News Summary
Beaufort County faced a significant internet outage on Monday, affecting various regions and causing disruptions for residents, schools, and businesses. The outage, linked to damage to fiber lines used by local provider Sparklight, left many without access to services until late afternoon. Despite the disruption, emergency services remained operational. Technicians worked swiftly to restore connectivity, with services announced to be back online by late Tuesday night. This incident highlights ongoing challenges related to internet service reliability in the area.
Beaufort County, SC experienced a widespread internet outage on Monday morning that left many residents without service until the late afternoon. The outage was linked to damage caused by a third-party to fiber lines utilized by local internet provider Sparklight, previously known as Hargray.
Residents reported being without internet service until approximately 5 p.m. on Monday. Sgt. Danny Allen of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office verified that the outage affected various regions within the county, including Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton Head, and Hardeeville. Despite these outages, non-emergency dispatch and 9-1-1 services continued to operate normally throughout the day.
Sparklight, which serves a large number of customers in Beaufort County, announced at around 12:45 p.m. that their internet issues stemmed from fiber damage that hampered connectivity. Technicians were deployed quickly to assess and repair the issue, and updates about the repair status were communicated through the company’s social media platforms.
The outage had significant repercussions for local institutions, including Beaufort County public schools that faced a complete internet service disruption. Additionally, municipal facilities in the city of Beaufort were also confirmed to be without internet around 11:15 a.m.
As the disruption continued, Downdetector.com indicated that outages were not restricted to South Carolina. Reports of connectivity issues were also noted in North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, highlighting the broader impact of the fiber damage. The surge in reported outages peaked around 2 p.m. on Monday, with many accounts detailing slow or completely interrupted service.
Local businesses heavily reliant on internet access for transactions reported notable disruptions. Many of them communicated with customers through cell phones during the outage and requested patience as they navigated the situation. Public networks at the University of South Carolina Beaufort and the Technical College of the Lowcountry remained operational, allowing students to connect to the internet during the outage.
Sparklight confirmed that the affected areas included Beaufort, Lady’s Island, Okatie, Ridgeland, Estill, and parts of Hardeeville. Many county offices utilizing Sparklight for phone and internet services were hindered as well.
This incident marks a recurring issue for Sparklight, as it follows a previous disruption less than a month after the company’s rebranding in August. That earlier incident also involved outages resulting from damage to third-party fiber lines.
By late Tuesday night, Sparklight announced that their repair crews had completed work on the damaged fiber and services were restored. Customers who experienced service disruptions were informed that they would receive credits on their upcoming statements as compensation for the inconvenience caused.
The situation served as a stark reminder of the importance of stable internet connectivity for both businesses and community services. While the immediate crisis has been addressed, the impact on local residents and institutions will be assessed as they move forward, focusing on improving infrastructure resilience.
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Additional Resources
- AOL News
- Wikipedia: Internet Outage
- Your Island News
- Google Search: Internet Outage Beaufort SC
- Island Packet
- Google Scholar: Internet Service Disruption
- Post and Courier
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Internet Connectivity
- WJCL News
- Google News: Internet Outage Sparklight
