S.C. Mayor Wants ISPs to Increase Network Redundancy

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2024 – A South Carolina mayor is advocating for more network redundancy after cut lines left thousands without Internet service for many hours in coastal areas of South Carolina in a September event.

“Internet outages, whether caused by severed fiber cable, natural disasters, or cyberattacks, can literally paralyze communities, businesses, and essential services, especially emergency services,” Beaufort Mayor Phil Cromer said in a Wednesday opinion with The Island News. “I am confident ISPs currently have some level of redundancy, but after recent outages, including Hurricane Helene, expansion of more resilient networks is an absolute must.”

Beaufort is located south of Charleston on South Carolina’s coastline. The city has a population of about 14,000.