Fibre Optic Cable Vandalism Causes Internet Outage in Hamilton and Niagara

Residents of Hamilton and Niagara faced internet service disruptions on Saturday as a result of deliberate vandalism on Cogeco‘s fibre optic cables, impacting a wide range of essential services including internet, home phone, and TV connectivity. Kristen Curry, a spokesperson for Cogeco, confirmed that around 3 a.m. on Saturday, three of the company’s fibre optic cables were severed, leading to a cascade of outages across the regions.

Curry mentioned that initial restoration efforts began in the morning, and some households have already been brought back online as restoration work progresses. While services in the Niagara Region have been mostly restored, efforts are ongoing for Hamilton customers with a full estimated resolution by late afternoon.

Cogeco, via its official communication channels on X (previously known as Twitter), informed customers that the disruption was a result of vandalism that saw someone climbing a tree to cut three out of five fibre optic cables. The process to mend the damaged cables involves splicing together approximately 182 strands of fibre optic lines.

Despite the progress in service restoration, Curry highlighted that some customers were still without home phone service, rendering them unable to call emergency services like 911. To address this concern, Cogeco advised affected customers to keep a cell phone handy for emergencies.

Responding to the malicious act, Curry mentioned that Cogeco filed a police report about the vandalism, hinting at potential legal action as a consequence of the deliberate disruption. The outage also impacted 911 services, underlining the severity of the situation.

Throughout the day, reports flooded in as numerous customers reported the outage through various social media platforms. Curry acknowledged the influx of inquiries and complaints, reassuring customers that the restoration efforts are ongoing and that updates will continue to be provided.