(Rightallegiance.com) – Late on Wednesday, multiple states across the U.S. experienced significant disruptions in their 911 emergency services, causing widespread concern among millions of citizens unable to reach first responders. The states affected included Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, and Texas, with reports of major outages that were largely resolved by late evening.
Officials have stated that there is no evidence suggesting the disruptions were caused by a cyberattack or any other form of malicious activity. According to law enforcement sources, preliminary investigations have not pointed to any intentional wrongdoing. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is actively investigating the incidents to determine the exact cause and prevent future occurrences.
A key factor in the outages appears to be related to an incident involving Lumen Technologies, a major communications and telecom company. Mark Molzen, a spokesperson for Lumen, explained that the outage was triggered when a third-party contractor accidentally severed a fiber cable while installing a light pole. This incident affected Lumen’s operations in Nevada, South Dakota, and Nebraska, although the company does not provide 911 services directly in Texas.
“We restored all services in approximately two and a half hours,” Molzen stated, commending the swift action of the technical teams. He apologized for the inconvenience caused and expressed gratitude for the patience and understanding of Lumen’s customers.
This event follows a series of similar disruptions in recent months, including a widespread outage in February attributed to AT&T, which affected thousands across multiple states. Like the recent incidents, the February outage impacted 911 calls but was later attributed to a process error rather than a cyberattack.
In South Dakota, the statewide outage began shortly before 7 p.m. local time, prompting local authorities to provide alternative contact numbers for emergency services. The service was restored approximately two hours later. Mike Gramlick, Assistant Chief of Sioux Falls Fire, reported at a news conference that the local Metro Communications received 112 calls for service during the outage using alternate methods such as direct lines and text messages.
Officials in Douglas County, Nebraska, confirmed the Lumen statement regarding the cut fiber, noting that the exact location of the damage was not disclosed. Kathy Allen, the director of Douglas County 911, reported that service was completely restored by 4 a.m. on Thursday.
In Nevada, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police alerted residents to the outage through social media, advising that calls from landlines were not functioning, but mobile calls could still connect, allowing dispatchers to return calls.
Several agencies highlighted issues with specific wireless carriers. For example, in Nebraska, Sarpy County 911 reported difficulties with some carriers reaching 911, which were resolved after about three hours. Similarly, in Texas, the Del Rio Police indicated that the disruption was due to issues with a carrier rather than local systems, specifically identifying T-Mobile’s service as problematic during the outage.
AT&T, another major carrier, stated on Thursday that their network was operating normally and suggested that the issues might have originated from another carrier’s network. This statement underlines the complexity of telecommunications infrastructure and the interdependence of various network providers.
These outages underscore the vulnerability of critical communication systems and the importance of robust infrastructure and quick response to ensure public safety. The ongoing FCC investigation aims to further clarify the causes and contribute to stronger safeguards against future disruptions.