hills, with 59% of the outage reports pertaining to mobile phone service. Customers reported a variety of issues such as phones displaying “SOS” mode, failed text messages, and dropped calls.
Verizon’s response to the outage included alerts about limited functionality concerning data, voice, text, and wireless home internet services. The company encouraged customers to check their service status via Verizon’s “Check Network Status” page and noted that its customer service was available through phone support and online chat for any technical assistance. Some service was reportedly restored by Friday afternoon, with hopes for full restoration by midnight.
Notably, connectivity problems were not limited to Los Angeles, as users in major cities like New York City, Philadelphia, and parts of Texas also experienced difficulties. This operational disruption follows a previous outage that occurred in June, which affected Charter Communications in the same area due to a theft attempt that involved damaging aerial cables.
This incident underscores the vulnerabilities in critical telecommunications infrastructure, with Vandals posing significant challenges to service providers and their customers. As the situation continues to unfold, Verizon is committed to resolving the issues promptly while ensuring the safety and security of their service network.
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Verizon Service Outages Hit Los Angeles Amid Vandalism
Additional Resources
- NBC Los Angeles
- Desert Sun
- ABC7
- North Jersey
- MSN News
- Wikipedia: Verizon Communications
- Google Search: Verizon outage news
- Google Scholar: Verizon outage impact
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Telecommunications
- Google News: Verizon outage October 2024
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