Providers said many customers lost cable service simply because the electricity went out in the storm.
“We find that in 90 to 95 percent of cases, when commercial power comes back on, our service comes back on,’’ said Chris Fenger, senior vice president of operations at cable provider RCN Corp. About 1,500 of RCN’s 75,000 Massachusetts customers were without cable service yesterday, from a peak of 4,000 on Monday, according to Fenger.
Neither Comcast nor Verizon Communications Inc. would disclose how many of their customers lost service due to Irene, or when the companies would restore service. That’s in sharp contrast to utilities NStar and National Grid, which under state law must maintain communication with customers during an emergency. The utilities have been updating customers continually on their progress in restoring service and reporting that power may not return to some customers until the weekend.
“We are working very closely with respective power companies and following their restoration efforts to ensure our customers’ services are working properly shortly after power is restored,’’ said Doreen Vigue, a Comcast spokeswoman. “We know it is an inconvenience to be without these services, and we thank our customers for their patience.’’
Phil Santoro, a Verizon spokesman, said the company’s landline network weathered the storm well, but some poles and facilities were damaged by Irene’s wind and pelting rains. The company has backup generators to provide cable phone service to some customers, according to Santoro. “Our teams are out assessing the damage and making repairs,’’ he wrote in an e-mail. “Our restoral efforts will be helped as more roads open up and as the power company does its work to restore service.’’
