News Summary
Verizon has reported significant service outages across Los Angeles caused by vandalism affecting fiber optic cables. The incidents, which began in the early hours, disrupted both mobile phone service and 5G home internet. Areas most impacted include Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Woodland Hills. Despite technicians working to restore services, this marks the second disruption in two days, highlighting ongoing issues with vandalism affecting public services. The situation has prompted local lawmakers to consider measures to combat copper theft related to telecommunications.
Los Angeles – Verizon has reported significant service outages across Los Angeles attributed to acts of vandalism affecting fiber optic cables. The disruptions have impacted both mobile phone service and 5G home internet for customers not only in Los Angeles but also along the West Coast. Outage reports began surfacing around 5:30 a.m. PT on Friday, as noted by the outage-tracking site DownDetector.
By approximately 9:00 a.m., Verizon technicians were working diligently to restore services. Initial reports of outages began to decline as efforts commenced. This incident marks the second disruption in service for Verizon within just two days. The company has stated that multiple fiber cuts due to acts of vandalism were responsible for these service interruptions. System failures of this nature can significantly impact families, students, and businesses, highlighting the public safety threat posed by such acts.
Verizon is actively collaborating with community leaders to address the ongoing issues related to vandalism. While the exact number of affected customers has not been disclosed, the most impacted areas included Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Woodland Hills. Data indicated that 59% of the service disruptions pertained to mobile phone issues.
Investigations revealed that vandals had mistakenly targeted fiber optic cables, not knowing these cables lacked copper despite the belief that they contained the metal. This misunderstanding points to a broader issue of vandalism facing telecommunications companies, particularly regarding copper wiring theft.
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that, at the time of reporting, there was no active investigation into the recent acts of vandalism. Nonetheless, Assemblyman Mark González has introduced a bill aimed at requiring a state license for individuals reselling copper wire, seeking to curb copper theft that affects public services.
In a wider context, it was reported that from January to August, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department logged a total of 45,053 crimes within its jurisdiction, indicating a decrease of over 10% from the previous year. This crime reduction may suggest a complex relationship between vandalism incidents and overall crime trends.
Adding to the string of changes at Verizon, former PayPal CEO Dan Schulman has recently been appointed as the new CEO of Verizon Communications. The company has expressed a commitment to restoring services as quickly as possible and has set aims to resolve the majority of outages by midnight on the day of the incident.
As the situation develops, it remains crucial for residents affected by the outages to stay informed about service restoration and for community organizations to collaborate in combatting ongoing vandalism issues.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
HERE Resources
Verizon Service Disruptions in Greater Los Angeles Due to Vandalism
Verizon Faces Major Service Outages in Los Angeles
Verizon Service Outages Hit Los Angeles Amid Vandalism
Additional Resources
- Los Angeles Times
- Wikipedia: Vandalism
- ABC7 News
- Google Search: Verizon service outage
- Fox Business
- Google Scholar: telecommunications vandalism
- North Jersey
- Encyclopedia Britannica: telecommunications crimes
- The Wrap
- Google News: Verizon vandalism incident
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LOS ANGELES STAFF WRITER The LOS ANGELES STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HERELosAngeles.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and beyond, specializing in "news you can use" with coverage of product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates, while delivering top reporting on high-value events like the Academy Awards, LA Auto Show, and Los Angeles Marathon, extending coverage to key organizations such as the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, plus leading businesses in entertainment and technology like Warner Bros. and SpaceX, and as part of the broader HERE network including HEREAnaheim.com , HERECostaMesa.com , HEREHuntingtonBeach.com , and HERESantaAna.com , providing comprehensive, credible insights into Southern California's dynamic landscape. HERE Anaheim HERE Beverly Hills HERE Coronado HERE Costa Mesa HERE Hollywood HERE Huntington Beach HERE Long Beach HERE Los Angeles HERE Mission Viejo HERE San Diego HERE Santa Ana
