Franklin County residents cut off from internet and phone for over a week

Rural Residents Face Extended Internet and Phone Outages

Residents living on Mary Bett Hollow Road in Ferrum, Virginia, rely heavily on their internet service for daily communication and essential tasks. However, they have been without reliable phone and internet service for over a week, with some experiencing outages for as long as three weeks. This has created significant challenges for the community, especially for those who depend on these services for critical needs.

Michael Krawitz, a resident of the road, shared his frustration after his wife returned from the hospital following a total hip surgery. He explained that coordinating physical therapy appointments and other medical arrangements has become nearly impossible without access to a phone or internet. “We have to drive an hour each way to town just to make calls,” he said. The lack of service has made it difficult for him and his family to manage their daily lives.

Krawitz mentioned that when he reached out to the service provider, Brightspeed, for repairs, he was given a date three to four weeks in the future. This delay was unusual for him, as he previously experienced quicker response times from other providers. “I’ve had repair calls where they came out in a week, but almost a month out seemed strange,” he noted.

The problem affects not only Krawitz and his wife but also four other families on the same road. Among them is 89-year-old Rebecca Shively, who has been without service for three weeks. She described the emotional toll of being cut off from communication. “It’s hard emotionally. I can’t do anything without a phone or internet, and I pay all my bills online,” she said. Shively also mentioned that the lack of service has affected her sleep and overall well-being.

Shively reported that Brightspeed initially promised to restore her service on July 29, but the date has come and gone without any resolution. She struggles to reach out to her sister-in-law due to the lack of cell phone signal. “Sometimes I can get enough signal to call her, but this morning and yesterday, I couldn’t even do that,” she said.

Michael Love, another resident, filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on behalf of his neighbors. Love, who worked in communications for 31 years before retiring, found the situation unacceptable. “Under normal circumstances, nobody would be without service for three weeks. If there was a major storm, I could understand, but not for no reason,” he said.

Love and his wife switched to Starlink earlier in the year after facing repeated issues with Brightspeed. However, he still felt compelled to act when he learned that Shively’s service remained out. “I thought I was done with the problems, but then Becky told me her service was out and she wasn’t getting a call until today. That’s unacceptable,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Love and his neighbors have been supporting one another as best they can. He believes this is not the first time residents in Franklin County have faced similar issues with Brightspeed. “I know there are people who get great service, but in more rural areas, it seems like the equipment isn’t maintained properly,” he said.

Krawitz expressed frustration over the visible damage to the service lines, which he believes indicates a lack of maintenance. “It’s not just a tree falling on a wire. There’s a lot of debris and trees down, and it’s clear this hasn’t been taken care of in a while. We feel abandoned by Brightspeed.”

Brightspeed provided a statement addressing the issue. According to the company, the service interruptions are due to downed utility poles causing damage to their service lines. They also mentioned that repair crews are facing challenges due to overgrown vegetation blocking access to the affected areas. The company anticipates completing the work by the end of the week, depending on the speed of utility locate requests.

For now, residents continue to cope with the ongoing disruptions, hoping for a swift resolution to their service issues.