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Long Distance Phone Service Disrupted In Okmulgee Area

By Chris Wright, The News On 6

OKMULGEE, OK -- Parts of Okmulgee County were stuck dealing with a dial tone on Monday.  A mistake by a utility company knocked out phone service to several communities.

Several hours without a cell phone may seem like an eternity for college students, but that's what they had to endure Monday.  On the first day of classes at OSU Okmulgee, they were stranded without cell or long-distance service.

"It was a burden because I can't call home. I know my mom and dad were pretty worried about me, starting off so," said OSU-Okmulgee freshman Steven Chapman.

AT&T says a utility company accidentally sliced a fiber line while doing some work.  That caused all sorts of problems in Okmulgee, Henryetta and Okemah.  People could make local calls, but cell and long-distance service were down for about five hours.

No long distance phone service meant no credit cards.  So, at Massey's Barbeque, it made lunchtime a nightmare.

"It hurt a little bit. Our credit card customers were unable to use credit cards when they came in to purchase products from us," said Tyrone Massey of Massey's BBQ.

The staff at Massey's was preparing for a dinner hour they hoped would go more smoothly than lunch.  They say because of the outage, credit cards were useless, and customers without cash were unable to pay for their meals.       

Barbeque fans couldn't get money from ATM's because they were also down, and couldn't call anyone for a quick loan.

"Phone, cell phones, no one could contact anybody. It was just kind of a big hassle," said Tyrone Massey of Massey's BBQ.

The hassle finally ended early in the afternoon, when the fiber line was fixed, and service was restored.

Officials say the outage also affected areas of Morris and Bixby because those towns use AT&T for some services.