NATCHEZ — CableOne’s General Manager Bobby McCool said before CableOne’s contractor began their excavation project they followed all the proper procedures.

On Tuesday, a work crew contracted by CableOne accidentally cut through five of AT&T’s cable lines buried under Main Street.

And since Tuesday, some AT&T customers in Natchez have been without the use of their phone and Internet services.

Those same lines provide phone and Internet access to thousands in Natchez.

AT&T representatives are still trying to pinpoint where a breakdown in communication occurred that ended with their cable lines being cut.

Any company or individual planning an excavation project must first notify the Mississippi One-Call System.

One-Call maps all buried utility lines in the area, and then contacts the owner of those lines to notify them of the work.

On Friday, One-Call’s call center Manager Chasberdee Sample verified that CableOne called for utility locations on three separate occasions prior to Tuesday’s accident.

Sample said, in following procedure, AT&T was notified on all three occasions.

However, McCool said after the appropriate notification had been given to all involved utility companies CableOne received word from AT&T’s contractor giving the go-ahead.

And it was that go-ahead that appears to be the genesis of the entire situation.

McCool said CableOne was told AT&T’s lines were not underground, but overhead, and would not be an issue.

“We followed procedure,” McCool said.

AT&T’s spokeswoman Sue Sperry said she was unaware of any such communication and that the matter as still under investigation.

But for now that investigation will take a backseat to AT&T’s efforts to restore service to their customers.

“That’s our primary focus now,” Sperry said.

Once the investigation has concluded the results won’t likely be made public, Sperry said.

“It will be taken care of between the involved parties,” she said.

And for those still without service, it will likely be Sunday before services can be fully restored.