News Summary
A lightning strike caused a major internet outage for Sparklight customers in Bluffton, Beaufort, and Hilton Head Island, disrupting services significantly. Despite a peak of 162 complaints observed in the early hours of the outage, restoration efforts were underway, with some services reportedly being restored by late evening. As customers seek updates on the reliability of their internet services, Sparklight faces scrutiny over its service stability, especially following recent outages.
Bluffton
A significant internet outage affecting Sparklight customers in South Carolina and Georgia was triggered by a lightning strike on Tuesday. This disruption impacted services such as internet, video, and phone communications across several areas, including Bluffton, Beaufort, and Hilton Head Island.
As of 3:22 p.m., monitoring website Downdetector reported a peak of 162 complaints regarding service outages. By 4:22 p.m., this number had decreased to 66 reports, indicating that some customers may have begun to regain access. However, many continued to experience interruptions.
Sparklight, previously known as Hargray, is a part of Cable One and serves an extensive customer base of over 1 million across 24 states. Despite the large scale of the outage, emergency services remained operational, as all 911 services in the affected regions were confirmed to be functional as of 4:45 p.m.
Restoration Efforts Underway
Local utility company electricians quickly responded to the situation, arriving on-site to facilitate restoration efforts as early as 6:03 p.m. Power was restored at the equipment site following the lightning strike by 7:13 p.m., allowing crews to begin replacing damaged equipment. A hardware swap was planned around 9:02 p.m. to expedite the recovery process.
Despite these efforts, by 9:30 p.m., there were still no reports of restored internet services in the area. Updates from Sparklight remained sparse, adding to the uncertainty for customers dependent on these services.
Slow Return to Services
As the evening progressed, small signs of recovery began to emerge. By 10:32 p.m., some customers in Beaufort and Jasper Counties reported that their services had been restored. However, no additional updates were provided by Sparklight regarding the overall status of repairs or a comprehensive timeline for full service restoration.
By 11:27 p.m., additional reports indicated that more affected customers had regained access to their services. Local technicians continued to work during the night to stabilize connections for all customers in the impacted areas.
Recent Outages
This incident is not unique, as the last major service outage experienced by Sparklight occurred in early April. Furthermore, in mid-September, four separate incidents of fiber cuts caused significant disruptions for users. These recurring issues have raised concerns among customers regarding the reliability of their services.
As Sparklight moves forward with restoration and infrastructure improvements, residents in Bluffton, Beaufort, and Hilton Head Island are looking for updates and reassurance about the stability of their internet, video, and phone services in the future. Community members are encouraged to stay informed through local channels as repair crews continue their efforts to fully restore service to all affected customers.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
HERE Resources
Beaufort County Schools Propose $17 Million Budget Increase
Additional Resources
- Island Packet: Internet Outage Report
- Wikipedia: Internet Outage
- Your Island News: Beaufort Outage
- Google Search: Internet Services Outage
- AOL: Beaufort Internet Outages
- Google Scholar: Internet Disruptions
- AOL: More on the Outage
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Internet Service Provider
- Island Packet: Related Local News
- Google News: Bluffton Internet Outage
