CenturyLink is working to restore communications

BEMIDJI, Minn. – A CenturyLink network outage is impacting telephone and Internet at this hour. Technicians are working to restore service, which may be affecting landline phone users in Bemidji – specifically south of downtown and east to the Power Dam area, as well as some areas in Cass Lake.

The outage was caused when the local power company accidentally cut our fiber. Cell phone service is working for the most part and CenturyLink customers are encouraged to call local authorities at 333-9111 in case of an emergency.

“CenturyLink’s priority is customer safety and restoring communications,” Michael Weller, area plant supervisor said. “We appreciate our customers’ patience while we work to resolve this issue.”

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink is the third largest telecommunications company in the United States. The company provides broadband, voice, wireless and managed services to consumers and businesses across the country. It also offers advanced entertainment services under the CenturyLinkTM PrismTM TV and DIRECTV brands. In addition, the company provides data, voice and managed services to enterprise, government and wholesale customers in local, national and select international markets through its high-quality advanced fiber optic network and multiple data centers. CenturyLink is recognized as a leader in the network services market by key technology industry analyst firms, and is a global leader in cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions for enterprises through Savvis, a CenturyLink company. CenturyLink’s customers range from Fortune 500 companies in some of the country’s largest cities to families living in rural America. Headquartered in Monroe, La., CenturyLink is an S&P 500 company and is included among the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. For more information, visit http://www.centurylink.com.

UPDATE- Century Link Fiber Cut- 75% repaired

From Century Link Manager Michael Weller, be advised that 75% of the damage to the fiber line has been repaired (see email sent earlier today regarding a fiber cut which has affected telephone service in downtown Bemidji onto Power Dam Rd NE and parts of Cass Lake) leaving 25% that is being addressed as quickly as possible. Century Link is doing everything they can to get the system completely repaired however subscribers should be advised that the full fix may not occur until at least noon tomorrow. In the meantime, please make sure all your friends and relatives are aware of the issue. Stay tuned for more news updates on this. For those of you in the affected area, your 911 may not work so make sure you call 333-9111 in Beltrami County for emergency or non-emergency service.

SECOND UPDATE:

Per Michael Weller, Century Link Manager; technicians have restored full service to the downtown Bemidji area, east on Power Dam Rd NE and Cass Lake. Customers should have full use of phones and cell phone service. You are now able to call 911 as needed. If not, please contact your service provider.