Repeated Spectrum outages send Havre customers to Triangle Communications

HAVRE - Residents here with Spectrum services experienced multiple outages within the last week.

During that period, Triangle Communications, the Montana-based cooperative, received “an influx” of calls from people frustrated with their Spectrum service and looking for an alternative provider.

“We have heard a lot of frustration [about] the multiple outages in the past week,” Triangle media spokesperson Bethany Chinadle told the Herald Thursday.

Spectrum customers lost internet, TV and phone services over the weekend, on Monday and again Wednesday.

Some people took to social media, commenting on the outage.

A Spectrum spokesperson said Monday’s outage was the result of faulty equipment, which was replaced.

“The faulty equipment has been replaced by our engineering team this morning and service has been restored,” Spectrum Communications Director Bret Picciolo told local media. “We apologize to any customers who have been impacted.”

But by Wednesday, Spectrum customers found themselves without service again.

Wednesday’s outage was caused by damage to a fiber-optic cable, Spectrum told Havre Daily News.

Spectrum outages and the reason for them are not new for Montana residents, or for that matter, customers all over the U.S.

The Spectrum outage map shows the regions where customers are incurring outages.

Although most Spectrum outages last a few hours, others have lasted days.

On Oct. 6, 2018, Spectrum service to many Montana residents was finally restored after a two-day outage. The reason for that outage?

“Damage to a third-party carrier’s fiber-optic network,” Spectrum spokesperson Bret Picciolo said then.

Meanwhile, Triangle, headquartered in Havre, continues to expand its services.

In June, the company announced that it would be installing additional equipment throughout the city to provide additional capacity and increased speeds.

Now, the Montana company is taking calls and setting up appointments for residential services.

People interested in service should call and see if their location is within the current fixed wireless footprint, Chinadle of Triangle said.