Vandals cut a Rogers fibre line in Richmond, B.C., and it has knocked out internet, TV, and home phone service for people in the area between Bridgeport Road and Westminster Highway, plus some nearby neighbourhoods.
Rogers says the cut was on purpose, while saying the damaged line runs along the CN Rail tracks in the city, and because it sits on an active railway, crews cannot just walk in and fix it. Technicians have to coordinate with CN Rail to work safely, which is resulting in a slower fix.
The repair itself is complex, as crews have to splice the fibre back together, which means lining up individual glass strands by hand and reconnecting them one by one.
“Like other providers, we’re seeing a troubling rise in vandalism to our network infrastructure across the country, causing service interruptions and affecting Canadians who rely on our networks to stay connected,” a Rogers spokesperson told the Richmond News. “Beyond being a significant inconvenience for our customers and businesses, these acts can have a serious impact on public safety.”
The outage started early Monday, August 17 and crews were sent out around 9:50 a.m. PT to investigate and have been on site ever since, working through the day, overnight, and into Tuesday.
Here is the timeline Rogers shared:
As of the latest update at 4:45 p.m. PT on Tuesday, technicians are still working on the cut line and expect to keep going into the evening. Rogers thinks service should be back by 2:00 a.m. PT on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
If you want to check whether your home or business is affected, log into your account on the MyRogers (Shaw) website or open the MyRogers (Shaw) app and look for a status alert banner.
Obviously customers are upset with their internet down since yesterday. Many took to X to try to ask for more information and clarification.
It’s times like these when satellite internet services such as Starlink can prove to be a worthy backup, as the company is offering free hardware and service from $75 per month.
It’s not just Rogers that has been at the mercy of vandals, as Telus and Bell have seen their infrastructure hit by thieves seeking the copper inside these lines.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
