Dale, Coffee County residents lose phone, Internet after line cut

Credit: ehorton@dothaneagle.com

Signs at an Ozark fuel station on U.S. 231, like others at Ozark businesses, were displayed after residents lost phone and internet service Thursday.

By: Ebony Horton | Dothan Eagle
Published: July 14, 2011

OZARK— Marianna, Fla., resident Wendy Browe said she had a newfound appreciation Thursday for carrying cash after traveling to Ozark and finding several businesses either closed or only accepting cash for purchases.

Officials said hundreds of banks, businesses and residents throughout Dale, Coffee, and Pike counties were without long-distance phone capabilities for much of Thursday after a fiber optic cable was cut during some form of digging on U.S. Highway 231.

According to CenturyLink Spokeswoman Carmen Butler, long distance service in the Wiregrass was expected to be fully restored by around 4 p.m. Thursday. Butler said the only CenturyLink service which was impacted was long distance.

Internet service in other areas was also affected Thursday, but Butler said that did not involve CenturyLink.

Tim Byrd of the Dale County Sheriff’s Office and E-911 Board said emergency calls were rolled over to other systems after phone lines went down.

“The problem Thursday was that residents’ phones were out in addition to ours, so if they called 911, it may have caused some inconvenience before they finally got through. Fortunately we were able to dispatch to all calls that were received. We have a backup plan for our backup plan and are able to reroute as necessary,” he said.

Thursday’s loss of service was at least the second time this week that residents had disruptions. On Tuesday, thousands of Comcast customers were left without cable or internet service for about seven hours after a transport device located between Marianna, Fla., and Dothan failed.

Browe, who said she traveled to Ozark and Dothan for medical visits and veterinary supplies, said she had just gone to a bank to get cash earlier Thursday before finding a fuel station later that could not take her credit card.

“Just imagine what this world would do without computers or what I would’ve done if I hadn’t had cash. I couldn’t make any calls,” she said.

“It’s a good thing I stopped by the bank. But you wonder what could happen if all everyone depends on is computers.”