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Internet restored after construction mishap causes loss of online services at SC Department of Social Services

Crews installing new utility poles Sunday afternoon nearby cut fiber network cable at Bull Street location in Columbia

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Around 2 p.m. Monday, internet service was restored to South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) headquarters in Columbia. The agency was without internet on Monday morning due to a construction mishap over the weekend.

A major fiberoptic line was severed Sunday, March 3, by a private contractor installing new utility poles on the Bull Street property adjacent to SCDSS State Office Headquarters. The damage to the circuit that provides the main internet and network connectivity to SCDSS was catastrophic required a complete reworking of  approximately 1000 feet of fiber between two underground vaults.

Repairs were underway early Monday morning and completed Monday afternoon

Until the repairs were made, the DSS website was unavailable, including the agency’s online Benefits Portal site, which houses online applications for SNAP, TANF, Child Support, Child Care Scholarships and several other programs.

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