Quantum Fiber outage leaves 200+ Lehigh Acres homes without internet for 8 days

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (WINK)—Neighbors have been without internet for eight days after a third-party contractor damaged multiple sections of Quantum Fiber's fiber optic cables.

The online Quantum Fiber outage map shows over 200 households are being impacted by the outage. An AT&T spokesperson, Quantum Fiber's parent company, said they appreciate customers' patience while repairs are being made.

For Niki Bond, who works in healthcare from home, the outage has put her job at risk. She must be connected to ethernet, not just a wifi signal, to work due to client protection requirements.

"I've been a nervous wreck 'cause obviously I need to keep my job. It's very stressful. You know, you have bills. You have a baby. You know, I have necessities I need to get, and I don't have PTO and stuff built up, so this whole week I'm not getting paid for that," Bond said. "We've haven't had internet."

Her company has a policy where calling out for three days in a row can result in termination.

"I'm shocked that my job is even still has me on," Bond said.

Other neighbors who work from home have been able to go to restaurants and coffee shops with public wifi. Christopher Perez, who also works from home, said he's frustrated with the lack of communication.

"We don't know why the out is happening, and two, every single update they do is you know misinformation. They always say it's going to be fixed by tonight, and it's been saying that every single day for a week, so pretty bad," Perez said.

Perez reached out to Quantum Fiber asking if they were going to discount his services.

"Next month is going to be on us. Just call us back. And then I got charged for next month a couple days ago," Perez said.

Bond also reached out to Quantum and explained her work situation. Quantum Fiber offered her a $15 discount.

"I was like, 'Yeah, a $15 credit, that's really gonna cover my whole last paycheck, the stress that I've been having every day, like, trying to let my job know, Hey, it's another day without internet,'" Bond said.

Neighbors said they want Quantum Fiber to be more transparent with restoration expectations and what stage repairs are in.

"I wish they would, um, understand how we rely on them. You know, they like to advertise how reliable they are. Uh, people do rely on them for their livelihood and their jobs, like, not just, you know, entertainment," Bond said.

"Please get the internet back up," Perez said.

Bond said if Quantum Fiber had communicated there was going to be a long-term outage, she could have made arrangements to stay with family who live over five hours away. She has been looking into switching providers, but a technician would not be able to connect her for at least a week.

WINK News reached back out to AT&T to get a better understanding of the repair process and has not heard back.