Mediacom Missouri outage caused by the ‘rarest of rare situations’

Two separate construction-related accidents caused Mediacom customers across Missouri to be without internet and voice service earlier this week. 

Speaking to the Springfield News-Leader, Mediacom spokesperson Phyllis Peters called the interruption “the rarest of rare situations.”

On Wednesday afternoon, a construction crew of unspecified origin working in northwest Missouri accidentally severed a buried Mediacom fiber conduit.

Peters said that traffic was supposed to be rerouted through an aerial backup rented from another unspecified cable company. But the connection to the backup was taken down by a “dump truck or heavy vehicle” in a different area of the state, she explained. 

“We can't remember this happening before," Peters said.

RELATED: Mediacom puts up ‘for sale’ sign in glowing Forbes profile of founder Commisso

Mediacom had service restored by Wednesday evening. In addition to internet and phone service being taken out, access to national cable channels like ESPN was also disrupted.

Mediacom primarily serves small markets in the Midwest and southern U.S., with a footprint that spans 22 states. The company’s Missouri service areas include Columbia, Jefferson City and Springfield.