It seems like it would be almost impossible for anything to take out the internet completely. Internet companies have spent billions of dollars creating a strong infrastructure for it. Nevertheless, millions of Americans found out just how fragile the internet can be on Black Friday when a relatively small problem knocked out internet access to those from across the country.
What Went Wrong
So, what happened? According to Comcast, which was one of the many companies affected by the internet outage, the problems started when fiber optic cables operated by two separate internet infrastructure companies were either cut or disrupted. Those two cuts led to big issues for Comcast, Xfinity, and other internet providers who rely on those infrastructure companies to help route data through fiber optic cables. It took Comcast some time to figure out why the internet outage was occurring in the first place. Moreover, once they finally discovered the source of the problem, they had to send engineers to deal with the issue and eventually restore internet service to customers.
This might appear to be a fluky situation to those who don’t understand exactly how fiber optic cables work. However, it’s actually a lot more common than you might think and illustrates how important it is to care for fiber optic cables and repair them at the first sign of trouble. There have been plenty on instances in the past in which severe weather conditions, construction errors, and even vandalism have led to widespread internet outages. And while most internet infrastructure companies are prepared to deal with these problems accordingly and reroute data to avoid outages, there are times when a couple fiber optic cable cuts can show just how fragile the internet truly is.
If you depend on fiber optic cables for internet access and you ever experience any cuts to them, it’s important for you to seek emergency restoration services right away. Connected Fiber can perform emergency repairs for you and get your fiber optic cables up and running again in no time. Call us at 910-443-0532 today to schedule service.
