Several states across the country had big problems with their 911 emergency call services on Wednesday night, which meant people couldn't reach local authorities for a few hours.
Officials said that the outages happened in some areas of Nebraska, Texas, Nevada, and South Dakota, starting at around 10 p.m. and lasting until the services were fixed during the night.
By Thursday morning, all the outages had been resolved, according to NBC News. resolved In Texas, the City of Del Rio Police Department experienced the issue with a major cellular carrier, but did not say which company was responsible.
Lumen Technologies, a main provider of emergency communications services, reported that a third-party company accidentally cut essential fiber optic cables while installing a light pole, according to CBS News. attributed Law enforcement agencies and emergency responders in the affected states were busy dealing with the situation and finding other ways for residents to get help.
One outage Police departments in Chase County, Kansas; Sarpy County, Nebraska; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Las Vegas, Nevada, were also affected, with each associated agency posting updates throughout Wednesday night. The Las Vegas Police Department said late Wednesday night that they had called back and helped every resident who called during the outage.Reports of cell network issues linked to the wireless carrier AT&T started appearing on Wednesday evening, according to NBC. A spokesperson from AT&T said on Thursday that their network was working as usual and suggested that the problem might be with another carrier’s network affecting 911 calls.
An investigation into the causes of the outages is ongoing, and the Federal Communication Commission is working to figure out the extent of the disruptions and find ways to prevent similar incidents in the future.Law enforcement officials told NBC that their initial findings indicate the outages were not caused by malicious intent or cyberattacks.Several states nationwide experienced significant disruptions in their 911 emergency call services on Wednesday night, leaving residents unable to contact local authorities for hours. According to officials’ statements, the outages occurred in parts of Nebraska, Texas, Nevada, and South Dakota, initially surfacing around 10 p.m. and continuing until service restoration occurred throughout the night. As […]
Police departments in Chase County, Kansas; Sarpy County, Nebraska; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Las Vegas, Nevada, were also affected, with each associated agency posting updates throughout Wednesday night.
The Las Vegas Police Department confirmed late Wednesday night that every resident who called during the outage had been called back and assisted.
Reports of cellular network outages specifically caused by issues with the wireless carrier, AT&T, started popping up Wednesday evening, per NBC. A spokesperson from AT&T said on Thursday the company’s network was functioning as usual and indicated that there seemed to be an issue with another carrier’s network that might have impacted 911 calls.
An investigation into the root causes of the outages is underway, with the Federal Communication Commission currently working to determine the extent of the disruptions and identify measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Law officials told NBC that initial findings suggest the outages were not the result of malicious intent or cyberattacks.
