Ian: CenturyLink, Comcast could get most SW FL internet up by holidays - News-Press

CenturyLink and Comcast are looking to have internet predominately restored successful Southwest Florida successful clip for the holidays, according to institution representatives. 

Other customers mightiness inactive beryllium without net until early 2023. 

"By Christmas holidays, we are substantially restored," said Martin Valence, vice president of Lumen Technologies. "If there's thing that goes beyond the holidays, it's apt customers aren't calling successful and telling america their services were not restored."

CenturyLink's net restoration timetable 

Charlotte:

• Known net outages are 570
• Full restoration by extremity of November

Collier:

• Known net outage is 640
• Full restoration by extremity of November

Lee - North of Caloosahatchee (Cape Coral, North Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Pine Island):

• Known net outage is 2,700
• Full restoration by extremity of February

Lee – South of Caloosahatchee (Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Iona, Estero):

• Known net outages are 910
• Full restoration by mid-December

Lumen Technologies, of which CenturyLink is simply a part, is 99% recovered but the institution is lone seeing up to 75% of the accustomed customers utilizing their services based connected usage data. 

Previous coverage: CenturyLink net for immoderate Cape Coral residents retired until 2023, Comcast restored 95%

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Valence said the institution knows what's going connected with astir fractional of the 25% of customers based connected damages to distant terminals and lines, but the remainder are unaccounted for either due to the fact that of modem damage, powerfulness fluctuation, oregon wrong wiring damage, oregon the customers conscionable turned their services off. 

The metropolis of Cape Coral and municipality of Fort Myers Beach were described arsenic the hardest impacted with the second requiring laying down caller fibre passim the full island. 

The tempest surge caused the astir damage to lines and distant terminals, and Valence said Cape Coral was the 1 assemblage with the astir customers not utilizing their services. 

Pine Island and Sanibel are expected to retrieve quickly, according to Valence.

"The contented was getting entree to Sanibel and Pine Island due to the fact that it was restricted for the longest time," Valence said. "Now that we've got access, I don't expect agelong duration from either one." 

Hurricane Ian caused important harm to electrical boxes and distant terminals passim the area, which Valence described arsenic " the past constituent of the web earlier it goes into the home."

The terminals deliver net to an mean of 100 to 150 customers each, and determination are hundreds located passim neighborhoods and large roads. 

For distant terminals, it could instrumentality a time oregon 2 to regenerate and reconstruct the electrical parts, but Valence said the existent situation delaying restoration is uncovering and assessing what repairs are needed to these boxes. 

"You get levels of interaction you person to assess. Are they gonna person to regenerate it or repairing it? And there's a batch of enactment down that," Valence said.

He recommends residents and businesses go to 1 of the 10 nationalist Wi-Fi locations for escaped net if needed. 

• Captiva Fire Department Station 181, Public Access from the main and overflow parking tons for 15001 Captiva Drive, Captiva (Lee County)
• CenturyLink branded building, 3445 Sanibel Captiva Rd., Sanibel (Lee County)
• CenturyLink branded building, 906 Country Club Blvd., Cape Coral (Lee County)
• CenturyLink branded building, 4001 Palm Tree Blvd, Cape Coral (Lee County)
• CenturyLink branded building, 10546 Tipton Dr., Bokeelia (Lee County)
• CenturyLink branded building, 4195 Kings Hwy, Port Charlotte (Charlotte County)
• CenturyLink branded building, 15361 Stringfellow Rd, Bokeelia (Lee County)
• Residential Home, CenturyLink facilities located adjacent to 30358 NW 41* Ave, Cape Coral (Lee County)
• Empty Residential Lot, CenturyLink facilities located adjacent to 603 Burnt Store Road, Cape Coral (Lee County)
• Residential Home, CenturyLink facilities located adjacent to 1928 NW 24th Ave, Cape Coral (Lee County)

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Comcast's efforts

Comcast spokeswoman said its services are astir afloat restored, and the institution is moving connected restoring the net to the obstruction islands. 

"We are presently moving connected the locations wherever we are successful the process of rebuilding our network, including Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island, and immoderate of the different hardest deed obstruction islands wherever the infrastructure of the assemblage needs to beryllium rebuilt," Mindy Kramer, vice president of nationalist relations with Comcast, wrote successful an email.  

Fort Myers Beach is expected to beryllium predominantly restored by Nov. 15, Pine Island by Nov. 23, and Sanibel by Dec.16. 

Currently, Xfinity Wi-Fi vans are stationed at:

• Ft. Myers Beach: Walmart Supercenter astatine 17105 San Carlos Blvd., which is located adjacent to introduction onto some Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Causeway.
• Pine Island: Publix astatine 5100 Pine Island Rd., successful Bokeelia 

Customers without work should call 800-Xfinity, but they should expect a agelong hold time. Online forms at www.Xfinity.com/customer-requests can beryllium filled retired to fto the supplier cognize astir downed lines oregon services. 

Luis Zambrano is simply a Watchdog/Cape Coral newsman for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You tin scope Luis astatine Lzambrano@gannett.com. Follow him connected Twitter @Lz2official.