Internet problems reported across Beaufort County. Here’s what caused the outages - MASHAHER

Internet outages were reported across Beaufort County Monday morning. Customers were still without service as of 5 p.m.

Sgt. Danny Allen of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that internet was down throughout the region.

Non-emergency dispatch and 9-1-1 was still working, however.

At 12:45 p.m., Sparklight reported that “a portion of Hargray customers are experiencing slow internet or internet outages due to fiber damage caused by a third-party.”

“Technicians are working diligently to get services restored as quickly and safely as possible,” Sparklight said on Facebook. “We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We will provide updates here as information becomes available.”

Hargray rebranded as Sparklight in August.

Teachers also reported the internet being down in Beaufort County public schools.

The city of Beaufort said at 11:15 a.m. that its facilities were all without internet services.

Downdetector.com showed outages across South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

Sparklight, formerly known as Hargray, is reporting a major internet outage. Downdector, an app that offers real-time status of services including telecommunication outages, published this map indicating where a current internet outage is occurring across the region.

In the Lowcountry, Sparklight serves Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton Head and Hardeeville.

When the announcement was made in August that Hargray was changing to Sparklight, the two companies said they were “focused on delivering even more: cutting-edge technology, exceptional customer service, and a commitment to connecting you to what matters most.”

The outage was having a major impact on area businesses who rely on the internet for credit card transactions and phone service.

Many businesses reported the outage on Facebook and asked customers to contact them by cell phone.

Despite the countywide Wi-Fi outage affecting residents and businesses, public networks at the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) and the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) remain operational, according to school representatives.

“Our public Wi-Fi network is still working,” said USCB spokesperson Carol Weir. “People who had access to that are still able to connect to their Blackboard.”

TCL reported similar connectivity for its campus.

“Students are welcome to come on campus and use our internet,” said Leigh Copeland, TCL’s assistant vice president for marketing and public relations.