In an unexpected turn of events, 911 systems in several states experienced outages, with the culprit being identified as the installation of a light pole, according to Lumen, a company that supports some of these systems.
Lumen’s Global Issues Director, Mark Molzen, clarified that the outage, which affected customers in Nevada, South Dakota, and Nebraska, was caused by a third-party company installing a light pole, unrelated to Lumen’s services. The outage lasted less than three hours, during which Lumen worked diligently to restore services promptly.
While Molzen didn’t delve into specifics regarding how the installation of a light pole led to the 911 outage, it was confirmed by the 911 director in Douglas County, Nebraska, that Lumen attributed the issue to a “fiber cut.”
Despite the inconvenience caused by the outage, service was largely restored by Thursday morning, with agencies in affected states announcing the resolution of outages in multiple cities. Residents were advised to utilize alternative methods such as texting 911 or using landlines during the downtime.
However, it’s worth noting that the 911 issues in Del Rio, Texas, were unrelated to the broader service outage experienced in other states. Del Rio authorities clarified that their emergency services remained fully operational throughout the incident, with any disruptions attributed to a separate outage by a major cellular carrier.
The incident underscores the potential vulnerabilities of the nation’s 911 infrastructure. While Lumen emphasized that the cause of the outage wasn’t malicious, it raises concerns about the fragility of emergency service systems, particularly in light of recent assessments highlighting their susceptibility to cyberattacks.
A Department of Homeland Security assessment highlighted the interconnected nature of emergency service systems, making them more susceptible to cyber threats. Ransomware attacks, in particular, have disrupted 911 networks and local police departments, posing a persistent criminal threat to victims.
As such, ongoing efforts to bolster the resilience of 911 infrastructure and enhance cybersecurity measures remain paramount to ensure the reliability and effectiveness of emergency response systems.