Nearly 25,000 Texans lost internet access on September 26th when a stray bullet struck a Spectrum fiber optic cable in the Dallas area. The shot severed service for customers across Dallas, Irving, Plano, Arlington, Austin, and San Antonio. Unlike most fiber cables that run underground, this line was mounted on telephone poles, making it vulnerable to damage. The shooter has not been identified. This marks Spectrum’s third firearms-related outage in twelve months. A New Year’s Eve incident saw multiple stray bullets hit a fiber line in Columbus, Ohio, disrupting internet and traffic cameras. In 2022, gunfire in Oakland, California knocked 30,000 Comcast customers offline during a Rams-49ers game. (Story URL)
