Sioux Falls, South Dakota – Law enforcement agencies in multiple states faced challenges on Wednesday night due to significant 911 outages, leaving millions unable to contact authorities. Reports indicated that the outages affected Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, and Texas, with many services being restored by late evening. While the exact cause of the outages remains unknown, concerns arose following a Department of Homeland Security warning about heightened cyberattack risks on internet-based 911 systems.
There is currently no evidence to suggest that the 911 outages were the result of a cyberattack or other malicious activities, according to law enforcement officials who spoke with NBC News. The Federal Communications Commission stated that they are investigating the reports of 911-related outages, without specifying the cause on Thursday morning.
In South Dakota, local law enforcement reported a statewide outage shortly before 7 p.m. local time, with service being restored approximately two hours later. Despite the outage, texting to 911 was available in most locations as an alternative means of contacting authorities. In Nevada, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department informed the public of a 911 outage impacting landline calls, urging individuals to use mobile devices instead.
Some agencies attributed the issues to wireless carriers, such as Sarpy County 911 in Nebraska, where certain carriers were unable to reach 911. Similarly, Del Rio Police in Texas indicated that the problem stemmed from a carrier issue rather than a fault with city systems. T-Mobile customers were particularly affected by the disruptions, with the company acknowledging coverage problems that were later resolved without any reported injuries or serious incidents.
In Douglas County, Nebraska, officials attributed the outage to a fiber cut, with service being fully restored by the early hours of Thursday. AT&T confirmed that their network was functioning normally and suggested that the problem may have originated from another carrier’s network, emphasizing that it was not connected to the FirstNet system designed for public safety.
Overall, while the 911 outages created challenges for law enforcement agencies and the public, service was gradually restored in the affected states by the end of the night. Efforts to investigate the root causes of the disruptions continue as authorities work to prevent similar incidents in the future.