Fiber-optic cable break shuts down Highland Lakes network

MARBLE FALLS — A "catastrophic cable break" in the Hill Country area shut down Internet and phone service across the Highland Lakes for more than eight hours Tuesday.

The outage began around 1 p.m., cutting off all Internet service and many phone lines, according to Marble Falls City Secretary Christina Laine.

"There were rumors it started after the city cut a (cable) line, but that isn’t the case," Laine said. "It was actually a catastrophic cable break."

Area law enforcement and emergency dispatchers said the 911 system was tested and hasn’t been affected.

City officials are keeping in touch with cellular network officials.

In the meantime, residents and businesses are dealing with the outage, using cell phones, texting and satellite services to circumvent the lack of long-distance phone service.

Heaver-than-usual use of the cell phone network led to some calls being dropped, officials said.