A screenshot of a map on the website DownDetector.com shows the extent of RCN outages affecting internet customers Monday morning. (Credit: Down Detector)
UPDATE: Many local RCN customers reported that their internet service was restored around or shortly after 10 a.m.
If you’re an RCN internet and/or television customer and you live in the Lehigh Valley, you’re likely experiencing a major service interruption.
The company posted on its Facebook page and Twitter feed Monday morning that weather is to blame for the outage it says many local customers–including those in Saucon Valley–are currently experiencing.
“Due to high winds and heavy rain, the Lehigh Valley area was experiencing commercial power outages and subsequently, internet and TV service interruptions,” the company said. “RCN crews assessed the situation and restoration of services have begun. Updates on these efforts will continue to be posted here as developments become available. Thank you for being an RCN customer!”
A representative for a business in the Shoppes at Hellertown on Main Street said the internet was working at the start of the business day, but went down around 9 a.m., causing a major disruption to customer service.
Calls to RCN’s customer service department were not going through, she said.
This is the second major outage RCN customers have experienced in less than a week, and some people are already venting their frustration on the company’s Facebook page.
“Why is there an outage exactly a week after another outage?” wrote Ashley Williamson. “Why is my rate going up and I’m not just dealing with these outages but dropping when I try to use my game consoles as well?”
Added Lisa Johnson, “Not only is it out AGAIN but that ‘5 full day credit’ we (were) all promised, was never applied to our bill. Getting very frustrating to say the least!”
Another commenter said the outage is actually affecting customers outside the Lehigh Valley, and questioned the company’s release of information.
“You have a major outage affecting all service areas,” said Josh Weirback. “If this is due to power outage in LV, what is happening in Chicago, DC, and Boston? This is the second time since the 10th all are affected. Either you don’t have proper protections in place to supply service, or you are having other problems you aren’t talking about.”
During the more widespread outage that affected RCN customers throughout the Northeast, thousands of Lehigh Valley area customers lost Internet for 40 minutes or longer on the evening of Monday, April 9.
The company has not publicly identified a cause for that outage, according to a LehighValleyLive.com story.
Today’s outage couldn’t have come at a worse time for last minute taxpayers and tax preparers, as the deadline to submit a 2017 tax return is Tuesday, April 17, aka “Tax Day.”
