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Show /THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2000 Southern Utah cut off BY THOMAS BURR SENIOR STAFF WRITER SUU and southwestern Utah were almost literally cut off from the rest of the world early yesterday morning after a fiber optic line about lO miles to the. north was severed. The line, which fe~ds phone and Internet communications for the region, was apparently cut around 9 a.m. yesterday by a contractor installing a power line to a cellular phone antenna site in a remote area. Although barely an inch thick, the line was the connection for a major portion of communications from Beaver County south to the state line. The incident · wiped .out almost all long-distance communications from the southwest Utah region. ATM·units and credit card systems at local businesses were also cut off. Local calls were not affected. Since the line also connected computer systems to the World Wide Web, computers in the area, including those at SUU , were unable to reach outside Internet pages. Service was restored close to 4 p.m., but not before causing a wake of problems in the area. Emergency calls to 911 would not connect after the line was cut and later worked under minimal conditions ·until the line was restored. The enhanced 911 system that runs in Cedar City and surrounding communities relies on the line to send calls to Salt Lake City and back with caller information. 911 calls placed for two hours yesterday PAGES UMIVERSIT.Y JOURNAL CAMPUS MEWS received only a busy signal. Linda Petty, manager of the Cedar Communications Center, said Qwest (formerly US West) rerouted the 911 calls j ust before noon to non-emergency dispatch numbers which allowed calls to be answered. However, the enhanced part of the system, which allows addresses and names to appear on computers for the operators, was not working with the rerouted calls. "We're surviving,• said Petty during the middle of the day. "But it ·could have created some problems.· Emergency calls to 911 were restored to the enhanced system just after 4 p.m. Campus computers and phone systems at SUU were also cut off for several hours because of the problem . Jeanette Ormand, director of administrative systems, said the problem did not cripple the university but caused widespread disruptions. "There was no e-mail , no long-distance,• she said. "You couldn't even call US West to find out what the problem was.· Don Blanchard, chair of the department of technology and criminal justice, said the problem caused only minimal repercussions. And although several of the classes in his department rely on computers, no classes were canceled. The only effect felt, he said, was difficulties in calling long-distance. The Electronic L~arning Center, which houses computers for student use, was unable to provide Internet service because of the cut line. \I \ \. \\ \..., '.I L \ \. T I tl 11 \ \ I \\ I \. t," VOU'll W.JlNT TO T~V OU.A ~U++.nLO WING~ JI " ., "'iw, (UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOU'RE A CHICKEN ) Winger's, home of World Famous Buffalo Wings Ribs • Chicken • Sizzling Fajitas • Sensational Salads Gourmet Sandwiches and Burgers Kids Menu. & More. N OW SERVING BREAKFAST! Aa'l American Diner 1555 West Regency Road • Cedar City • 867-1700 \ I \ \. \\ \ ._, \ I I:: .\ \. T T () 11 .\ \' I:: \\' I \: C S ' 1• 2 00 North 7 0 E a st , n ext to Li n 's 867-8888 |