In Ohio, a weeks-long communications outage upended daily life, pushing residents into parking lots for internet access while leaving others worried about what could happen in an emergency.
Evan Jackson, a seventh-generation farmer, works from his truck on Walmart Wi-Fi, and New Bavaria resident Julie Tonjes admitted that her 85-year-old mother has no way to dial 911 from home, WTVG reported.
Here's what to know
Customers of Benton Ridge Telephone Company in Ohio's Henry and Hancock counties told WTVG that their internet, television, and landline phone service vanished without warning.
Service has stayed down for as long as six weeks — with full bills still arriving and no restoration date in sight.
Jackson said the initial communication to customers went little further than acknowledging the problem.
"We, all of a sudden, without warning, lost all of our internet, TV and phone services. And all we were told is, 'We are aware of the outages, and we'll provide you with updates.' We haven't got any updates," he told the station.
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Customers also received an email stating that Watch Communications will permanently end video service because the company couldn't fix issues involving an upstream carrier.
Instead of offering a timeline for restoring internet or landline service, the email advised customers to switch to DirecTV.
Residents waited on hold for hours to get answers on the outage, only to be disconnected.
More background
Jackson explained that the loss of service complicated both household routines and the work required to keep his farm running.
He described connectivity as essential to two farm offices and a livestock operation, and the outage has pushed him into working from his truck on free Walmart Wi-Fi.
At home, Jackson's children have been affected. They cannot complete homework there and instead must go to friends' or relatives' homes outside the outage area to get online.
Tonjes, speaking from New Bavaria, noted that the outage creates a more immediate danger for elderly residents.
"It is a safety issue. My mom is 85 and she's had one fall recently. So that's very just concerning to me. It is a concern for these older people," Tonjes told WTVG.
Her mother is 85, lives alone, has no smartphone, and would be unable to call 911 if an emergency happened.
What can be done?
The most specific response customers have received is to change their television provider.
For internet access, families affected by the outage are assembling whatever backup arrangements they can.
Relying on those improvised fixes has made residents more frustrated. Jackson expected a major communications provider delivering essential services to have backup plans like the ones he keeps for his own operation.
WTVG reached out to Benton Ridge Telephone and Watch Communications about what caused the outage, when internet and phone service could be restored, and whether customers would get bill credits.
It was not clear if the station received any response to its inquiry.
"I have contingency plans for different issues that might arise. You would think that somebody of that size and that type of company would have contingency plans. I mean, there wasn't any storm. There wasn't anything that really justified this long-term outage," Jackson remarked.
Where can I learn more?
These stories explore what long outages can mean for safety, communication, and the backup plans people rely on when service fails. They cover blackouts, dead cell service, and the tools some households turn to when normal connections disappear.
• After an unexpected storm, one homeowner was left to contend with no cell signal, blocked roads, and shuttered gas stations.
• As outages worsen, Generac pushed battery and solar backup systems for homes.
• In Cuba, officials directed residents toward energy-efficient tech after a nationwide blackout persisted.
• One homeowner endured a neighborhood blackout by tapping an electric truck's incredible feature for backup power.
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