CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Many Southwest Florida residents experienced a long-lasting internet outage Wednesday, but this isn't an uncommon issue.
As more people move to Southwest Florida during the Coronavirus Pandemic, that also means more people working from home and relying on a strong internet connection.
Fox 4's Bella Line spoke with Jerry Doviak who said his family had to cancel an appointment Wednesday because of the issue.
“I have several friends who run businesses from around the country via Zoom, and all the meetings that they have, so when the internet goes down they’re out of business for a while," said Doviak.
Jim Paquin understands it more than most as he's a retired Network Engineer.
"I spent a lot of my career building the internet," said Paquin. "If you’re in my house the thermostat doesn’t work; the internet doesn’t work; the Rings, some of them don’t work. I have them on different networks, but the Ring cameras. You have to think about some network resiliency I’ll say."
Whether working from home or using the Internet for streaming, there is a more serious safety concern as well.
Currently, Southwest Florida is facing dangerous temperatures, which makes a serious safety concern if people can't contact emergency services.
“When I’m 80, I look to my iPhone watch, and I call for an ambulance I want it to work," said Paquin. "All these things have to be thought through before you need them."
Xfinity did not respond, directly, to Fox 4. However, customers did receive a series of texts from the company about the outages.
