Print this story |
E-mail story |
This story has 16 comments Add your own |
iPod friendly | Bookmark this
What is this?
photo by Adam Koob
AT&T technicians work to repair damaged cable lines in a tent on Main Street. The lines were damaged during an excavation project Tuesday. The technicians, clockwise from bottom left, Irving Easterling, Butch Davis, C.W. Carter and Steve Hopkins were part of a crew working around the clock to repair the damage.
Thousands left with no AT&T phone service
Published Friday, December 5, 2008
NATCHEZ — On Thursday afternoon a team of AT&T technicians sat deep in a hole on Main Street repairing damaged cable lines that provide valuable phone and Internet access to thousands in Natchez.
The accident that damaged the lines happened Tuesday afternoon when a work crew bored through five cable lines belonging to AT&T.
AT&T spokeswoman Sue Sperry said it’s unusual to have so many lines so severely damaged at the same time.
“It’s an extremely rare situation,” Sperry said. “There was some very serious excavation in the wrong place.”
AT&T technician Butch Davis listens to damaged lines one by one, searching for a dial tone.
But the crew that cut through the lines wasn’t working for AT&T.
City Engineer David Gardner said CableOne was permitted, and working, at the Main Street site when the lines were cut.
While no CableOne representatives could be reached for comment, Gardner said, the permit issued to the company allowed them to drill for the installation of their own cable line.
But exactly why Cable One was not aware of AT&T’s already existing lines is still not clear.
Gardner said for a permit to be issued, the applicant must include plans that indicate where utility lines are located.
In this instance, CableOne did mark sewer, water and gas lines located in relation to their drilling site, Gardner said.
Those plans did not mention AT&T’s lines. Gardner also said CableOne is legally obligated to call the state’s Mississippi One-Call system to notify them of its intent to dig before starting work.
Sperry said she did not know if One-Call had been notified before work began.
“Right now we’re not sure,” Sperry said.
However, AT&T is investigating the matter to find out what caused their lines to be completely severed.
AT&T technician Butch Davis was working to repair the lines and also said it was odd to see so many lines cut at the same time.
“It’s bad,” he said.
And Davis is just a small part of a crew that AT&T has brought in to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
Sperry said technicians will be working around the clock to repair the damaged lines.
Even with nonstop work, it could be as late as Sunday before all the lines are repaired and fully operational, Sperry said.
But for some businesses in town, going until Sunday with no phone service will prove costly.
At Sports Center accounts payable manager Sheree Bryant said not having access to phone or Internet is adding up to lost revenue for the store.
“It’s killing business,” Bryant said. “It’s a nightmare.”
Bryant said with the loss of service the store has gone from seven phone lines to just one.
In addition, the machines that process credit cards, debit cards and checks cannot be used.
The store is currently validating checks by phone and accepting cash. The store’s data entry clerk Tara Green said since many people rely on the use of their credit cards at this time of year, and cannot use them in the store, they’re just not shopping.
“Their putting (merchandise) back on the shelf,” Green said.
While Sperry said fault doesn’t fall with AT&T, they want the problem fixed quickly.
“We’re going around the clock,” she said. “We want our customers to have full use of their services.”
Sperry said she did not know exactly how many customers were without phone service.
Comments
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 4:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Another "screw-up" for Cable One! Natchez needs another new cable service!
Posted by crawgator (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 4:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hmmmm! Sounds like there could be some reimbursement issues here.
Posted by Blasterhappy (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 4:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Having worked with Cable One in the past it doesn't surprise me. Most of their technicians are inexperienced. Considering what they pay their Techs...Well you get what you pay for. All I know is looks as if they will be getting a hefty bill plus a fine. I'm an RF Engineer and have basically worked with all of the cable companies on different projects at one time or another. Cable One is by far the worst I have had the displeasure to work with. Yeah this is bad timing with the Holiday Shopping Season in full swing with such a shaky economy. Hope the merchants recover.
Posted by awayfromhome (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 4:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ATT is selling cable tv and internet in other areas, they will be here offering cable, but we always have Direct TV and Dish Network... anyone remember rabbit ears? Have a great weekend!
Posted by flylo (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 4:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Looks to me like it would be AT&T's fault for not keeping up with the Dottie system. They should have had an AT&T person mark their lines as did the water, and gas people.
Dottie doesn't work if you don't keep up with where dottie reports come in from. Making sure the digging activity isn't near any of your underground lines. If the digging is near, then you send someone from your utility company out to mark, and witness the digging. In other words AT&T didn't know where their lines were located.
Posted by NatchezBell (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 5:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Leave it too the big guys...go figure???
Posted by LdyBreez (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 7:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
For those of you who do not know, all of the AT&T phone lines come straight into the Main Street building then out to your homes. That building is where all the AT&T internet comes out of. That is the heart and life line of AT&T phone service in Natchez. From the days when you had to get an operator to connect your calls to today, it always has been. If "call before you dig" had been called, AT&T would have had someone out there to supervise that dig.
Posted by iamnobody (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 7:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
got dish,,,,,really sounds like another cable hike is fixing to hit the area,,,
Posted by NatchezEnema (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 9:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Gardner said for a permit to be issued, the applicant must include plans that indicate where utility lines are located.
In this instance, CableOne did mark sewer, water and gas lines located in relation to their drilling site, Gardner said.
Those plans did not mention AT&T’s lines. Gardner also said CableOne is legally obligated to call the state’s Mississippi One-Call system to notify them of its intent to dig before starting work.
Well Mr. Gardner, are phone lines that provide phone service considered a utility? This is an outrage! Cable One has no comment or can't be contacted? Well I don't think this is a " watch us make you smile moment". If I was Mr. Gardner I would have never let them dig much less give them a permit without knowing the location of all utility lines and have it on paper in front of me. Sounds like Mr. Gardner did not do his job and now we will all have to pay for his eneptness. He does not need to pass the buck to Cable One. It was his job to make sure this did not happen! I'm glad I have cell phone and Satillite service. A good ole Natchez flub up. I wonder how Mr Gardner would be acting if city hall and his office had been without service this long. They probably would have all been off with pay! " Watch us make you smile" thanks Mr. Gardner and Cable One. You guys Have A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Posted by lowrider (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
the At&t office is sitting on the same block as Cable One, every phone line for this area and other surrounding areas pass in and out of this building. Who ever was leading this project is a moron to assume there were NO telephone lines in the area.
Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The telephone company has in the past always had it's people locate cables where any digging was supposed to take place. This was not done. Everyone wants to contract jobs out to lower paid contractors. Like NatchezBell said leave it to the big boys to try and go cheap. Bellsouth took care of it's business pretty well but AT&T just plain sucks.
Posted by enduserx (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 2:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow, I love all the comments about Cable One. Just wait until tomorrow's update. Hopefully ND will print the truth.
Posted by rayford (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 2:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just an observation but it appears to me these four workers are taking their lives into their own hands. OSHA rules state that any trench with a depth of more than four feet must either be shored by means of a hydraulic shoring system or timbers. If the trench is not shored then the sides of it must be sloped a minimum of two feet away from the trench for every four feet of depth also the spoil from the trench cannot be deposited any closer to the trench than the total depth. Just in the last two months two workers have died in Mississippi from trench cave ins.
Posted by ustabnntz (anonymous) on December 5, 2008 at 9:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
All CableOne systems are not incompetent.Its local management.
Posted by NameThatTune (anonymous) on December 6, 2008 at 4:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am happy to report that our regular fuzzy channel cable service has been "restored" to "normal." (This service looks like we use rabbit ears for cable reception - we don't!) Our family can now view the "regular" and "high channel" service that should be operating 24/7/365 and is paid for 24/7/365. When will our "Powers that Be" realize that MOST rural communities do not tolerate this type "hit or miss" service and change to a cable provider that supplies NORMAL cable service to all residents? Does our community let bids on cable service? If so, how often is this service reviewed?
Posted by boredwithstupidity (anonymous) on December 6, 2008 at 7:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
And nobody has mentioned how Cableones newest service might be affected by AT&T going down? Hmmmm, Hey! lets all get cable telephone! Might Cableone of been fishing for more telephone clients..........
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)