Bluepeak subcontractors cutting unmarked cable resulted in Casper-area internet outages this week

CASPER, Wyo. — Two overnight outages that affected Casper-area Spectrum and Verizon Wireless customers were triggered by a fiber-optic cable that was accidentally cut by subcontractors working for internet provider Bluepeak.

According to a Bluepeak statement emailed to Oil City News, the first outage started around 8 p.m. Tuesday when a Bluepeak subcontractor working on a construction project near Durbin Avenue and Collins Drive inadvertently struck Spectrum’s underground fiber cable system.

“Prior to beginning work, the subcontractor followed all required procedures, including submitting an 811 locate request and allowing the appropriate time for utility responses,” Bluepeak said in the release. “Despite proper notification, the underground fiber infrastructure owned by another provider was not marked and was subsequently struck during construction.”

The cable was temporarily repaired and complete service was restored by 7 a.m. Wednesday, according to an earlier statement from Spectrum’s parent company, Charter Communications.

Service was out again late Wednesday afternoon, lasting throughout much of the night. Spectrum said in a statement to Oil City News that it was caused by a “technical issue.”

A Verizon Wireless spokesperson said the fiber provider had to make additional repairs to the previously cut cable overnight and was able to restore service by 3 a.m. Thursday.

Verizon Wireless said it relies on Spectrum’s fiber-optic cable system to transfer data and phone calls to and from its cell towers.

“Our team and contractors followed all established protocols,” said Bluepeak in its statement. “While we do not own or locate the affected infrastructure, we remain committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and coordination in our work.”

Bluepeak broke ground in April 2022 on a new high-speed fiber-optic system, kicking off a $24 million investment to supply nearly 24,000 homes and businesses in the area. Additions to the network are still ongoing, and the company has been expanding into other areas of Wyoming, as well as states like Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota and North Dakota, according to a 2022 release.