MISSOULA - During the train derailment in the Yellowstone River on Saturday, a fiber optics cable was cut, causing a cell phone service outage for Western Montana and Northern Wyoming.
Zayo, a global communications company, owns the fiber line that was cut. They responded with the following statement:
“The affected cable is not owned by Zayo. We are actively receiving updates from the responsible carrier and can confirm that service restoration is underway. While investigations into the full extent of the damage are ongoing, we anticipate no lasting impact on our network.”
The Ravalli County Sheriff's Office posted on social media that several Verizon customers were having difficulty dialing 911.
The post stated that those experiencing an emergency in Ravalli County should try texting 911 if calling does not work.
Jason Emery, chief information officer with Missoula County Technology Administration, said some county phones were experiencing spotty service for incoming and outgoing calls.
Similar to Ravalli County, Emery said the poor service was noticed mainly on Verizon phones. Emery also told MTN News that a few local banks were experiencing similar issues.
Despite ongoing reports of bad service, Heidi Flato, communications manager for Verizon Consumer Group, said to KPAX in an email:
"Some customers in parts of Northern Wyoming and Western Montana experienced a service interruption over the weekend after a third party accidentally cut one of our fiber lines. Our team worked quickly and service was restored yesterday afternoon. It was in connection to the train derailment. The fiber provider is Zayo."
This story has been updated to include a response MTN News received from Zayo.
