Four and a Half Hours Offline: Minnesota Fiber Optic Cable Cut

From about 2:15 to 6:45 this afternoon and evening, this household had no phone, television, or - more importantly - internet connection. Two calls to our service provider revealed that a fiber-optic cable had been accidentally cut, taking several cities in Minnesota offline.

Things are working now, but that was quite an interesting interval. I got tasks done - but not what I'd planned on.

I'd like to include a link to some news item about the situation: but haven't found one.