On my way to the house this morning my Spouse - on her way out - stopped me and complained that we had neither internet nor telephone service.
Our DSL is from the phone company.
I called the phone company about 7:45 a.m. using my cell phone.
When I finally got a real person I was told that the phone company didn't know why I lacked service but it would send someone out between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. tomorrow. WHY I lacked service was unknown; only that there was a "busy" signal on my line.
It turns out a contractor working on preparing ground for a new housing development accidently cut a fibre cable that connected my telephone and computer to "the world."
IT COULD HAVE - SHOULD HAVE - BEEN AVOIDED.
Call a local or toll-free number and the service alerts the utility companies that have buried facilities in the area of the potential dig. Here iT is "Sunshine 811"
Call on Monday and by Wednesday, flags of many colors are popping up all over the place.
Each color has a specific meaning.
Now that the housing market is recovering - albeit slowly in my neck o' the woods - development plans shelved "for the duration" are being dusted off. There are three development sites close to my house that are being prepared for new construction.
I've noticed for several weeks red (power related) flags near the area where, I'm told, the fibre was cut.
Why I never saw any orange flags - communications lines - is beyond my ken.
In the "old days" of copper wire, cutting a cable might have put maybe 50 to 100 phones out of service. Now, with fibre the number can be multiplied by 10 or more.
For me, it was an inconvenience; for my Spouse it was enough to ruin her day - she normally Skypes - can "Skype" be made into a verb? - with our daughter and grand-daughter in the morning, and of course Skype requires internet connectivity which, since we currently have telco DSL means no Skype.
Cable connectivity is no safer; perhaps dish/satellite connectivity is the only "safe" way, although even that has its drawbacks.
Bottom line: For want of a phone call - or perhaps for lack of phone company follow up - I was disconnected from the world for most of the day.
I'm glad I had my cell phone (via a different provider).
Life in the construction zone.
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