Duncan Community Grapples with Internet Outage after Fiber-Optic Cable Damage

The quiet community of Duncan, South Carolina was struck with an unexpected disruption on August 21, 2024, as residents suffered a near six-hour internet disconnection when an overhead fiber-optic cable was severed. Further obscuring the situation is that this isn’t the first such incident in the area.

Speculation Surrounds Cause of Disconnection

Initial speculation pointed towards a variety of potential causes from the ongoing AT&T strike to the extreme – the Perseids meteor shower. However, investigation quickly set such suspicions aside when the actual cause – cut overhead fiber-optic cable – came to light. The damaged cable was located approximately 10 miles outside of Duncan near Bethlehem Baptist Church in Moore. While the investigation is currently active and ongoing, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office has yet to identify a suspect or a motive behind the incident.

Surveillance Footage Provides Clues

Providing some hints towards the incident, surveillance footage showed an unidentified person rushing through a cemetery towards utility poles at approximately 5:17 a.m. The individual seemed to carry something in his hand albeit unidentifiable. Subsequently, over the course of two minutes, this individual was observed in the vicinity of the location where the cable damage occurred. At 5:19 a.m., a four-door car was seen exiting from the cemetery and onto the road.

Detailed Repair Process

Damage to the overhead fiber-optic cable required extensive and intensive repair work. Fiber-optic cables contain multiple individual fibers and hence, the repair process involves meticulous fiber-to-fiber connection enabling light to transmit information across long distances. In this particular case, the damage extended to approximately 288 or more fibers, necessitating multi-crew intervention. The approximate cost of the repair work was around $20,000.

Previous Incident of Cable Damage

Adding to the mystery, a similar incident took place just two days prior to the disruption in Duncan. At 2:57 a.m. on August 19, another communication loss was reported north of Inman near Compton Bridge Road and Brown Drive. Almost 1,500 feet of fiber-optic cable was found missing. The crew managed to replace the line before contacting law enforcement at around 6:51 a.m.

Puzzling Motive

Fiber-optic cables exhibit negligible metal content, resulting in low potential resale value. Thus, such cables make an unattractive target for thieves, further perplexing the motive behind such actions. “The motivation is a mystery, since the ends don’t appear to justify the means,” a representative from the local sheriff’s office commented.

In the meantime, despite the disruptions, internet services were fully restored after six troublesome hours. The residents of Duncan and the surrounding communities hope to see a swift resolution to the mystery behind these cutting incidents. The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate, and the community remains hopeful that the culprits behind these disruptions will soon be brought to justice.

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