Cogeco customers in southern Ontario were stuck without service on Thursday, following what the company is referring to as “vandalism.”
Users in Acton, Burlington, Oakville, Elora, Fergus, Georgetown and Milton were all impacted by the outage.
In a statement, Cogeco says the acts of vandalism targeted one specific cable.
“This morning our fibre optic cable was cut in Oakville, Ontario,” a spokesperson said.
“Unfortunately, incidents like this are becoming more common across the telecommunications industry in Canada. While we can’t speculate on the motives behind this vandalism, these acts often involve attempts to steal copper for scrap metal.”
The statement went on to say Cogeco does not used copper in their fibre optic cables, meaning the cut wires are often left behind, having no resale value.
Most users’ service had resumed by Thursday afternoon, and the company says restoration efforts would continue for those still experiencing issues.
“We will also be working with the Halton Regional Police Service, as this is not only property damage but also a public safety issue, as home phone services are impacted,” a Cogeco spokesperson said.
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