Officials from two telecommunications companies involved in a recent disruption of emergency communication and government services in northeast Wyoming have announced that they have resolved the issue and services have been fully restored.
Range Chief Marketing Officer, Jason Wille, explained that the disruption was caused by an issue with a couple of fibers that provide service to the northeastern portion of the state. Once the problem was identified, the company took immediate action to fix it. Wille did not provide any further details about the incident or any potential consequences for employees or the company.
Matt Villarreal, from Lumen’s corporate communications, confirmed that all services have been restored. He explained that the disruption was caused by a fiber cut from a third party, and their technicians worked nonstop to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. He expressed appreciation for the patience of their customers and apologized for the inconvenience caused.
Local government officials reported that the outage affected county phones in the courthouse, sheriff’s office, Gillette police department, and city hall. The disruption also impacted cellphone service in Campbell, Crook, and Weston counties. Emergency Management Coordinator, David King, received information from the Lumen/CenturyLink technician, stating that the problem was due to an error in the wiring while working on the fiber.
While the event was unexpected, King praised the adaptability and resilience of the staff in handling the situation. He expressed regret for a mistaken contact number that caused inconvenience for a member of the public. King emphasized that a debriefing and analysis will take place to enhance future emergency response efforts. He also highlighted the importance of identifying communication methods that remain functional during similar disruptions.
This incident marks the first major disruption of its kind in approximately eight years, since a fiber-optic cable was tampered with during the National High School Finals Rodeo event.