Service is down due to fire on pole
never a dull moment
Dear Customer, We apologize for the service disruption. We will share ETR as soon as we get further details on the issue. Thank you1
I didn’t give the message more than a passing glance; they arrive from my internet provider every so often, and since I was out, whatever the issue was would likely be fixed by the time I got back.
Walking home several hours later, I noticed an unaccustomed line of small pickup trucks along one side of the road, and it probably would have remained a passing Oh that’s odd thought until approaching the turn into my alley. Clear remains of a fire, and splatters of black that looked like fresh tarmac sprinkled the base of a grouping of poles and indeterminate electrical boxes. The black goo covered quite a radius of the surrounding sidewalk, interspersed with shards of glass and things that were once wires.
This small intersection has a hearty helping of poles and wires, so it’s not uncommon to see someone up a ladder fiddling with something. But this was on another level. Just beyond the scorched area were men and ladders and tools and vehicles and rolls of wire and general, controlled mayhem, small groups of people all moving with purpose to attach new wires to one of several other, non-scorched poles, nearby.
The mini-mart owner on the corner had had a ringside view, and showed me a video he’d taken of the top of the pole raging in flames; those black spatters must have been the plastic coating on all the masses of wires it once held.
Electricity had been off for a while, he told me, but had now been restored. The scrum was, he added, the internet providers, all vying to restore service. They should work together instead of only thinking of what they had to do themselves, he concluded, with feeling.
A small van pulled up outside the shop, the name of yet another ISP across its side, ready to jump into it.
**
Dear customer, your service is down due to fire on pole. Estimated restoration by 2025-03-20 13:00:00. Changes will be updated by SMS.2
I’ve gotten similar messages before, sure, but it’s quite a different thing when it’s a pole you walk past most days.
And yes, estimated restoration is tomorrow afternoon. This post comes to you courtesy of the fact that my nearest neighbours are also old friends, and fortuitously, we had different ISPs from the start, which has been extremely useful for all parties involved when we have days like today.
Just in case, though, and with respect for the vagarities of power and internet, I am going to hit send a little earlier than usual tonight.
[sic]
Ditto