Us West Users Lose Long Distance Line

Thu., June 3, 1999

From Staff

Thousands of central Washington telephone users were unable to make long distance calls for about 5-1/2 hours when a US West crew cut a fiber-optic cable while installing a pole.

The break near Ephrata about 11 a.m. Tuesday had the potential to affect service to as many as 96,000 customers, but the actual number of residents unable to make long distance calls is believed to have been much lower, Lynn Espinoza, a US West spokeswoman, said Wednesday.

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