Charter Spectrum service goes out again Wednesday

Charter Spectrum customers around the Havre area lost service again Wednesday for several hours.

Charter Communications Senior Director Bret Picciolo said the issue was from a third-party carrier’s network, damage to a fiber-optic cable, which impacted service for Spectrum customers.

Havreite Ken Kooch said he called Charter when the service went down Monday and received $5 off his total bill, which includes all three services — phone, internet and cable.

“I think there has to be some way to talk to somebody to see what’s going on with it or fixing this stuff or they got phony equipment that keeps going out and turning that into the (Federal Communications Commission) if they need help,” Kooch said.

Kooch said that he has a cellphone and and wondered how people who don’t have a cellphone are supposed to call emergency services.

He said the loss of phone and internet impacts business and work as well as personal communication and use of the internet.

Picciolo said the company tries to keep people posted when problems arise.

“We use automated messages to notify customers who call us about known issues impacting service in their area,” Picciolo said.

Local Spectrum customers also lost service over the weekend and Tuesday lost service for almost six hours while the company was having problems with equipment.

Picciolo said Tuesday that equipment malfunction impacted service for customers in the Havre area.

He said that equipment was replaced and service interrupted by that problem was restored Tuesday morning.