Verizon cell phone service and reception of WTIP radio was disrupted on Monday, November 25 when a phone line was cut near the communication towers overlooking the city of Grand Marais. The outage lasted from about 10:05 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
WTIP radio issued a statement via the Boreal Access Internet provider letting listeners know that the station was unable to broadcast from any of its three transmitters, 90.7 FM Grand Marais; 90.1 FM Grand Portage or 89.1 FM Gunflint Trail.
WTIP was still able to offer its programming via web stream at www.wtip.org.
Engineer Jeff Nemitz of WTIP said the outage was caused by an Arrowhead Cooperative employee working in the area to install Broadband fiber lines. Nemitz said the employee was operating a backhoe to dig a ditch between two towers. The phone line had been located and the operator left a section several feet wide to dig by shovel, as is required in such areas. “He thought he was outside, but he nicked the line with the backhoe, severing the line,” said Nemitz.
Arrowhead Cooperative spokesperson Joe Buttweiler confirmed that an Arrowhead employee was working in the area, but said he did not know the details at press time. He confirmed that a line locate had been completed.
Buttweiler said there is a big push to get key sections of fiber optic cable installed before winter hits. A fiber link is needed by both the Verizon and AT&T to be able to offer 4G service to cell phone customers. Buttweiler said Arrowhead is working to get approximately 800 miles of Broadband installed throughout the county.
According to Melissa Rexrode of the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office, Century Link was contacted to make repairs.
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