Verizon outages still crippling businesses; Manchester PD services up

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August 28, 2012

Verizon outages still crippling businesses; Manchester PD services up

By Marjorie Nesin Staff Writer The Gloucester Daily Times Tue Aug 28, 2012, 02:58 PM EDT

A number of Verizon customers across Cape Ann are continuing to struggle with Internet and phone outages that Verizon is now confirming are tied to an early-morning Monday fire under a bridge in Lawrence that singed the utility company’s network cables.

But Verizon spokesman Philip Santoro said this afternoon the company still has no firm time frame by which restoration of the services is expected, other than to note that crews are “working around the clock” to fix the problems.

The Verizon outages in Gloucester, Manchester, Rockport, Essex are all tied to the Lawrence bridge fire, which the company conceded affected Internet and phone service in other communities from Littleton to Lawrence, Andover, North Andover and Tewksbury.

In a letter from Verizon distributed by the town of Essex to town residents, Verizon’s dispatch manager Donna Powers explained the outage’s possible connection to the Lawrence fire.

”Your communications services may have been interrupted due to a fire in Lawrence that damaged a major cable providing service to your community,” Powers wrote. And Santoro confirmed that this afternoon.

In the meantime, Cape Ann businesses have struggled to keep up with work, sometimes turned to to less modern technology.

Jim Groleau, laboratory director at Biomarine Labratory in Gloucester, said the water and seafood analysis company, without the use of Internet, has resorted to sending faxes to some customers.

”It’s inefficient and it just throws a wrench in the way that we do business,” Groleau said of the Internet outage.

The Manchester Police Department was also among other area institutions grappling with the service issues, but service there was restored shortly after noon today.

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Marjorie Nesin can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3451, or at mnesin@gloucestertimes.com.