Update:
EPB reported that service was restored for all customers Sunday morning, nearly 24 hours after problems began.
We’re working to resolve Internet service issues. Thanks for your patience & we’ll keep u posted!
— EPB_Chattanooga (@EPB_Chattanooga) May 7, 2016
EPB acknowledged ongoing problems with its internet service Saturday afternoon after some customers reported internet outages and slowdowns for much of the day.
The electricity distribution and telecommunications company tweeted it has fixed the problem for most of its customers who experienced the glitch.
EPB network engineers have restored most Internet customers affected and are working quickly to resolve the remaining issues.
— EPB_Chattanooga (@EPB_Chattanooga) May 7, 2016
The utility said 2,000 customers reported to EPB that they lost internet during the day, but because of the glitch the utility wasn’t able to provide the total number of customers who lost connectivity during the outage.
EPB has more than 82,000 customers in the Chattanooga area, including thousands of business customers, and the utility has been working to expand coverage to rural areas.
John Pless, a spokesman for EPB, said that as of 3 p.m., network engineers had restored the utility’s NextNet-branded Internet service to most residents who were affected. TV and phone services were not affected by the outage.
“EPB has traced the likely cause of the outage to a manufacturer’s glitch in equipment installed during what is normally an event-free maintenance process,” Pless wrote in a statement released just after 4 p.m.
Pless didn’t specify the manufacturer or the type of equipment at fault, and didn’t offer an estimate of when service would be restored.
“EPB regrets any inconvenience these problems have caused our customers,” Pless wrote. “We are working hard to get the last few customers back on in short order.”
Some customers remained without service into the evening.
EPB is in the process of upgrading its online payments system, but the utility said in another tweet that the outages were unrelated to the software upgrade.