Fidium Fiber customers across Maine and Northern New England experienced a widespread internet and phone service outage Thursday afternoon, with service fully restored by early evening.
Outage Reports Surge Across Three States
Dozens of customers in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire reported connectivity issues on Downdetector beginning around 3 p.m. In Maine, outages were concentrated in the Midcoast region, Manchester, Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook, among other communities.
The Portland Conservatory of Music posted on Facebook that it was without internet or phone service due to the disruption.
Company Acknowledges ‘Technical Issues’
A Fidium Fiber spokesperson said around 3:40 p.m. that the company was “experiencing technical issues” but did not specify the root cause or provide an estimated restoration time.
“Our teams are working to restore services and systems as quickly as possible,” said Kyle Thweatt in an email, responding to questions from the Portland Press Herald.
Network Issue Identified, Traffic Rerouted
In an update around 5 p.m., Thweatt confirmed Fidium Fiber had experienced a network issue and was rerouting traffic while attempting to fully restore service. The outage also temporarily impacted the company’s website as a surge of customers sought service information. Both the website and Fidium’s phone support services were back online shortly after, according to Thweatt.
“We are continuing to stabilize service and fully restore any remaining impacted customers,” he said.
Service Fully Restored by 5:45 p.m.
Around 5:45 p.m., Thweatt confirmed service was restored across the network.
“We understand how disruptive an outage can be and appreciate our customers’ patience as we worked to restore service,” he said.
Next Steps for Affected Customers
Customers still experiencing issues are advised to restart their equipment or call Fidium Fiber at 1-844-434-3486 for assistance.
Staff Writer Drew Johnson contributed to this story.
