How gunfire caused an internet outage on New Year’s Eve in Columbus

Aaron Burd
·1 min read

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Gunfire the night of New Year’s Eve led to an internet outage that impacted Columbus residents for nearly two days.

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Spectrum customers in the Hilltop, one of Columbus’ largest neighborhoods, faced an internet outage for over 43 hours at the start of the new year, with the interruption to service beginning at 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 and service being restored around 6 p.m. on Jan. 2. The cause of the outage in the area was due to gunshots striking the internet provider’s fiber, according to Spectrum Director of Public Relations Mike Hogan.

In addition to taking out local internet, the gunfire also affected a circuit feeding traffic cameras to NBC4, leading to a disconnect from the cameras for over a day.

Leading up to New Year’s Eve, police in neighboring Whitehall urged residents not to ring in the new year with celebratory gunfire.

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Spectrum is the largest internet provider in Ohio, with about 2.8 million customers in the state, according to its own data. In addition to providing internet, Spectrum offers cable and phone services to customers across 41 states.

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