A portion of Jackson and much of Cape Girardeau lost Internet, phone and television service Wednesday, July 28, when a fiber optic cable was cut in the area of Southern Expressway and Minnesota Street in southern Cape Girardeau.
According to an American Wireless Facebook post, the fiber bundle contained about 168 strands of fiber that carried Internet for Charter, ATT, American Wireless and many other companies.
Crews worked in sweltering heat all day and into the night to restore service. Repairs were completed about 9 p.m.
Although 911 emergency lines continued to work, the Cape County Sheriff’s Office reported that its administrative phone lines were down until approximately 5:45 p.m. The Sheriff’s Office website told callers to phone the Jackson Police Department during the outage.
With disrupted phone service, many companies were unable to complete credit or debit card purchases.
Some businesses and offices reported they could call out but could not receive calls, so customers were unable to make appointments.
