98,000 customers lose phone service after a fiber optic failure in Osseo

It also left some in the north and west metro areas with no 911 service; most services were restored, officials said.

By Chao Xiong, Star Tribune

Last update: September 2, 2007 - 8:55 PM

A fiber optic failure in Osseo shortly after noon on Sunday quickly spread in the north and west metro, causing about 98,000 customers to lose some or all of their phone service.

There were reports out of Carver and Hennepin counties that 911 service was down for some customers, but Colleen Floyd, a spokeswoman for telephone service provider Embarq, said that was still being investigated.

About 70,000 Embarq customers did not have a dial tone and another 28,000 could not make or receive long-distance calls, Floyd said. Embarq is a former division of Sprint.

Floyd said about 90 percent of their affected customers had service restored by 4:40 p.m. The company planned to finish restoring service on Sunday, she added.

It was unclear what caused the failure.

Sgt. Val Sprynczynatyk with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, said customers in Hassan, Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, Dayton and Rogers were also affected. She said some residents did not have 911 service.

Embarq customers in those areas should seek out a neighbor with telephone service in the case of an emergency, she said, adding that some cities were increasing their staff at fire stations in response to the power failure.

Carver County 911 dispatcher Jim Fahrenkamp said parts of his county were not receiving emergency telephone service.

Fahrenkamp said Carver County residents can try calling 911 instead of the County Sheriff's Office; 911 calls are being rerouted through Scott County dispatch. Residents can also go to their local fire departments in case of an emergency.

Authorities from Carver, Crow Wing and Hennepin counties said they were not aware of the power failure causing any problems in addressing emergencies.

"Actually, things seemed to work out pretty smoothly," said Tim Walsh, Carver County's risk and emergency department safety officer.

A similar failure involving Embarq occurred last October, affecting 911 service in about 30 eastern North Carolina counties for about four hours. An Embarq spokesman said technicians believed that failure was caused by a technical defect in Rocky Mount.

Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391

Chao Xiong • cxiong@startribune.com

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