News
Disruptive effects of accidental fiber broadband cuts were on full display in the Northeast Monday after a fiber-optic cable next to an Amtrak line was severed accidentally.
By Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
Hundreds of flights in the Northeastern United States were cancelled Monday after a fiber-optic cable in New Jersey was accidentally severed during construction Monday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said flights were starting to resume at some Northeastern airports as of Monday afternoon, hours after the incident first grabbed headlines.
“This incident underscores the need for additional funding to modernize aging infrastructure and prevent disruptions like this in the future,” Duffy said on X.
According to Duffy, the incident was caused by an Amtrak construction crew.
In his post, Duffy said Amtrak’s crew accidentally cut into a fiber line during construction. The incident caused a telecom outage and forced the FAA to pause flights in the Northeast, Duffy said.
The severed line is a Verizon line, according to published reports.
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