Borrego Sun - Since 1949

Zito Media experienced a major outage in Borrego Springs March 24, leaving many customers without internet service for nearly two days, adding to an already hefty list of displeasure with the company.

According to customers in the area, internet services went down at around 9:20 p.m. It turns out the problem was due to cut fiber optic cable wire somewhere along the stretch of over 28 miles.

Crews needed time to assess the situation, along with searching all night to find where exactly the wire was cut before proceeding in the proper solution. Representatives at the time were not able to give an estimated time of restoration and customers were facing one of the longest Zito internet service outages in the last few months.

After finding the cut some time the next day, crews were hard at work, diligently repairing the damage to the wire, which is a quite intricate process and takes time to complete. The crew had at least two miles of cable to repair along the Highway 78 route. This is not the first time Borrego Springs was without service due to a wire cut. Back when the internet service of Zito was Cable USA/USA Communications in 2016 and 2017, customers experienced shifty services.

In 2018, Zito (USA Communications) added a new 10 Gig Fiber Circuit into Borrego Springs to provide a “state of the art connection for our internet customers.” Hoping Zito would be an improvement, but to no surprise, it’s a different name, just the same (not so great) service.

Those who spoke with a customer representative were told that the time of restoration would possibly be Saturday March 26 around 2 p.m., and others were told Monday, March 28.

After the dissatisfaction of many disgruntled customers, to their luck, services were restored around 5:30 p.m. in some areas around Borrego Springs, and eventually the whole town was back on an hour later. But some were still without cable TV.

Praises went out to the workers who helped repair the cable and restore the service, especially in warm temperatures. Yet, many pointed out that the communication by Zito to its customers was lacking, as they had not reached out to notify anyone of restoration or what was essentially happening. With the power of social media, customers were fed information, but not from Zito themselves, and they should be held accountable.

Many who were without internet are tired of the outages, as many work from home, as well as businesses need the internet to be able to process credit card payments.

Others also mentioned that yes, cellular data is available, but it does cost when you go over your limit. And with many on their cellular data, it does slow down since everyone is on it. So with this outage, many are looking for alternatives to Zito, including Starlink, Viasat and HughesNet.

Many have praised Starlink, however, the wait list is months long with installation to at least 2023, and the down deposit is as much as $500. But they say it is worth it.

Customers are essentially hoping for some type of credit on their next bill for the outage, but may have to call in order to see that reflected the next time they are due for a payment.

Zito Media serves in 22 states, over 250 communities, with over 75,000 subscribers (for now, if not lower). Zito Media is the telecommunications company that provides TV (including Digital Cable), High-Speed Internet, and Digital Phone Services.

Zito is headquartered in Potter County, Pennsylvania, and are independently owned and operated.

“Our goal is to provide our customers with the best possible level of Video, Data, and Voice Services. Zito is committed to an ongoing culture of technological innovation, and as such, we will continue to deliver new and advanced services as they become available,” stated on their website.